Jewelry is often seen as something inherited. Serena, what do you feel like you have inherited from your father by also working with jewelry?I feel lucky to have a father who never pressured me into the family business and instead inspired me to become a part of it. His individuality, love of art and design, and appreciation of craftsmanship is something we share and has shown me the importance of applying that to what we do. Always infusing a bit of humor into everything too!
How does working together strengthen your bond as father and daughter?The passing on of what generations of our family have learned throughout the years to continue the legacy. It's also natural between the two of us where not only are we spending so much time together, we also understand each other from a design perspective and conceptual perspective. We work well together and our alignment aesthetically has made it easy to collaborate creatively as well.
Serena, how has your father’s work shaped your own career motivations?I had tried out working at an architecture studio and thought I wanted to move onto something like marketing and graphic design. During what was supposed to be an interim period working together I saw how everything I was looking for in a job was already in front of me and the cherry on top is getting to work with him and learn from him. Over time, I've learned how I feel the desire to share his work and our work together and continue expanding the love language of it.
Renato, how has your daughter’s input helped see your work in a new light?Serena discovering original designs from the seventies, eighties, and suggesting to bring them back in different ways has shown me the appreciation there is for them. It’s helped inspire me to create new collections and pieces while remaining true to myself.
What are some of your favorite pieces of Rentao Cipullo available at Broken English? We of course love all of our pieces since everything is made with love. More specifically, any of our letter pieces are a little more near and dear to us because not only as jewelry are they original, but the fonts themselves are original and created by Renato which we feel is something to be proud of as a designer. The Cartellino Pendant is another important piece since Renato designed it in response to the Vietnam war, a dog tag reading the word "amore" a timeless sentiment for everyone.
