Ukrainian fine jewelry brand Guzema has announced that it will unveil a jewelry capsule with fashion label 3.1 Phillip Lim next month, Guzema’s first collaboration in the U.S. market.
The upcoming Boa collection features just two styles, but they are on trend (hello, Year of the Snake), layer gorgeously, and strike the perfect balance between a classic chain and something a little edgier. Slinky, maybe. And definitely chic.
Silver and gold-plated versions of the bracelet and choker will be sold at 3.1 Phillip Lim; Guzema will offer the silver, plus 14k and 18k white and yellow gold versions with or without diamonds.
Why does this jewelry collab matter? Well, it’s extremely compelling to women of a certain age, let’s just say that. Lim is one of those designers many of us discovered in the pages of Lucky magazine (where I worked for a year or so starting in 2011).
3.1 Phillip Lim is familiar to anyone who shopped at Barneys in the early aughts. Or maybe, like me, you searched for the line’s past-season treasures deep in the clearance racks of Century 21, hoping to find a piece you were cool enough to pull off. You’d unearth an asymmetrically draped dress (it was almost always a dress) from among the piles of Marc by Marc Jacobs, Milly, Blumarine, and Moschino and float it to the dressing room like a ceremonial robe.
Founded in 2005 by Lim and his business partner Wen Zhou, the 3.1 Phillip Lim brand is celebrating its 20th anniversary as a triumphant moment in the midst of major change—Lim departed the company last year, leaving Zhou in charge as CEO and owner.
How did Zhou, a Chinese immigrant–turned–indie fashion success story, and Guzema founder Valeriya Guzema, an emerging jewelry talent deeply connected to her native country, find each other?
“The collaboration happened very organically,” Guzema tells JCK. “We have mutual friends in the industry who introduced us. From there, we started to talk about how Guzema could be part of an upcoming collection and perhaps create something special to celebrate the Year of the Snake which is all about transformation, growth, and shedding what no longer serves you. It only made sense then to focus on a snake choker and bracelet for the collaboration pieces.”
Zhou said she liked the idea of partnering with a female-founded jewelry company that operates on similar principles to hers. “There is immediately a mutual respect and understanding,” she says. “One thing that resonated with me was their philosophy of creating minimal yet powerful pieces, deeply rooted in their heritage. I believe upholding a similar ethos—to ‘make less, mean more’ and always focusing on craft—is why 3.1 has celebrated the 20-year milestone we just did.”
Beyond their serpentine good looks, the Boa pieces resonate with me as I struggle to write this piece against the backdrop of current events. America’s immigrant community is vulnerable. Zhou is a testament to how the contributions of her and her fashion industry peers—whether of Asian, Eastern European, or Latinx descent—make our country great. But I worry that the weaponization of diversity and inclusion might halt the emergence of future 3.1 Phillip Lims (or Prabal Gurungs or Derek Lams).
Meanwhile, Guzema adds another layer of present-moment relevance, given Ukraine’s heartbreakingly uncertain relationship with the U.S.
So there are synergies here. (Heavy, heavy sigh.) But I suppose for now we just lean into the Lunar New Year vibes and hope for the best.
Top: The Guzema x 3.1 Phillip Lim capsule will be available in March.
