The Renaissance Woman

Bvlgari’s “Serpenti Through the Eyes of...” project returns, this time with Yoon Ahn of Ambush injecting her inimitable cool into the Roman classic. She tells Jeffrey Yan about the power of playtime and reinvention

- Jeffrey Yan

Yoon Ahn may have had her start in the music, nightlife and streetwear scenes of Tokyo, but a look at her résumé these days seems to indicate that she has quite simply taken over the world. Ambush, the jewellery line she founded in 2008 with her husband, Japanese rapper Verbal, has since grown into a full-fledged fashion label. Her acumen for bleeding the edges and cultivating a vast social network comprising fashion and culture’s most powerful players has resulted in collaborations with brands likes of Gentle Monster, O„ -White, RIMOWA, Undercover and Nike—which, more often than not, sell out the moment they drop. Even giant apparel and accessories brands such as Converse and Uniqlo clamour for her magic touch. Ahn’s rise to the top of the fashion establishment culminated with her appointment as Jewellery Director for Dior Men by her close friend Kim Jones.

The latest luxury house to come knocking at her door is Roman jeweller Bvlgari. The brand has been inviting guest designers to reinterpret its iconic Serpenti bags since 2017, and after stints by Nicholas Kirkwood and Alexander Wang, Ahn is the latest to put her stamp on them—bringing with her a distinct aesthetic that blends the girlish with the glamorous, the playful with the polished. The Serpenti Through the Eyes of Ambush capsule of limited-edition bags and accessories is marked by highly saturated colours and soft, almost squishy, shapes. The bags come in three versions: A top-handle shoulder bag, a transformable belt bag, and a minaudière—all accented with a monochromatic snakehead clasp with eyes of mother-of-pearl or black onyx. Here, Ahn opens up about the partnership, her process and the importance of plunging into challenges.