MÉTARAPH Talks Extreme Jewellery in London's Underground Club Scene
Image: Riccardo Palmerani, self-portrait, wearing INAUREM
Raffaello Donnaloia grew up outside the city in a small village of 300 people. At 18 years of age, they decided to chase down their dream which brought them to London. The Italian-Chinese-Maorian artist was born and raised in a remote fishing village in Puglia in the south of Italy. Having spent their entire adolescence in a very small community, they felt they had to make a change. After graduating from high school, they left their hometown and moved to the UK, looking for a place to express their creativity.
Image: MÉTARAPH, self-portrait, wearing SPIRALIS FACEPIECE
A year-and-a-half later, they started working for fashion designer, Ilaria Lepore, where they started getting in exchange of ideas and philosophy with other creatives. Inspired by their newly found social circle, they developed a highly defined look - and with it, their artistic alter ego MÉTARAPH. Through their metamorphosis, they became the self-taught, multidisciplinary artist they had dreamed of all their life. Raffaello's practice includes performance, dance, choreography, jewellery design, and music, as a producer and a DJ.
“All my practices are an extension of my artistic identity, they intertwine themselves and complete each other.” Says MÉTARAPH. “For example, in the creation of a performance, I would create the choreography, perform it, and also create or curate the soundtrack, the fashion, styling of the costumes, and so forth.”
Their jewellery brand, INAUREM, came to life in 2016. Their first-ever piece was created for oneself as an accessory for their club-wear. Their designs started to get highly appreciated in the London queer scene, propelling them to launch their brand in 2018. The inspiration for INAUREM stems from their ethnic background. As part Chinese and Maori, their design explores the tribal aesthetic - examining their ancestors' tribal roots while projecting them to the future. Other inspirations come from their life in London: the gothic, punk, and transhuman subcultures that are deeply rooted in the city.
“I pursue different themes for different mediums but overall I'm very attracted to philosophy, biology, spirituality, ritualistic arts, and occultism.” Says MÉTARAPH. “My ethnic background strongly pops up in INAUREM and in my other practices. I often use props from my Chinese heritage in my performances, whilst for my jewellery brand the tribal Maori.”
Images: INAUREM, ARACNAILED NOSEPIECE, Model: Adam Pyro, The Squad Management. Ph: Francesco Zinno
Their jewellery gained recognition across Europe and America very quickly, receiving the support of many artists and platforms, with their works featured in various fashion magazines such as Vogue UK and Vogue Italia, i-D, a music video of the American singer-songwriter, Ashnikko, and multiple collaboration with London Fashion Week. Soon after being discovered, iconic figures in the queer community such as Erykah Badu started to support the brand as well. Raffaello takes on a first-hand approach across their brand, from design to production, marketing, and customer service. Since the brand's inception, Raffaello has been building and strengthening their network, while spreading their distinctive aesthetic across the globe.
