TDA: Tant d’Avenir. Translated from French, it means projected towards the future.
It is a splendid name for a jewelery brand that has its roots in the tradition of Parisian high jewelery and at the same time fulfills the desires of a young and non-conformist audience.
Tant d’Avenir is a poetic name.
Tant d’Avenir is a powerful name, as powerful as the will of its creator Quentin Pontonnier who believed in a dream.
For Quentin, a jewel is a metaphor for the soul, it is an expression of the most intimate self, it is the story of a society that constantly changes.
Quentin poop old us his story, and that’s what he told us…
Vanity Teen – How did your passion for jewelrycome about?
Quentin Pontonnier – My interest in jewelry beganwhen I started high school.
I was looking for a high school with a focus on fashion but at the same time I was not good at studies so itwas a bit complicated. I would have liked to attendthe design section at Ecole Boulle but they refusedmy candidature for that course and admitted me to the high jewelry section insted.
For me high jewelry was part of fashion and it is, definitely. I tried it and it was the beginning of myadventure.
VT – And why did you create your own jewelrybrand?
QP – My first experience was actually at Chanel HJ.
It was a beautiful experience but it’s a world that istoo closed, too classical. I decided to move to a different company that works mainly with silver.
That company was more modern and rock ‘n’ roll butI was feeling the need to express myself, my vision. That’s the reason way I decided to leave: I wanted to create my own company.
It was not easy because my parents couldn’t supportme financially so I found an organization that helpedme to understand how to receive financing, fill out the relevant paperwork, etc.
My first studio/showroom was my parents’ place… When you want you can: that’s the story. You need towork to reach your goals.
VT – If I could choose one adjective or word to describe the brand it is rock ‘n’ roll, classical and everlasting.
Do you think it represents its image and philosophywell?
QP – I hate when people say rock ‘n’ roll. They use to say rock ‘n’ roll because of me, because of my image.
For sure there’s a little point on rock but the brand finds its expression in its name: Tant D’Avenir.
It’s a way to make classical and timeless jewels more modern, strongly contemporary. The inspirationcomes from the architecture of Paris initially.
When I was younger I was a skater and with my“team” we used to go to the highest side of the city where you can look at the landscape and findinspiration in everything. I found inspiration in the beautiful Haussman buildings that represent Paris in someway.
Tant D’Avenir is architecture that evolves in itsdifferent forms expressed with different collections. It’s the desire to create a new design, the jewels of the future.
In the high jewelry panorama you have only a coupleof Maisons that you can define avant-garde, the restis flat. It’s something that never changed in the years.
The customers changed instead, more and more young rich people are looking for something special and different.
I want to reflectof this change.
VT – If you could choose one song to define it, which one would you choose?
QP – It’s not exactly a song that represents my brandbut it’s rather a motivational song that I use to listenin crucial moment of my life and creative process: Mama Song by The Soul Survivors. It’sprogressive. It’s intense. It’s explosive.
VT – Why did you choose Tant D’Avenir as name?
QP – Time passes, everything has an end but jewelsremain forever.
It’s philosophical concept but strongly linked with the reality, with our life.
VT – According to you, what is the differencebetween a fashion brand and a jewelry brand?
QP – It’s a big question!
For me, accessories and mainly jewels are veryimportant for fashion because they can change a look transforming a style.
If you’re wearing a classical black mise you can easilytwist it with a stunning bracelet or a necklace or a little ring.
Accessories are part of fashion, an essential one.
You can appear always different only using differentaccessories.
Paco Rabanne is a clear example of what I’msaying.
Paco Rabanne is one of the first ones who“introduced” jewels in fashion even making dresseswith metal (not precious of course but cool).
His knitwear was a big inspiration for me. I tried to dothe same with precious metals and using the techniques of high jewelry.
VT – Do you have “seasonal collections”?
QP – No. Jewelry is not like fashion in that sense. The development takes a lot of time and dedication.
I tried to do three collections for year – one maincollection and two capsules – but every time I waslate so I think two collections for are are perfect.
I don’t have Fall-Winter and Spring-Summer butyou can play with the colors of the stones and the use of the metals to be different each six months.
VT – Tell us something about the creative processand how you choose the stones you want to use.
QP – The starting point of my creative precess wasvery classical, it was coming from the classicalParisian architecture as I said.
In the years the process itself changed a lot.
Now, I’m out with two collections for example: the first in black and white freely inspired by art-decoand the second inspired by the retro-futurism.
In October I’ll present a new main collection and it’ssomething again different.
When I create a collection that collection is in mymind first. Then, I start to draw and the selection of the metals and the stones is the last thing of the creative process.
Tant D’Avenir tries to constantly innovate its world, we try to reinvent the jewelry classics to always giveour customers something unique and new, jewelsthat they can wear every day and every time. Ours isa transversal audience that we try to please.
VT – The piece you’re more attached to.
QP – It depends on the collection of course!
I love all my creation but if I should choose one piece I would say the ring that is part of COSMOS collectionthat has a retro-futuristic design, it’s verycomfortable, you can wear it in two different ways and it’s inspired by Star Wars which is one of mypassions.
VT – The piece more expensive you created untilnow.
QP – All my own pieces, the ones I don’t want to sell like the silver dress, the skirt (to make this skirt I usedtwo kilos of silver.), some necklaces, etc.
VT – How do you imagine you and Tant D’Avenir in ten years?
QP – My dream is to create. I just want to create new and more interesting things. You know, after COVID-19 it was complicated for all the little creators to afford the future. I’m doing all my best to look forward and my dream is to make my own runway-show with unique silver pieces.
I would also love to collaborate with other brandssupporting them with my vision.
Thanks a lot!
