Something About Rocks Winter 2024

“Music makes the people come together,” Madonna famously sang in her 2000 track Music. It certainly does - so, our brand-new Winter issue is dedicated to all things music and some of the great personalities that make it. Our cover star is the Jakarta-born, Los Angeles - based singer-songwriter NIKI, whose new album Buzz has been rapturously received. She’s currently on a worldwide tour before graduating to mega stadiums next summer. Her own unique blend of folk-pop sets her up to be a huge star of the upcoming decades - not only in Asia and the US, but globally. At his HQ in Mayfair, jewellery design disruptor Chiefer Appiah invited some of British drill and rap’s hottest stars to showcase his extraordinary creations. It’s here that we met rappers Skrapz…

1 GUCCI In 1953, Aldo Gucci dreamt up a horse bit embellishment for a pair of loafers as a tribute to his father, Guccio Gucci, the founder of the eponymous fashion house and a lifelong lover of equestrian pursuits. Seven decades later the motif canters on, now as a contemporary chain design in a line of novel gold jewels and two timepieces. One watch features a bold, three-row chain bracelet, whilst the other, shown here, boasts a faceted, gem-like case, golden brushed dial effect and sleek, double-row chain. 2 LUGANO Powered by husband-and-wife team, Moti and Idit Ferder, Californian-based brand Lugano brings diamond jewellery to the fore, season after season, thanks to consistently inventive designs that combine precious metals with unusual materials such as rubber or wood. Standout pieces include…

NIKI Music has always been a familiar friend,” says the singer-songwriter NIKI, speaking over Zoom in the days leading up to the biggest world tour of her career. The Indonesia-born California-based rising star, AKA Nicole Zefanya, has just debuted her third studio album, Buzz, her most ambitious and sonically-expansive work to date. Showcasing a sound that traverses alt-rock, guitar-driven pop, and even folk, the 13-track collection charts the artist’s evolution and growth as both a creative and a person. “My last album [Nicole] as very much rooted in my teenage years and my past, and this album is rooted in my present,” says the 25-year-old, who is celebrating Buzz’s release on a global tour that takes in North America, Europe, the UK, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. The tour spans…

“LIKE COUTURE RIBBONS, THE GOLD STRIPS PLAY WITH THE CANNAGE PATTERN” Cannage, the art of canework, is as synonymous with the house of Dior as the Bar jacket from the 1947 ‘New Look’ collection. In accessories, we know cannage as the geometric quilted pattern on the iconic Lady Dior handbags. In jewellery, it is the intricate mesh-like woven pattern of gold that artistic director Victoire de Castellane first conceived in 2012 as the My Dior collection, preserving a signature design that is now a firmly recognisable part of the maison’s heritage. This autumn brings a fresh chapter for the design with gold and diamonds followed by new yellowgold pieces with a black lacquer underlay. “I like the idea of reinventing and completing the theme of a collection over the years,”…

BRITISH RAP Skrapz and K-Trap, two influential names on the UK rap scene, have just wrapped their summer tours promoting their latest albums. Skrapz, originally a UK grime MC going by the name of Skrapsta, released his third album Reflection earlier this year an d performed at Reading and Leeds Festivals, often with fellow rapper Nines. Meanwhile K-Trap, a former drill artist, has been on the road promoting his debut studio album Smile which dropped a few months ago and, at the time of writing, currently sits at No.10 in the album charts. Under the stage lights, the rappers dazzle with thousands of diamonds set on giant custom-made dog tag pendants announcing their names in bold graphics, paired with chunky gold Miami Cuban link chains around their necks and stacked…

Louis Vuitton’s Awakened Hands, Awakened Minds is the latest high jewellery collection designed by Francesca Amfitheatrof, artistic director of watches and jewellery at the French luxury house, and her largest offering to date. It features a staggering 220 pieces across 13 different themes. Taking the Age of Enlightenment as inspiration and the monumental changes that occurred in 19th-century France, Amfitheatrof has paid homage to the period with a vast collection of high jewels. “France in the 19th century was a phenomenal time of incredible change, and when Paris really became the centre of the world,” says Amfitheatrof. “The design language of Awakened Hands, Awakened Minds reflects that, all its intricacies, complications and innovations, turned into incredible jewels.” Showcased to Something About Rocks in St Tropez in June, highlights from the…