Here at Lounge by Zalando we are proud to announce our upcoming sale, starting on March 28th, 2015, featuring different collections from the jewellery brand Chavin. This Peruvian-inspired line not only offers an array of pretty pieces in delicate designs but the brand’s ethical background means that you can indulge in some guilt-free spending!

Whether you’re in need of some new spring accessories or you’d like to treat your BFF to a beautiful bracelet, our charitable Chavin collections have something for everyone. Here, we catch up with Simon Ogilvie-Harris - the founder of the mystical brand.

Could you tell us about yourself, where you are from and a bit about your professional background?

Born in Canada, one of five children to British parents, I travelled the world extensively as a child and took my passion for discovery into my adult life. It was a natural evolution that my love of travelling would inspire my entrepreneurial spirit. Having followed the conventional route of attending university and embarking on a successful financial career at a major Investment Bank in the City of London, I realised that the banking culture did not suit my altruistic and creative nature. After much consideration I decided to leave the financial world for good and fulfil my childhood dream of running my own company. Thus Chavín was born!

How did you learn about Peruvian culture and especially the Chavín culture?

Inspired  by a  stunning piece of  sterling silver jewellery, which a friend of mine brought back from Peru, I embarked on a trip to Peru to see  the country for  myself.   I  began to notice the incredible rings, bracelets and necklaces, worn by the women folk of Peru  I was  so intrigued by  what I saw, I determined to find out more about the origins of the brilliant animal images that seemed to be the common thread behind the fascinating and delightful 'trinkets' I  kept seeing.

A few trips to local museums in the Lima area offered up some interesting revelations that most of the imagery I had spotted came from the ancient Peruvian civilisation which pre-dated the Incas.   I visited many of the Chavín monuments and sacred sites in the White Mountain area which features in our Feline spirit collection.  IT was a very enlightening experience.

What exactly is Chavín culture? What are the traditions?

The Chavín culture arose out of the co-existence of the people in the Northern Andes. They were the original metallurgists, creating beautiful adornments for the temples, pioneering the applications of refined metals, specifically silver and gold, which exist in abundance in Peru.  They were an artistic and pacifist culture that focused on the well being of their people.

Although highly revered by the Peruvians to this day the CHAVIN culture is not as well-known as the Incas outside Peru.  Indeed, not a great deal is known about the Chavín people compared to some of the other great civilisations of that time. Their mystical art was only intended for the sacred priests to be able to interpret and understand.

The jaguar, the brand icon, is one of the most important motifs seen in Chavin art and played a big part in the inspiration of the brand, particularly the latest Feline Spirit collections. It is interesting to note that no warriors or war like images appear in the Chavín art, so it seems as if the other cultures were protecting themselves from the cultural influence rather than territorial aspirations. The Chavín name seemed apt as the Chavín people were not only highly skilled in producing refined precious metalwork, but their focus on the wellbeing of the people was key to their community’s survival. I wanted to keep with this tradition of social consciousness. Chavín Jewellery is truly unique bringing this mystical beauty to the everyday person, allowing them to indulge their altruistic side.

From the Chavin culture to the jewellery brand: how did you make it all happen?

Following my trip to Peru, I initially attended local craft markets selling the beautifully handcrafted sterling silver jewellery made by local artisans, whom I discovered in the back streets of Lima in Peru! I had a vision and it became apparent this approach would not fulfil it.  I realised to make a real difference I should focus my energies towards creating an ingenious concept idea that could potentially be a great commercial enterprise but, more especially, following the ethos of the Chavín culture, one that could help empower and have a real impact on the lives of these wretchedly poor Peruvian women, their children and their families, to improve the hopeless lot they had been dealt in life.

By entrenching ethical and uncompromising craftsmanship into the fabric and core of the business Chavín makes a difference not as an afterthought but every time a feminine piece of jewellery is created and sold. And so Chavín Jewellers came into being- not just another British Jewellers brand   but a jeweler brand   with a difference! To achieve this vision, it is an all-consuming passion with little spare time!

Tell us more about the Luz Y Vida project …

Chavín is a brand that does not look past injustices in the world and improving the gross inequality between rich and poor, men and women so prevalent in the world is a challenge that Chavín has taken on wholeheartedly through our innovative partnership with the Luz Y Vida project in Peru.

For every item sold Chavín makes a donation to the Luz Y Vida (Light and Life) jewellery making project in Lima. Here the mothers are taught jewellery making skills while the children attend the child minding programme.  This helps them secure a small additional income through the sales of this plastic pearls and metal filaments jewellery in the local markets which, in turn increases the standard of living for themselves and their families.

Which values of the Chavin culture are reflected in your collection?

Chavín’s design is inspired by the icons of Peru and the vibrancy of the Chavin culture. One of the more popular collections is the Jaguar range, the filigree designs inspired by the all- important God, imbued with extraordinary powers.

This fits in with the modern New Age thinking of today’s society where mysticism has largely replaced organised religion. The exquisitely wild jaguar, is the mysterious icon of Chavín jewellery, imbued with feline  elegance ,voracious,  unobtrusive yet always alert.  Our jewellery draws on many aspects to create funky, chic, stylish and unique designs.

During celebrations at the temple, Chavín priests were thought to morph into the actual animal. Of course, there’s no guarantee that you’ll be able to shift shape after purchasing a piece from this collection but you’ll be sure to look fantastic!

In Chavín’s frst range of coloured bracelets, the “caring”  bracelets  each one represented a single mother at the Luz y Vida community centre in Lima  following the Chavín tradition of social consciousness. This has led to our newly launched colourful cord Feline Spirit collection incorporated with the symbolic silver and 18ct rose gold design pieces of the triangle and leaf collections

What is it exactly that makes your jewellery collection ethical?

To be ethical is extremely important for us. We donate 2% of company revenue to the Luz Y Vida project in Lima. Not only will you look good wearing our jewellery but you will feel good too knowing that you have made a difference. Every time a customer buys a piece of jewellery from Chavín they will automatically become a partner in Chavín’s philanthropic efforts to empower the women of Peru, their families  and their impoverished communities - supporting the company motto of  Style  meets Conscience!

As a brand we are known, not only for being ethical but also for being stylish, colourful and fun!  When people purchase a piece of Chavín jewellery we encourage them to be creative and have fun mixing and matching the different styles, finding the right stack ring combination or layering up our stacking necklaces, and sterling silver and rose gold bracelets along with the colourful Caring bracelets and Feline Spirit bracelets.

We craft our jewellery in Peru working with a state of the art manufacturing facility which is committed to the strictest environmental and ethical policies. 60% of the workers are women, and the company provides life insurance and health checks for its employees.

The ethical concept of your “caring bracelets” is particularly inspirational: each bracelet colour is named after one of the Peruvian mothers you support. This idea makes it much more personal for the person wearing it. Will it ever be possible for the customers to be put in touch with the jewellery makers?

Our Caring Braclet collection is arm candy which is hardworking and easy on the eye - a can't miss combination. Each fastening of this increasingly popular vibrantly coloured range is carefully designed and crafted, inspired by ancient Peruvian icons.  It is very inspirational and we wanted to connect with the mothers through the brand. We donate a percentage from ALL sales of Chavín jewellery to the mothers and thought our customers would want to have a have a more personal connection with the mothers and families they help.

It is a really great feeling since as your purchase will have assisted in giving something back to the people of Peru; you’ll feel good on the inside too. Healthy, educated, employed, empowered women around the world break the poverty cycles, not only for themselves but also their children, families, their communities and ultimately their countries.

What kind of material is used to create Chavin jewellery ?

 All the oxidised sterling silver and rose gold vermeil on sterling silver in our jewellery come from Peru. These precious metals have always been deeply involved in Peruvian culture from the pre-ancient civilisations, the Chavín, to the Incas and now we carry on the tradition bringing it to the world educating and enlightening our customers with the stories and tales of Ancient Peru!

We did not want to compromise on quality, using only the best materials, manufactured to the highest quality, but similarly we needed to make sure that our jewellery was being made in a socially responsible way. After a visit to Peru we discovered a state of the art jewellery manufacturer who works in a socially responsible way, providing health checks for its workers, paying them a reasonable living wage and their health insurance premiums   and who have a strong ethos of ensuring the minimum amount of damage to the environment through recycling silver in the processes.

 We also use semi-precious stones such as turquoise, pink opal and sodalite as well as precious stones sapphires and rubies. Of course we make sure we are sourcing all our materials as ethically as possible in a viable way.

Your feline spirit collection is inspired by the seven spirits of the jaguar: fertility, earth, water, rain, fire, celestial and sun. Why is the Jaguar so iconic in the Chavin culture?

Since the first settlers inhabited the Andes, they revered the Jaguar as it was a powerful, elegant and dangerous beast. So important was the jaguar to the Chavín culture they believed it was a god and during celebrations at the temple, the priests were thought to morph into the actual animal.

Each spirit represents a different collection. There will be 2 pieces from the Triangle Collection and 1 piece from the Leaf Collection in the sale. Could you please introduce these 2 collections to us ?

The Leaf and Triangle Collections are the first two stages of our Feline Spirit Collections.  These collections are not just great fashionable design but it is also spiritual jewellery imparting meaning to the wearer.

The Leaf Collection represents the Fertility Spirit as since the beginning of humanity leaves have always been a symbol of fertility and growth. As the Ancient Chavín Jaguar Priests, the leaves work in mystic ways to bring growth to all parts the wearer’s life.

The Triangles represent the White Mountain which contained the most sacred monument of the Chavín culture. It forms a triangle with the rivers Huachecsa and Mosna: a combination of earth and water, these two being crucial for rejuvenation and maintaining balance in life. The triangle is so sacred as it mirrors the face of the Feline Face. Our designs capture these mystic concepts in the Triangle Collection bringing health and balance to the wearers’ life.

Where do you see Chavin in 5 years time?

From day 1 we have set out to become an “ethical” Tiffany with fashion led ranges and fine jewellery ranges with diamonds. This is already starting to happen as we have just launched our Chavín Couture Fine jewellery range, sell on global airlines and will be expanding into Japan this year. Of course we are so proud to be working with Lounge by Zalando.

My vision in five years is to become an influential ethical global   jewellery brand with a vision to build a jewellery school in Lima for the mothers where they will learn to design and make fine jewellery from precious metals and stones

The more Chavín sales figures grow, the more the fiercely independent women and children at Luz y Vida will benefit so we count on our customers to make this dream come true!

What is your personal philosophy of life?

"Not a day goes by when I don’t learn something new" is my mantra.

My personal philosophy to life is a balance between work and play! I love building Chavín but at the same time it is important to get time to relax and this is often when I am inspired with the best ideas. Honesty and frankness are extremely important and help other whether it is in business, personal life or for charity.

Is there anything else you would like to say?

Being stylish and fashionable is all about finding something you like and wearing it with confidence. It is all about how you feel! And make sure they are coming from an ethical company or source! Finally the support of my family in this venture has been of infinite importance to me and I would like to thank my brothers and mother for all their help, be it with novel ideas or just putting me in my place!!

Thank you for the opportunity to express my views on the Lounge by Zalando Magazine.