New Beginnings: AWKN1 Enters New Era as Marceline Paris

It is impossible not to admire Anne-Marie Le Flanchec and all that she has achieved since launching her spirituality-infused brand AWKN1 during the pandemic. Now, though, she is preparing to embark on a new journey by transforming her concept into Marceline Paris – the same sensational jewels under a revised name, which draws inspiration from her grandmother and bursts with a real sense of authenticity and purpose. Our conversation ahead of Marceline’s showing at Couture 2024 (May 26 – June 2) reveals Anne-Marie’s motivation, inspirations and plans for the future…

We all know that in life, things can change even if you don’t expect them to. Most of these changes happen naturally with the flow of time, which is exactly the case for Anne-Marie Le Flanchec. She has been designing fine jewellery for 27 years, working with brands, supporting a television project in Los Angeles, and travelling between her native Paris and her manufacturing facility in Bangkok, Thailand. 

Jewellery and Spirituality

In more recent years, she poured herself into a spiritual life – a true calling – and travelled extensively across Asia to participate in retreats and meet masters to awaken her mind. As you may have guessed, this was the root of AWKN1 (pronounced ‘awaken one’), which took its fundamental concept from the Buddha, the embrace of one’s own thoughts, and the inner process of knowing your mind, body and soul. Anne-Marie opted to fuse her passion for jewellery with her spiritualism, and the result was a nuanced range centred on themes of balance, energy, purpose and that inner guiding voice that I believe we all have (although more on that later!). 

“When we’re not thinking, when we are at peace, and when we’re embracing life, that’s when we’re in the flow and when we can discover the awakened mind, the real mind,” she says. “I wanted to go back to my original jewellery design work and create pieces that were empowered by this notion of awakening in Buddhism with a lot of beautiful symbolism that is not so well known.” 

Evolution of AWKN1

Over time, the code-like identity of AWKN1 evolved to be more wide-reaching and attract a broader array of precious jewellery lovers. This is a natural development since some of us wear jewellery for its deeper meaning, while others see jewellery merely as self-adornment or means of self-expression. This shift towards “pure jewellery” was beautiful and compelling, but it ultimately “lost the connection with ‘Awaken One’ – the first intention,” Anne-Marie says. But where one door closes, another one surely opens! Anne-Marie decided that this was the incentive she needed to rebrand AWKN1 into Marceline Paris and create a revised identity for her jewellery that reflects where she is now, in life and in design purpose. 

“I had to embrace my love for jewellery, my passion for designing, and my identity as a spiritual person and find something new. I had stretched the brand far beyond my original intention with AWKN1, but I didn’t want to let go of the side of me that loves jewellery. I know that I can make people happy, especially those who like something different. I have decided to embrace this side of me instead of rejecting it,” she shares.

This is so indicative of the journey that Anne-Marie has been on. After all, designing jewellery is so personal and tied to one’s emotions. I can imagine that stepping away from AWKN1 must have felt like leaving a small part of her in the past to embrace a new future. However, we all know that the past is informative! In fact, the name Marceline comes from Anne-Marie’s grandmother, who has provided a lifetime of inspiration. She explains: “When I was small, my grandmother had a passion for jewellery, and she used to love to go to auction houses in Paris. I would go with her on a Wednesday afternoon and watch her ‘take some bets’ on jewellery. She had some beautiful pieces, which I still have, as well as some amazing diamonds.”

Renaming the Brand

Marceline Paris also has the benefit of being softer, gentler and more recognisable than the brand’s previous name, but it still appears to suit the collections well. Anne-Marie tells me that she intends to keep the “hidden spiritual messages” that underpin her ranges because they’re “a part of me, my creativity and part of my evolution”.

My grandmother is why I started in the jewellery business, so I thought I would choose the name Marceline to pay homage to her, Anne-Marie Le Flanchec.

Similarly, she’s not about to completely overhaul her signature style. Marceline Paris will emerge from the innate “flow” that Anne-Marie draws from when she’s in the midst of a period of creativity – a “download” – that feels like an out-of-body experience. This is how she explains it: “Sometimes I feel like it’s not even me. I just let go, let it move and follow the flow.”

Signature Style

Anne-Marie is currently drawn to diamonds, the swirling patterns of malachite, the deep blue of lapis lazuli, the romantic softness of pink opal, and the haziness of sea blue chalcedony. However, what really underpins her signature style is the guilloche technique – a textural pattern to create radiating lines or chevron-like ridges on the surface of gold. “That is at the core of Marceline,” she says, adding that it is more commonly seen on Swiss watch dials. “It gives the gold an amazing texture, almost like a vibrational pattern. It’s quite mystical in a way because you can almost feel the frequency.” In addition to guilloche, the brand is especially partial to ‘flinking’. This gold working technique removes tiny portions of gold to create a knitted or woven pattern in polished surfaces reminiscent of 1970s style. As an interesting aside, both engraving techniques were used by the inimitable Peter Carl Fabergé in the second half of the nineteenth century. 

Core Collection

The most evocative of all the collections offered by Marceline Paris is Akasha – Whispering Truth, which Anne-Marie describes as “very graphic” and “unlike anything else on the market, with a distinctive point of view and uniqueness”. At its core, the range is about listening to the guiding voice within – the one that is kind, loving and nurturing rather than self-sabotaging or confusing. I can imagine being lost in thought when playing with the moving loops of yellow and rose gold that wrap around smooth bracelets and rings. This kinetic element is quite soothing when worn, while the diamond-set details and bi-metal finishes add a nod of contemporary style. Although smaller iterations are available, there’s something striking about the proportions of the original Whispering Truth bracelet and ring… I can easily visualise them filling the wearer with confidence during particularly taxing times. 

Marceline Future

Armed with this new identity for her brand, Anne-Marie says she is feeling confident about the future and ready to tackle the Las Vegas Couture Show with more vigour. She will also make a positive return to various Middle Eastern and European events later this year, including shows in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Vicenza, Italy. She says: “I really enjoy visiting the Middle East and, in the past two years, I have been exploring the market. I love meeting the ladies there. I get to meet some very strong women who really appreciate the style and heritage of a French brand.”

Perhaps, if you are a jewellery designer, you are reading this article and feeling similarly confused about the identity of your own brand. Maybe it has evolved beyond your wildest imaginings or has lost sight of its origins – not necessarily in an irredeemable way, but just through natural progression. “Just make the change and don’t worry,” says Anne-Marie when asked what advice she would impart. “I am so happy that I did it as AWKN1 simply wasn’t me anymore. I was beginning to feel like a bit of an imposter! But in my experience, it is not a big deal, so you should just go for it.” From what we have seen so far here at KaterinaPerez.com, we are inclined to trust Anne-Marie’s judgement wholeheartedly.

Visit Marceline Paris at Couture in Las Vegas from May 26 – June 2, 2024, at Booth #332.