Founder of Dellaluna on building a brand based on craft and creativity

Emirates Woman

2 days ago

Silvia Paulon, founder and Creative Director of Dellaluna, discusses building a brand based on a strong DNA, elevated craftsmanship, and where she's spending the summer to feed her creativity. What do the first 30 minutes of your day look like, your morning routine?
I'd love to say I start my day with yoga or something serene, but the truth is, I check my inbox before I even get out of bed. When you're building a brand like Dellaluna, working across time zones, finalising collections, and obsessing over every detail, there's very little that feels routine. Right now, I'm in that full-focus phase, and I believe that to create something lasting, you have to be all in. But I also live in Venice, so the moment I step outside, the great beauty of the city resets my whole nervous system, and just like that, I'm happy. How has your multicultural background influenced the duality in your work?
I've lived in ten different countries, and each one shaped the way I see and create. It taught me to read the aesthetic codes of different cultures and translate them into my design language while respecting their heritage. I often see unexpected connections like the shared visual richness between Venice and the Middle East. That mix of influences lives at the heart of Dellaluna, where tradition meets modernity and something personal comes to life. Dellaluna is timeless, yet it feels intensely current. How do you stay rooted in heritage while still creating for the modern woman?
Because women are timeless. I have a very defined muse for Dellaluna, that diva from classic Italian cinema. She's strong, free, sensual, and ironic. She doesn't need to choose between the past and the now. I don't think too much about time. I follow emotion. Heritage, for me, lives in the hands, in how something is made; that part never changes. Our pieces carry memory but belong fully to the present. From lion's paws to golden seals and the Affresco technique, how did these become the defining signatures of Dellaluna?
I saw each detail like a little sculpture. The lion's paws could have been earrings. The Leoni Lock, a ring – I didn't want anything flat. I wanted emotion. Even if it felt impossible or too much, I did it anyway. I put so much love into every piece, and I think women feel that because beauty needs codes. And mystery. And I love the idea that she'll notice something she didn't expect, something just for her that whispers a story.
Your time in high jewellery still informs your design language. How did your experience working with rare stones influence the way you approach handbag design today?
In the high jewellery world, nothing is casual. Even the space between the stones has meaning. My first mentor taught me that the back of a jewel is where its soul lives. If that part is made with care, the whole piece feels true. That stayed with me. When I design, I think like a filmmaker; every line, every detail should create emotion. A bag, like a jewel, should feel intimate, as if it were always meant to belong to the woman who wears it. You collaborated with Caviar Kaspia Dubai. How did the partnership come to fruition?
It was the most organic and joyful collaboration I've ever done. It all started in Venice, at a dinner with my friends, the superstar interior designers Chahan Minassian and Richard Makin-Poole, and Ramon, the owner of Caviar Kaspia. We were reflecting on the art of making life fabulous and realised we're all pretty excellent at it. So, in the most natural way, we decided to collaborate. The idea was to create a Kaspia x Dellaluna capsule that brings together two things we love deeply: the highest level of craftsmanship and the joy of celebration. That night, I was so inspired, I didn't sleep. I designed all night and sent Ramon the full collection over WhatsApp the next morning. He replied: I love it! And that was it. The rest happened just like the best things in life do, spontaneously. The new Jewellery Clutch Collection blurs the line between object and heirloom. What role does legacy play in your design decisions?
I feel that legacy is something that happens when a piece becomes part of someone's story. If a woman holds on to a Dellaluna because it reminds her of a night, a city, or a version of herself she loved, that's enough. And I do think these bags carry that kind of magic. There's something in these pieces, a feeling that you can't explain, but you feel it.
Each clutch is inspired by a different Venetian era – how did you instill the essence of these art movements into one object?
What I love about Venice is that all these eras live together, in this beautiful chaos. Renaissance, Baroque, Byzantine, it's all layered, clashing. That's the spirit I used. I didn't try to recreate them, I translated them into states of mind. Grandeur, seduction, devotion. This idea of more is more. Beauty without apology. Each clutch carries a bit of that excess. Like wearing a piece of a dream. Do you see buying patterns in terms of global sales or within the Middle East, and which pieces drive sales season after season?
The Affresco is the soul of Dellaluna. It's the first handbag I've ever designed and the first piece we ever launched. Two weeks later, Lady Gaga wore it in black, and since then, it's never stopped being asked for. Now, we only sell it in our store in Venice, by order. It's too precious, too difficult to make, to be distributed. Some things are meant to stay rare. In the Middle East, they adore the Virna, and the Jewellery Clutches are not even out yet, but the waiting list in my DMs is already longer than I expected. As an independent brand, how do you navigate the global fashion market?
I don't sleep. It's a wild ride, let me tell you. But I don't see myself competing with the big luxury houses. My clients already have all of that. They're looking for something more unique, something they discover, that tells a story, and is made with even more care and quality than the rest. Your life and work are driven by intuition. How do you know when something is ready – whether it's a design, a launch, or a creative decision?
I just feel it. There's no formula. I don't follow any fashion calendar; when it's ready, it's ready. Sometimes it happens in one intense month where I barely leave the atelier, and sometimes it takes two years because it's just not there yet. Now that the brand is growing so fast, everyone wants launch dates, plans, and spreadsheets. I smile, I nod, and then I go back to doing it my way. Let's see how long I get away with it. This is The Summer Escape Issue – where will you be escaping to this summer?
My ideal summer is Italian dolce vita, eating pasta at midnight, and jumping into the sea under a full moon. This year, I'll mostly be in Venice, which somehow still feels like a surreal vacation, even though it's home. Every evening, I close the store, take my little boat, and ride through the Grand Canal at sunset. It's like living in a film. Then Paris for our party at Caviar Kaspia and Sicily, for a very Italian, very dramatic holiday. Always. – For more on luxury lifestyle, news, fashion and beauty follow Emirates Woman on Facebook and Instagram
Images: Supplied