During the DJWE, the OHLALA team had the pleasure to stop by Printemps Doha’s beautiful booth to talk to designer Lorenz Bäumer about his exclusive partnership with the French department store.
The Doha Jewellery and Watches Exhibition (DWJE) 2022 dazzled brighter than ever as jewellers from around the world flocked to the city, ready to WOW. If you walked the plush carpets of the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center, you’d already know how fabulous it was… Aisle upon aisle of glamour, luxury and pure sparkle.
But the biggest buzz at the exhibition was inspired by Printemps’ foray into the Middle East. The Qatari bureau of the iconic French department store will be located at Doha Oasis, bringing with them 500 luxury fashion brands – 165 of them exclusive – to Qatar.
Maison Bäumer is one of them.
Lorenz Bäumer is the genius behind the label. He has an impressive CV. He’s worked with Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Guerlain… “A bunch of people,” he says, modestly. We’re lucky enough to meet him on the stand he designed himself. Adorned with flowing sand dunes and featuring a sparkling amethyst coffee table – it’s his favourite colour, purple – and the world’s most comfortable sofa, it’s easy to feel at home straight away. This is entirely intentional, of course. The last thing Lorenz wants is for his customers – guests, as he prefers to call them – to feel awkward. He wants them to enjoy visiting him. He even has a cabana in his store on the Place Vendôme in Paris – as well as a replica on this stand – where guests can discuss exactly what they’d like Lorenz to create for them.
So who is Lorenz Bäumer?
He’s many people, it seems. A graduate of the École Centrale de Paris, Lorenz is most definitely an engineer. He’s passionate about making sure his designs work. But he is a designer too. He creates things that have a purpose, whether imaginative pieces of jewellery, swords for the French Academy, furniture, perfume bottles or lipstick. And he’s obviously a jeweller. His knowledge of gemstones is second to none. Citrine, chocolate diamonds and orange sapphires, anyone?
His background might be familiar to many living in Qatar. The son of diplomats, he knows all about moving from country to country and is familiar with this lifestyle’s challenges. “You don’t speak the language,” he says. “You don’t know the culture. Starting from scratch each time made me realise that you have to be interested in other people; you have to listen. And I think that’s an important part of what we do – being curious.” Lorenz is very clear on this point. He’s a jewellery designer who really cares what his guests think and want from him. Their feelings and emotions are the starting point when creating something genuinely bespoke.
Where does he get his ideas from?
“There’s no real recipe for having ideas,” replies Lorenz. Instead, he seems to find inspiration everywhere. When his imagination was fired by an ancient navigational instrument, the result was the Architecte Astrolabe Ring – a black opal that spins among a whirl of diamonds and sapphires of every colour, all set in white gold.
And then there are his famous tattooed diamonds. What inspired them? Lorenz smiles. He thinks tattoos are really fun – but he doesn’t have any himself because he would get bored. And as he prefers images that are super sharp, he realised that a laser could be used to mark diamonds precisely. So he designs the tattoo, scans it, and a laser beam heats up the diamond. The result is a really fun way to wear a tattoo whenever you like.
Lorenz is visibly excited about the collaboration with Printemps and is looking forward to bringing his jewellery and creativity to Doha. “It’s so inspiring here,” he says. “There are different customs and different ways of wearing things.” He loves the jewellery culture in the Middle East, where he feels people wear pieces without being intimidated by them. And the fact that people here also know all about stones, too.
Perhaps the most novel stones Lorenz uses in his jewellery are meteorites – rocks that have fallen from space to our planet, lighting up the sky as shooting stars as they blaze through the atmosphere.
After meeting Lorenz Bäumer, it’s clear that they aren’t the only stars around here.
For more information on Lorenz Bäumer exclusive pieces, please call 3018 2685.
@printempsdoha