Gen Art's Fabulous Four

They weren’t on the runway, but they were definitely there. “They” are Gen Art’s Fresh Faces in Fashion 2002 picks in the accessories category.

But Gen Art could be the only thing these designers have in common. From Baltazar’s rock ’n’ roll belts and Ann Cherico’s rebellious jewelry to Madley’s fairytale knitwear and FlaviOlivera’s ’70s sensibility, these four are as individualistic as they are interesting.

Ann Cherico

Ann Cherico seems like an oxymoron. From a distance, she appears tough, with an edge, even a little intimidating. But up close and personal, the designer is delicate, feminine and ever so pretty. Not surprisingly, this is also the case with Ann Cherico, the jewelry.

The line of necklaces, chokers, cuffs and earrings is bold. Raw and often rugged materials such as horn, bone, stone and leather are the sources for her inspiration, as well as metal mesh and chain. But in her pieces you also find dainty undertones.

“I like to put things together that aren’t supposed to be together,” Cherico explained, then jokingly added, “I guess it’s a form of rebellion.”

For example, her spiky burnt-horn choker, very tribal in feel, looks like something you might have seen in an issue of National Geographic. On closer inspection, you notice that the designer has accented the piece with delicately cut topaz intertwined between the horns.

Cherico also has a fondness for cameos and offered a variety of antique necklaces incorporating them. But they’re not as you might expect—the designer casts the delicate faces and lacy designs in metal or resin, then hangs them on multi-tiered chains.

For her one-of-a-kind pieces, she finds a special item—a rugged stone with a raw garnet embedded in the center, a broken piece of Mayan pottery, a fossilized dinosaur bone or shark’s tooth—and likes to just observe it, almost absorb it, until she’s ready to do something with it.

Cherico admits to not staying on one thing for very long, however. If she doesn’t jump on an idea quickly, chances are that she’s on to the next one. Her current interests are more modern and polished, working with metal, mesh and similar materials. But whatever she decides to turn her talents to, Cherico keeps it interesting.

Baltazar

Gus Duarte, owner and designer of Baltazar, definitely knows what he likes. He likes punk. He especially likes it performed live. He likes collecting and restoring vintage motorcycles.

Now, imagine blending those passions together; visualize that into a line of leather belts, guitar straps and other accessories—and you’ve got Baltazar.

Duarte launched Baltazer (his middle name) two years ago after working as a production manager for a leather accessories company and feeling like he wanted a change. “I wanted to get more creative and just make cooler stuff,” he said.

It seems he made the right decision. Duarte’s punk rock–influenced belts and guitar straps have already created a buzz among rockers and hipsters. Baltazar guitar straps have graced the guitars of ZZ Top’s Dave Navarro and Jane’s Addiction’s Perry Farrell. Baltazar belt–wearing beauties include supermodel Giselle Bundchen, actress Penelope Cruz and singer Christina Aguilara—to name a few. But all that doesn’t seem to phase Duarte. All he really seems concerned about is making “stuff that doesn’t suck.”

His leather belts (which don’t suck) come every which way you can imagine. Designs range from studded, or stenciled with spray paint, to embossed with stars or crosses, and have that in-your-face, rocker appeal.

When it comes to quality, Duarte duly takes pride. He uses Italian leather and pays special attention to those small, but important, details. A special suede lining backs all of Baltazar’s solid-brass studded belts to cover any exposed hardware, and all the stones he uses are Swarovski crystal.

FlaviOlivera

Anyone who the loves the ’70s, but also appreciates the richness and quality of something brand-new, is someone who will love and appreciate a FlaviOlivera handbag.

“I love the feel of that whole era,” said Brazilian-born designer Flavio Olivera. “It was one of the happiest times of my life.”

Olivera’s collection of leather handbags and belts could make a ’70s fan out of anyone. Slouchy and relaxed silhouettes come in chic shades of tan, chocolate, cognac and olive, as well as cherry red, blue and an antiqued white. Glitzier versions are also available.

The “Hobo Bag” (one of Olivera’s favorites) is a large semi-circular purse (the shoulder strap makes it a complete circle) with pleats, offered in black/gold and red/gold.

One of Olivera’s original designs has remained his best seller for the past three seasons. The “Rose” purse—a figure-eight-shaped purse that hangs easy on the shoulder—has two pockets in the front and is the perfect-size tote for day (you can pack it with paperwork, throw in an extra pair of sandals, and carry around that book you’ve been dying to finish); for evening, when designer jeans and high heels require that perfect handbag, it is relaxed—with style.

Olivera’s belts are equally fashionable. Two-tone hip-hugging styles buckle or tie low around the waist and are made from the same soft Italian leather used for the bags.

The collection is retailing all over the world; locally, retailers include Fred Segal and Fred Segal Flair, Traffic and Barneys.

What’s next for the designer (a question Olivera himself and many of his buyers are asking)? The answer: shoes.

“I worked with shoes for many years before starting my own line,” said Olivera, who worked for Robert Clergerie, “so I guess next year I’m going to take a little trip to Italy and start looking for manufacturers.”

Madley

If a young fairy from an enchanted forest decided to create a line of knitwear, Madley would be it.

Designer Coryn Madley spent the latter half of her childhood growing up in a log cabin nestled away an hour south of the Oregon border, with no lights and no electricity.

“My parents were hippies,” she laughed. “We kids were home-schooled. It was very much a ’back to the woods’ type of thing.”

Even so, the Venice, Calif., native considers herself a city girl, though a city girl influenced by those memories.

“My whole concept is based around how to take that midsummer’s night, woodsy experience and urbanize it,” she explained, then asked, “What would a fairy wear if she were walking down city streets?”

Her answer is her collection of organicinfluenced, hand-crocheted and hand-knitted sweaters, shawls, scarves and ponchos.

A typical Madley creation is a not-so-typical multi-media collage of fabrics, materials and textures. Chunky wool, hand-dyed silk, strips of leather and beaded scraps from vintage sweaters are all ingredients of Madley’s crochets. She describes her pieces as reminiscent of living cells.

“I look a lot at cellular photography, organic forms, plants,” she said. “I’m really fascinated by the juxtaposition of organic geometry and industrial geometry.”

As for her knit designs, they “stemmed from looking at tree bark,” which is the inspiration for her textured collection of knitted sweaters, skirts and (new to her collection) dresses.

Madley’s collection has caught the eye of retailers Henri Bendel in New York and trendy L.A. boutiques Fred Segal Flair, Jennifer Kaufman and A. Mason. Not a bad client roster for the 23-year-old designer, who graduated only this year from Central St. Martins in London with a Fine Arts degree.