NANA JUICE is the product of instinct, travel, and contradictions that refuse easy definition. Jewellery here is not about polish or repetition. Each piece is sculpted as if it were a fragment pulled from a film, a song, or a memory of raw encounters. Davide’s history as a chef and Giorgia’s background in photography form a foundation where texture, composition, and rhythm are second nature. Their silver work is experimental, not in a labored sense, but in a way that remains free from academic structures, guided instead by instinct and obsession. The jewellery exists as small sculptures, objects that are worn but also carried like symbols. Inspiration comes from cinema’s surrealists, from video games’ intensity, from hip-hop and punk’s directness.

Where does the name NANA JUICE come from? What role does food play in your everyday thinking, and how do you see it intersecting with fashion?

The name NANA JUICE came up when we were in Thailand, just as we decided to open our Instagram page. At first it was “Banana Juice”, something that sounds normal, but actually doesn’t exist, because bananas don’t really have juice. We liked that kind of surreal contradiction.

“NANA JUICE” felt smoother, and we were literally drinking banana smoothies every day, so it just stuck. Food has been central, Davide used to be a chef, and food is something primal, essential. There’s a strong connection between food and fashion too: both are about form, texture, instinct, desire. It made sense.

You’ve worked with both food and photography before starting NANA JUICE. How did those experiences influence the way you approach jewelry, both in design and production?

Giorgia: Yes, absolutely. Davide used to work as a chef, and I studied photography and cinema. For me personally, photography really helped me develop my eye and my taste in art. There was a moment when I started to understand images differently, and from there, I began to truly appreciate them.

Now, with NANA JUICE, I’ve found a way to bring that background into what we do. Shooting our visuals and still life has become one of my favorite parts of the process.

Davide: For me, cooking has always been a creative act, it’s about working with your hands, choosing the right ingredients, balancing textures, weights, and forms. There’s an instinctive rhythm to both processes, and a deep connection to the body.

Australia seems to have been a starting point for NANA JUICE. Can you tell us more about the lifestyle you had there and how it led you toward what you're doing now?

NANA JUICE was born in Australia, yes - but in a way, it started long before that. We've always loved to travel. We actually met while working in Ibiza, and we both had this need to live abroad and explore. After Ibiza, we decided to move to Australia together.

Both of us had always felt the urge to do something creative, even if we didn’t know exactly what it would be. During a three-month trip to Thailand things really clicked. Through a mix of encounters, situations, and a bit of magic, we began making jewellery. After that, we went back in Australia and started experimenting with silver for the first time. At the beginning we worked in the spaces we were living in, shared houses, our rooms, with no tools, no proper setup. We were literally making jewellery on the ground!

That’s how NANA JUICE was born, out of a situation that felt raw and punk in the best way. And of course, we’re still evolving. We love to experiment, to try new things, and we’re open to wherever this creative path takes us. Everything moves fast, and we want to stay in motion with it.

What movies, games, or photographers are currently inspiring your work or visual world?

Giorgia: Honestly, we’re influenced by a lot of independent cinema. I watch a huge amount of films, and we both really into the ones that leave something behind - movies that disturb you and discomfort you, can make you think about something from a completely new angle. It’s not just about entertainment, cinema can actually open your mind in a really powerful way. For sure, Takashi Miike comes to my mind when it comes to Asian cinema, but David Lynch and Bunuel are also great masters in creating surreal atmospheres.

In terms of photography, I remember Antoine d’Agata as the first photographer I really connected with. And of course, Ren Hang is always somewhere in my mind!

Davide on his side, has always played video games - it’s something that’s been part of his life since he was a kid. And honestly, games can be just as emotionally powerful as films or photography. There’s real artistic work behind them!

Right now, we are playing Cyberpunk 2077, which has a very strong aesthetic that aligns with what we’ve been creating lately. Other games for Davide over the years have been for example Resident Evil, Doom and Left4Dead.

What does “experimental jewellery” mean to you in practice? Are you more interested in testing shapes, materials, or in shifting how we think about what jewellery can be?

For us, “experimental jewellery” means staying free from rigid rules and letting intuition guide the process. We never formally studied jewellery, so everything we create is self-taught and instinctive. That absence of academic training actually allows us to discover unexpected techniques and ideas - it’s a very spontaneous approach.

We experiment with both forms and materials, but more important yes, we’re trying to shift the way people perceive jewellery. Traditionally, jewellery has followed certain conventions - precious, polished, ornamental. What we make are not just accessories; they are sculptures, engraved symbols, wearable fragments of a larger narrative. Nothing we create is random, every piece carries the weight of our references and obsessions.

You mostly work with sterling silver and often release one-off pieces. Do you see this approach as connected to sustainability or ethics? And how do limit drops or material choices shape the way you design?

Yes, definitely. Working with sterling silver and releasing one-off pieces is a conscious choice for us. We don’t want to overproduce or contribute to the kind of fast you see in fashion and accessories.

The idea of limited drops isn't just aesthetic, it’s ethical. It allows us to stay intentional, to put meaning into each piece, and to avoid excess. Silver, for us, is also symbolic - it’s durable and ages beautifully, it carries weight, both physically and emotionally.

Your pieces often feel like small sculptures rather than conventional jewellery. Do you see your work more as wearable art than accessories? And how important is it for you to create pieces that are also meaningful to you personally?

Creating is something we do for ourselves, not just for others. We connected with the view of fashion as a form of art. For us, each piece is like a tiny sculpture, a one-off expression. While some of our designs are made-to-order, we always craft them one by one, so each version ends up slightly different. We’re also planning to release some pieces in small, limited editions.

What kind of art, music, or media tends to stay with you? Do you find your inspirations coming from very specific references,or more from the moods and memories they carry?

The inspirations come from many worlds, what surrounds us every day, and our personal passions. Punk, hip-hop, movies, videogames. it might seem like a strange mix, but it’s just a mirror of what’s inside us. We’re into a lot of different things: certain types of music, certain kinds of films, videogames, art and fashion, we carry all of that into what we make.

Travel plays a part too. It’s about the things you see, the sensations of a place. Depending on where you are, you start to reinterpret things differently. Like, someone might be experiencing something somewhere, and that feeling stays with you. Even later, when you're back in the studio, that baggage, what you've absorbed, guides what you do, without overthinking it.

I’m curious about the pendants you use with the chains, especially the way color plays a role in them. How did you develop this approach?

This particular piece is colored using a patina gel. It’s a gel-based oxidizing solution and its process is based on sulfur, which oxidizes the silver to create those unique colors. Unlike traditional oxidation that simply turns silver black, this method allows control over the immersion time and application, producing a range of shades, from subtle blues to soft yellows. The effect is similar to natural aging, reminiscent of ancient Roman alcoves where the metal takes on a gentle blue and yellow patina, giving the piece a distinct, aged character without the harsh black contrast.

The pendant featuring the hyena caught my attention, what’s the story or symbolism behind including that animal in your design?

Actually, this piece really reflects our passion for photography. A long time ago, someone introduced us to a photographer named Pieter Hugo. Pieter Hugo’s photo series shot in Nigeria, had a deep impact on us. His portrayal of the complex relationship between humans and wild animals - especially the men who keep hyenas as companions - felt both raw and surreal. One of his images directly inspired this piece. This pendant is part of a collection focused on a desert theme. Since much of Australia is desert, vast, uninhabited land, we wanted this drop to connect with that landscape. We call it the New Punk Desert collection, inspired by the idea of a desert universe but with a fresh, intriguing twist.

The visuals with the cars exploding in the background, created using AI, look amazing. Are you currently experimenting with AI in your creative process?

We’ve begun to experiment a bit with AI. It’s an intriguing tool that opens up new creative paths, and we enjoy exploring how it can fit into our process. For us, it’s about embracing everything that can inspire fresh ideas.

Everything you create in your art world feels entirely your own vision. I imagine your pieces are designed to be unisex, meant to be worn by anyone regardless of gender. Is that right?

Yes, absolutely. From the very beginning, we’ve approached our work with the idea that jewellery should be for everyone, beyond traditional gender categories. We design with fluidity in mind, so each piece is meant to resonate with whoever connects with it.

What’s special is that we offer customization as a core part of the process. People can decide on the size or certain details, which means every item is slightly different. Because of this, even pieces that share the same design end up with unique folds or shapes, making each one its own interpretation rather than a replica.We feel this approach feels more personal and alive.