Latest news with #InnerLight
Los Angeles Times
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Quakers march against Trump's crackdown on immigrants, carrying on a long tradition
PRINCETON, N.J. — A group of Quakers is marching more than 300 miles from New York City to Washington to demonstrate against the Trump administration's crackdown on immigrants. The march extends a long tradition of Quaker activism. Historically, Quakers have been involved in peaceful protests to end wars and slavery and support women's voting rights, in line with their commitment to justice and peace. More recently, Quakers sued the federal government this year over federal immigration agents' ability to make arrests at houses of worship. Organizers of the march, which set out May 4 and is due to reach its destination May 22, say their protest seeks to show solidarity with migrants and other groups that are being targeted by President Trump's administration. 'It feels really daunting to be up against such critical and large and in some ways existential threats,' said Jess Hobbs Pifer, a 25-year-old Quaker and march organizer, who said she felt 'a connection' to the faith's long history of activism. 'I just have to put one foot in front of the other to move towards something better, something more true to what Quakers before us saw for this country and what people saw for the American experiment, the American dream,' she said. Their goal is to walk south from the Flushing Quaker Meeting House in Queens — across New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Pennsylvania — to the U.S. Capitol to deliver a copy of the Flushing Remonstrance — a 17th century document that called for religious freedom and opposed a ban on Quaker worship. Quakers say it remains relevant in 2025 as a reminder to 'uphold the guiding principle that all are welcome.' 'We really saw a common thread between the ways that the administration is sort of flying against the norms and ideals of constitutional law and equality before the law,' said Max Goodman, 28, a Quaker who joined the march. 'Even when they aren't breaking rules explicitly, they're really engaging in bad faith with the spirit of pluralism, tolerance and respect for human dignity that undergirds our founding documents as Americans and also shows up in this document that's really important in New York Quaker history.' The Religious Society of Friends — best known as the Quakers — originated in 17th century England. The Christian group was founded by George Fox, an Englishman who objected to Anglican emphasis on ceremony. In the 1640s, he said he heard a voice that led him to develop a personal relationship with Christ, described as the Inner Light. Fox taught that the Inner Light emancipates a person from adherence to any creed, ecclesiastical authority or ritual forms. Brought to court for opposing the established church, Fox tangled with a judge who derided him as a 'quaker,' in reference to his agitation over religious matters. Following the faith's core beliefs in nonviolence and justice, Quakers have demonstrated for the abolition of slavery, in favor of the suffrage movement, against both World Wars, and the U.S. roles in the wars in Vietnam and Afghanistan, said Ross Brubeck, 38, one of the Quaker march organizers. They also joined anti-World Trade Organization protests in Seattle and the Black Lives Matter demonstrations after the 2020 murder of George Floyd by police. 'Within the DNA of Quakerism is actions speaking out against authority,' said Brubeck, who was marching along a trail in New Jersey with companions waving an upside-down American flag, signifying the nation in distress. 'Quakers have had a central role in opposition to repression within the United States since its founding,' Brubeck said. The basic unit of Quaker organization is the weekly meeting, which corresponds to the congregation in other churches. Quakers gather for silent worship in meeting houses, where they wait for a message from God to move through them until they speak. When Brubeck and his group reached downtown Princeton, they were met by members of the local Quaker group, who praised them for their effort and guided them to their meeting house. After taking their shoes off their blistery feet, some rested on wooden pews and later prayed in silence, holding hands in a circle in preparation for another long walk. 'I felt humbled by their presence knowing what a long way they've been walking,' said Casey Oware, a member of the Princeton Friends Meeting. 'And also a sense of connection knowing that we're fighting for the same thing.' Her friend, Marae McGhee, a retired teacher and fellow member of the group, agreed: 'It's such a disturbing time, and I think a lot of people feel that there's little they can do. But these folks are doing it — they're giving their feet and their energy.' Quaker practices and beliefs vary from a more Bible-centered Christianity, with pastors as worship leaders, to a more liberal approach with less structured worship and a wide range of teachings. One the most well-known Quakers was William Penn, who founded Pennsylvania, following the faith's emphasis on religious tolerance. The group became influential in Philadelphia — where Penn's statue today presides atop City Hall overlooking downtown — and other cities. But members of the group have also faced scorn for refusing to join wars due to their belief in pacifism and nonviolence. Some were persecuted and even killed for trying to spread their religious beliefs. Earlier this year, five Quaker congregations filed a lawsuit challenging a Trump administration move giving immigration agents more leeway to make arrests at houses of worship. The Quaker groups were later joined by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and a Sikh temple. After that, more than two dozen Christian and Jewish groups representing millions of Americans — including the Episcopal Church, the Union for Reform Judaism and the Mennonites — filed a similar lawsuit, but a federal judge ruled against them last month. During the presidential campaign, Trump repeated that immigrants were an existential threat to America. Immigration into the U.S., both legal and illegal, surged during President Biden's administration, and Trump assailed that influx in ways that proved persuasive among voters. Since returning to the White House, Trump has launched a campaign of immigration enforcement that has pushed the limits of executive power and clashed with federal judges who have ruled against him. 'Immigrants are the ones experiencing the most acute persecution in the United States,' Brubeck said. 'The message to Trump is that the power is not his to make.' Henao writes for the Associated Press.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Quakers march against Trump's crackdown on immigrants carrying on their long faith tradition
PRINCETON, N.J. (AP) — A group of Quakers are marching more than 300 miles from New York City to Washington, D.C., to demonstrate against the Trump administration's crackdown on immigrants. The march extends a long tradition of Quaker activism. Historically, Quakers have been involved in peaceful protests to end wars and slavery, and support women's voting rights in line with their commitment to justice and peace. Far more recently, Quakers sued the federal government earlier this year over immigration gents ability to make arrests at houses of worship. Organizers of the march say their protest seeks to show solidarity with migrants and other groups that are being targeted by President Donald Trump's administration. 'It feels really daunting to be up against such critical and large and in some ways existential threats,' said Jess Hobbs Pifer, a 25-year-old Quaker and march organizer, who said she felt 'a connection' to the faith's long history of activism. 'I just have to put one foot in front of the other to move towards something better, something more true to what Quakers before us saw for this country and what people saw for the American Experiment, the American dream," she said. Their goal is to walk south from the Flushing Quaker Meeting House — across New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Pennsylvania — to the U.S. Capitol to deliver a copy of the 'Flushing Remonstrance' — a 17th century document that called for religious freedom and opposed a ban on Quaker worship. Quakers say it remains relevant in 2025 as a reminder to 'uphold the guiding principle that all are welcome.' 'We really saw a common thread between the ways that the administration is sort of flying against the norms and ideals of constitutional law and equality before the law,' said Max Goodman, 28, a Quaker, who joined the march. 'Even when they aren't breaking rules explicitly, they're really engaging in bad faith with the spirit of pluralism, tolerance and respect for human dignity that undergirds our founding documents as Americans and also shows up in this document that's really important in New York Quaker history.' A Quaker history of resistance The Religious Society of Friends — best known as the Quakers — originated in 17th century England. The Christian group was founded by George Fox, an Englishman who objected to Anglican emphasis on ceremony. In the 1640s, he said he heard a voice that led him to develop a personal relationship with Christ, described as the Inner Light. Fox taught that the Inner Light emancipates a person from adherence to any creed, ecclesiastical authority or ritual forms. Brought to court for opposing the established church, Fox tangled with a judge who derided him as a 'quaker' in reference to his agitation over religious matters. Following the faith's core beliefs in nonviolence and justice, Quakers have demonstrated for the abolition of slavery, in favor of the suffrage movement, against both World Wars, and the U.S. role in the wars in Vietnam and Afghanistan, said Ross Brubeck, 38, one of the Quaker march organizers. They also joined protests against the World Trade Organization in Seattle and the Black Lives Matter protests after the 2020 killing of George Floyd. 'Within the DNA of Quakerism is actions speaking out against authority,' said Brubeck, who was marching along a trail in New Jersey with companions waving an upside-down American flag — intended to serve as a signal of distress. 'Quakers have had a central role in opposition to repression within the United States since its founding,' Brubeck said. The basic unit of Quaker organization is the weekly meeting, which corresponds to the congregation in other churches. Quakers gather for silent worship in meeting houses, where they wait for a message from God to move through them until they speak. When Brubeck and his group reached downtown Princeton, they were met by members of the local Quaker group, who praised them for their effort and guided them to their meeting house. After taking their shoes off their blistery feet, some rested on wooden pews and later prayed in silence, holding hands in a circle in preparation for another long walk. 'I felt humbled by their presence knowing what a long way they've been walking,' said Casey Oware, a member of the Princeton Friends Meeting. 'And also a sense of connection knowing that we're fighting for the same thing.' Her friend, Marae McGhee, a retired teacher and member of the local Quaker group, agreed: 'It's such a disturbing time and I think a lot of people feel that there's little they can do. But these folks are doing it — they're giving their feet and their energy.' Quaker beliefs and a lawsuit challenge to Trump Quaker practices and beliefs vary from a more Bible-centered Christianity, with pastors as worship leaders, to a more liberal approach with less structured worship and a wide range of teachings. One the most well-known Quakers was William Penn, who founded Pennsylvania following the faith's emphasis on religious tolerance; the group became influential in cities like Philadelphia. But members of the group have also faced scorn for refusing to join wars due to their belief in pacifism and nonviolence. Some were persecuted and even killed for trying to spread their religious beliefs. Earlier this year, five Quaker congregations filed a lawsuit challenging a Trump administration move giving immigration agents more leeway to make arrests at houses of worship. The Quaker groups were later joined by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and a Sikh temple. Following that, more than two-dozen Christian and Jewish groups representing millions of Americans — ranging from the Episcopal Church and the Union for Reform Judaism to the Mennonites — filed a similar lawsuit, but a federal judge ruled against them last month. During the presidential campaign, Donald Trump insisted that immigrants were an existential threat to America. Immigration into the U.S., both legal and illegal, surged during President Joe Biden's administration, and Trump assailed that influx in ways that proved powerful with voters. Since returning to the White House, Trump has launched a campaign of immigration enforcement that has pushed the limits of executive power and clashed with federal judges trying to restrain him. 'Immigrants are the ones experiencing the most acute persecution in the United States,' Brubeck said. 'The message to Trump is that the power is not his to make.' __ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Hamilton Spectator
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Quakers march against Trump's crackdown on immigrants carrying on their long faith tradition
PRINCETON, N.J. (AP) — A group of Quakers are marching more than 300 miles from New York City to Washington, D.C., to demonstrate against the Trump administration's crackdown on immigrants. The march extends a long tradition of Quaker activism. Historically, Quakers have been involved in peaceful protests to end wars and slavery, and support women's voting rights in line with their commitment to justice and peace. Far more recently, Quakers sued the federal government earlier this year over immigration gents ability to make arrests at houses of worship. Organizers of the march say their protest seeks to show solidarity with migrants and other groups that are being targeted by President Donald Trump's administration. 'It feels really daunting to be up against such critical and large and in some ways existential threats,' said Jess Hobbs Pifer, a 25-year-old Quaker and march organizer, who said she felt 'a connection' to the faith's long history of activism. 'I just have to put one foot in front of the other to move towards something better, something more true to what Quakers before us saw for this country and what people saw for the American Experiment, the American dream,' she said. Their goal is to walk south from the Flushing Quaker Meeting House — across New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Pennsylvania — to the U.S. Capitol to deliver a copy of the 'Flushing Remonstrance' — a 17th century document that called for religious freedom and opposed a ban on Quaker worship. Quakers say it remains relevant in 2025 as a reminder to 'uphold the guiding principle that all are welcome.' 'We really saw a common thread between the ways that the administration is sort of flying against the norms and ideals of constitutional law and equality before the law,' said Max Goodman, 28, a Quaker, who joined the march. 'Even when they aren't breaking rules explicitly, they're really engaging in bad faith with the spirit of pluralism, tolerance and respect for human dignity that undergirds our founding documents as Americans and also shows up in this document that's really important in New York Quaker history.' A Quaker history of resistance The Religious Society of Friends — best known as the Quakers — originated in 17th century England. The Christian group was founded by George Fox, an Englishman who objected to Anglican emphasis on ceremony. In the 1640s, he said he heard a voice that led him to develop a personal relationship with Christ, described as the Inner Light. Fox taught that the Inner Light emancipates a person from adherence to any creed, ecclesiastical authority or ritual forms. Brought to court for opposing the established church, Fox tangled with a judge who derided him as a 'quaker' in reference to his agitation over religious matters. Following the faith's core beliefs in nonviolence and justice, Quakers have demonstrated for the abolition of slavery, in favor of the suffrage movement, against both World Wars, and the U.S. role in the wars in Vietnam and Afghanistan, said Ross Brubeck, 38, one of the Quaker march organizers. They also joined protests against the World Trade Organization in Seattle and the Black Lives Matter protests after the 2020 killing of George Floyd . 'Within the DNA of Quakerism is actions speaking out against authority,' said Brubeck, who was marching along a trail in New Jersey with companions waving an upside-down American flag — intended to serve as a signal of distress. 'Quakers have had a central role in opposition to repression within the United States since its founding,' Brubeck said. The basic unit of Quaker organization is the weekly meeting, which corresponds to the congregation in other churches. Quakers gather for silent worship in meeting houses, where they wait for a message from God to move through them until they speak. When Brubeck and his group reached downtown Princeton, they were met by members of the local Quaker group, who praised them for their effort and guided them to their meeting house. After taking their shoes off their blistery feet, some rested on wooden pews and later prayed in silence, holding hands in a circle in preparation for another long walk. 'I felt humbled by their presence knowing what a long way they've been walking,' said Casey Oware, a member of the Princeton Friends Meeting. 'And also a sense of connection knowing that we're fighting for the same thing.' Her friend, Marae McGhee, a retired teacher and member of the local Quaker group, agreed: 'It's such a disturbing time and I think a lot of people feel that there's little they can do. But these folks are doing it — they're giving their feet and their energy.' Quaker beliefs and a lawsuit challenge to Trump Quaker practices and beliefs vary from a more Bible-centered Christianity, with pastors as worship leaders, to a more liberal approach with less structured worship and a wide range of teachings. One the most well-known Quakers was William Penn, who founded Pennsylvania following the faith's emphasis on religious tolerance; the group became influential in cities like Philadelphia . But members of the group have also faced scorn for refusing to join wars due to their belief in pacifism and nonviolence. Some were persecuted and even killed for trying to spread their religious beliefs . Earlier this year, five Quaker congregations filed a lawsuit challenging a Trump administration move giving immigration agents more leeway to make arrests at houses of worship. The Quaker groups were later joined by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and a Sikh temple. Following that, more than two-dozen Christian and Jewish groups representing millions of Americans — ranging from the Episcopal Church and the Union for Reform Judaism to the Mennonites — filed a similar lawsuit , but a federal judge ruled against them last month. During the presidential campaign, Donald Trump insisted that immigrants were an existential threat to America. Immigration into the U.S., both legal and illegal, surged during President Joe Biden's administration, and Trump assailed that influx in ways that proved powerful with voters . Since returning to the White House, Trump has launched a campaign of immigration enforcement that has pushed the limits of executive power and clashed with federal judges trying to restrain him . 'Immigrants are the ones experiencing the most acute persecution in the United States,' Brubeck said. 'The message to Trump is that the power is not his to make.' __ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Winnipeg Free Press
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Quakers march against Trump's crackdown on immigrants carrying on their long faith tradition
PRINCETON, N.J. (AP) — A group of Quakers are marching more than 300 miles from New York City to Washington, D.C., to demonstrate against the Trump administration's crackdown on immigrants. The march extends a long tradition of Quaker activism. Historically, Quakers have been involved in peaceful protests to end wars and slavery, and support women's voting rights in line with their commitment to justice and peace. Far more recently, Quakers sued the federal government earlier this year over immigration gents ability to make arrests at houses of worship. Organizers of the march say their protest seeks to show solidarity with migrants and other groups that are being targeted by President Donald Trump's administration. 'It feels really daunting to be up against such critical and large and in some ways existential threats,' said Jess Hobbs Pifer, a 25-year-old Quaker and march organizer, who said she felt 'a connection' to the faith's long history of activism. 'I just have to put one foot in front of the other to move towards something better, something more true to what Quakers before us saw for this country and what people saw for the American Experiment, the American dream,' she said. Their goal is to walk south from the Flushing Quaker Meeting House — across New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Pennsylvania — to the U.S. Capitol to deliver a copy of the 'Flushing Remonstrance' — a 17th century document that called for religious freedom and opposed a ban on Quaker worship. Quakers say it remains relevant in 2025 as a reminder to 'uphold the guiding principle that all are welcome.' 'We really saw a common thread between the ways that the administration is sort of flying against the norms and ideals of constitutional law and equality before the law,' said Max Goodman, 28, a Quaker, who joined the march. 'Even when they aren't breaking rules explicitly, they're really engaging in bad faith with the spirit of pluralism, tolerance and respect for human dignity that undergirds our founding documents as Americans and also shows up in this document that's really important in New York Quaker history.' A Quaker history of resistance The Religious Society of Friends — best known as the Quakers — originated in 17th century England. The Christian group was founded by George Fox, an Englishman who objected to Anglican emphasis on ceremony. In the 1640s, he said he heard a voice that led him to develop a personal relationship with Christ, described as the Inner Light. Fox taught that the Inner Light emancipates a person from adherence to any creed, ecclesiastical authority or ritual forms. Brought to court for opposing the established church, Fox tangled with a judge who derided him as a 'quaker' in reference to his agitation over religious matters. Following the faith's core beliefs in nonviolence and justice, Quakers have demonstrated for the abolition of slavery, in favor of the suffrage movement, against both World Wars, and the U.S. role in the wars in Vietnam and Afghanistan, said Ross Brubeck, 38, one of the Quaker march organizers. They also joined protests against the World Trade Organization in Seattle and the Black Lives Matter protests after the 2020 killing of George Floyd. 'Within the DNA of Quakerism is actions speaking out against authority,' said Brubeck, who was marching along a trail in New Jersey with companions waving an upside-down American flag — intended to serve as a signal of distress. 'Quakers have had a central role in opposition to repression within the United States since its founding,' Brubeck said. The basic unit of Quaker organization is the weekly meeting, which corresponds to the congregation in other churches. Quakers gather for silent worship in meeting houses, where they wait for a message from God to move through them until they speak. When Brubeck and his group reached downtown Princeton, they were met by members of the local Quaker group, who praised them for their effort and guided them to their meeting house. After taking their shoes off their blistery feet, some rested on wooden pews and later prayed in silence, holding hands in a circle in preparation for another long walk. 'I felt humbled by their presence knowing what a long way they've been walking,' said Casey Oware, a member of the Princeton Friends Meeting. 'And also a sense of connection knowing that we're fighting for the same thing.' Her friend, Marae McGhee, a retired teacher and member of the local Quaker group, agreed: 'It's such a disturbing time and I think a lot of people feel that there's little they can do. But these folks are doing it — they're giving their feet and their energy.' Quaker beliefs and a lawsuit challenge to Trump Quaker practices and beliefs vary from a more Bible-centered Christianity, with pastors as worship leaders, to a more liberal approach with less structured worship and a wide range of teachings. One the most well-known Quakers was William Penn, who founded Pennsylvania following the faith's emphasis on religious tolerance; the group became influential in cities like Philadelphia. But members of the group have also faced scorn for refusing to join wars due to their belief in pacifism and nonviolence. Some were persecuted and even killed for trying to spread their religious beliefs. Earlier this year, five Quaker congregations filed a lawsuit challenging a Trump administration move giving immigration agents more leeway to make arrests at houses of worship. The Quaker groups were later joined by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and a Sikh temple. Following that, more than two-dozen Christian and Jewish groups representing millions of Americans — ranging from the Episcopal Church and the Union for Reform Judaism to the Mennonites — filed a similar lawsuit, but a federal judge ruled against them last month. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. During the presidential campaign, Donald Trump insisted that immigrants were an existential threat to America. Immigration into the U.S., both legal and illegal, surged during President Joe Biden's administration, and Trump assailed that influx in ways that proved powerful with voters. Since returning to the White House, Trump has launched a campaign of immigration enforcement that has pushed the limits of executive power and clashed with federal judges trying to restrain him. 'Immigrants are the ones experiencing the most acute persecution in the United States,' Brubeck said. 'The message to Trump is that the power is not his to make.' __ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Vogue Singapore
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Vogue Singapore
Fred high jewellery revisits the halcyon childhood of Fred Samuel
'Everything goes back to the fondateur , the founding act and the personality and vision of my grandfather.' Valérie Samuel, the third generation of Samuels to head the French jewellery house Fred, explains to me in a tea room at Josun Palace in Seoul. A night before, in the middle of March, the brand had staged a gala for Monsieur Fred Ideal Light, its latest collection of high jewellery. Courtesy of Fred The collection is the second part of a triptych dedicated to the maison's eponymous Fred Samuel, the Argentine-born, Paris-based jeweller who founded the brand in 1936. 'I started with Inner Light, which was really paying tribute to his personality. And now, I am trying to explain why light—us being the Sunshine Jeweller—is so important at Fred.' Valérie traced the source of the maison's solar obsession to its founder's childhood. A line from his memoirs, in particular, mentions almost exactly the 'ideal light' of Argentina. Blazing Audacity toi et moi ring in white gold, set with a vivid-orange spessartite garnet and a cushion-cut red spinel, with diamonds, orange spessartite garnets and pink rubellites. Courtesy of Fred Bright Vitality necklace in white gold, set with a pair of Colombian Muzo emeralds and with baguette- and brilliant-cut diamonds. Courtesy of Fred Endless Horizon rings in white gold. Left: Set with a royal blue sapphire, and with diamonds, sapphires, lapis lazuli and rock crystal. Right: Set with a Fred Hero cut diamond, and with diamonds and sapphires. Courtesy of Fred Exalting Joy ring in white gold, set with a cushion-cut 9.34-carat tourmaline, and with diamonds, and Opalazur doublets of white opal and turquoise. Courtesy of Fred The result is a collection in four thematic chapters that draws varied Argentinian inspiration. From the heat and passion of the tango, born in La Boca, comes the Blazing Audacity of red jewels set with spinels, rubellites and spessartite garnets. In Exalting Joy, Montserrat's fabulous parades and embroideries inspired a white, blue and green palette of diamonds, opals, aquamarines and tourmalines. Bright Vitality nods to the greens of the Palermo gardens with verdant Colombian emeralds. And lastly, the beaches of Mar del Plata offered nautical creativity with sailing cable designs in carved lapis lazuli and rock crystal. It tells a particular story: that of heritage, and of centring creativity at the highest levels of craftsmanship on a brand that takes its founder's first name. 'I realised that some things were put to the side and suddenly it's coming back,' Valérie offers of the house's close-to-nine-decade-long heritage. 'It's what happened to me when I came back seven years ago to the maison. Heritage is a source of inspiration, a starting point. But obviously, it's never a one-to-one application.' Embroidered Spanish bracelets inspired the woven design of the Exalting Joy necklace. Courtesy of Fred Rather than recreate history, she defines a successful design as one that surprises you to know where an idea came from and to see it translated. 'I'm always taking pictures,' she says of her creative process. 'I have the impression, if I've tried to analyse the creation process, that it's an amalgamation of a lot of pieces of inspiration' from architecture, art and fashion, for example. The flipside can also be true. 'On the Exalting Joy, to have that thread bracelet as an inspiration was quite direct.' This thread bracelet she refers to is one of the more innovative designs of the Monsieur Fred Ideal Light collection. It's inspired by the woven embroideries on the costumes of festival dancers. As jewellery, it's rendered in a tie necklace that can be broken up and transformed into a bracelet, and two shorter necklaces. To create the particular colours, the maison developed the Opalazur, a doublet of stacked opal and turquoise that gives it a beguiling specificity to its blue-green shades. Courtesy of Fred 'It was not that I wanted to innovate,' Valérie clarifies. 'It's innovation for bringing to life an idea.' It's what makes high jewellery exciting: that craftsmanship is guided by imagination, not industrial means putting parameters on design. This willingness to go further, she admits, is in the roots of the house. Part of what makes Fred an interesting maison to watch at the moment is its balancing act of being almost nine decades old and three generations in, while also championing a light-hearted, youthful spirit. 'It was not the philosophy and vision of my grandfather to be a statutory brand,' Valérie says. 'He created Fred with his own vision, his own soul and his own way of doing business. I think we keep that philosophy, even if now, as you say, we start to be respectable because we are close to 90 years old. It doesn't make us statutory in terms of the distance and connection with our client.' Fred global brand ambassador Jin. Courtesy of Fred Actress Lee Sung-kyung. Courtesy of Fred Actor and model Cha Seung-won. Courtesy of Fred Actress Kim Hye-soo. Courtesy of Fred What makes these words particularly impactful is the simple fact that Valérie grew up with Fred Samuel. She was two years old when she attended her first event by the maison, and she remembers being around 12 when she realised that Monsieur Fred was not merely her grandfather, but someone rather renowned. 'He was Monsieur Fred to his clients, his friends, to the concierge at the hotel. That's the most important memory, that he was a unique man.' This emphasis on Fred, the man, also played out at a catwalk show of the collection during the gala dinner. For the closing look: a male model, dressed in a white linen suit and boating shoes, his hair slicked back in the elegant manner of a turn-of-the-century dandy. For a brand touting a heritage and identity—sure, it's nothing new. But for Valérie, it is almost certainly a personal and closely held matter. 'He was Monsieur Fred to his clients, his friends, to the concierge at the hotel. That's the most important memory, that he was a unique man' She lets on that in the last few years, some of the most rewarding memories at the maison have in fact been pulling together an archive. It culminated when the brand staged its first heritage exhibition and continues today with the Monsieur Fred series of high jewellery collections. 'It was the first time we were able to tell the full story of the maison,' she says. 'I knew the stories because I was working with my family 20 years ago, but when I was telling these stories I didn't have the materials to show.' Not anymore. After sorting through over 1,000 boxes—of heritage and design, yes, but also financial and legal documents—she found some keepsakes of her youth. Forty years of letters and exchanges with the Nepalese royal family, who were clients of the maison, including an order that Valérie delivered personally in 1995. 'When we relaunched Pretty Woman in 2021, I don't know why but the stars were aligned. I rediscovered my father's authentication letter given to the client who bought the necklace from the movie,' she recounts of the ruby and diamond design that gave the maison its biggest Hollywood moment. Sailing is one of the design pillars at Fred. In the Endless Horizon suite of jewels, the taut lines of sailing ropes and cables are interpreted with carved lapis lazuli and rock crystal. Courtesy of Fred 'The DNA is there, and in 100 years I want the DNA to still be true to the vision of Monsieur Fred. This is very important,' she muses on the part she plays as the house's contemporary artistic director. 'But, of course, you can renew yourself. A brand is like a diamond with many facets—one day you can show one facet, and the other you show another.' A metaphor given like a true jeweller. One interesting facet of the Samuel family, moreover, is a love of sailing—a passion that has inspired the brand's signature Force 10 collection. I teasingly ask Valérie if she is a sailor herself. 'I am a very bad sailor, so I cannot say that,' she laughs. 'But my brother is a big sailor. He has crossed the Atlantic several times and done some races. So he got that talent, education and passion from my father. Myself, I'm actually very scared on the boat.' When I suggest that perhaps talents were split and she simply inherited the jeweller's side of the family, she laughs and nods amiably. 'I engraved my brother's [sailing] record on his Force 10 bracelet. When he came back, I think it was from two months on the boat, I engraved the days, hours and minutes— congratulations! I couldn't do that!' The May 'Sonder' issue of Vogue Singapore is now available to pre-order online and available on newsstands from 14 May.
