Sednon, a taste for irreverence
Parisian Aurélie Benazera founded Sednon, a brand whose name is inspired by Charles Baudelaire’s poem Sed non satiata. Her ambition is to create jewellery that captures the carefree spirit of the 1970s while recalling the precious personal accessories of the 18th century: snuffboxes, poison rings and other objects from a bygone era. Her first creation, the Verneuil Case, is a pendant designed to hold cigarettes — or anything else one might wish to keep close — and a tribute to Serge Gainsbourg. Isabelle Cerboneschi
Aurélie Benazera, Sednon’s founder
Sed non satiata
Strange deity, brown as nights,
Whose perfume is mixed with musk and Havanah,
Magical creation, Faust of the savanna,
Sorceress with the ebony thighs, child of black midnights,
I prefer to African wines, to opium, to burgundy,
The elixir of your mouth where love parades itself;
When my desires leave in caravan for you,
Your eyes are the reservoir where my cares drink.
From those two great black eyes, chimneys of our spirit,
O pitiless demon, throw out less flame at me;
I am no Styx to clasp you nine times,
Nor can I, alas, dissolute shrew,
To break your courage, bring you to bay,
Become any Proserpine in the hell of your bed!
— Geoffrey Wagner, Selected Poems of Charles Baudelaire (NY: Grove Press, 1974)
Sednon. What a curious name. It takes a certain literary sensibility to draw a connection between slightly subversive everyday objects and Charles Baudelaire’s poem Sed non satiata. Parisian Aurélie Benazera possesses just that. She founded Sednon with the idea of creating jewellery that evokes the carefree spirit of the 1970s while reviving the tradition of precious personal accessories from the 19th century: snuffboxes, poison rings and other objects from another age.
Her first creation, the Verneuil Case, follows in the footsteps of the earliest minaudières, conceived by Charles Arpels after witnessing his friend Florence Jay Gould casually drop her lipstick, powder compact, cigarettes and lighter into an ordinary Lucky Strike metal cigarette tin. The jeweller came up with the idea of creating precious little cases that could be carried around, with or without gemstones, decorated with lacquer or eggshell, and used, among other things, to hold the cigarettes of fashionable women.
Almost a century later, Aurélie Benazera is launching a collection of objects for women like herself, who do as they please. Her first creation is delightfully irreverent: a cigarette case at a time when smoking is being banished even from pavements. The design of this rectangular metal pendant is distinctive. Its decorative motifs recall the floor tiles of Serge Gainsbourg’s house on Rue de Verneuil, from which the Verneuil Case takes its name.
INTERVIEW
Creating a precious object to hold cigarettes at a time when we know that smoking kills and is banned almost everywhere is something of a countercultural gesture. What was your intention?
Aurélie Benazera : I’m both very well brought up and deeply irreverent. Before Sednon, just for fun, I created a little project called Ta gueule et brode — roughly, “Shut up and embroider”. I would embroider insults and have them framed in the old-fashioned way, with padded backing.
I’ve worked as a producer in the audiovisual industry for the past 20 years, and when the time came to fulfil my dream of creating my own brand, I wanted to make something that reflected who I am.
I don’t have many addictions, but I do enjoy the occasional cigarette. Just a few, for the gesture, which I find rather chic. That’s why my jewellery is designed to hold only a limited number: up to nine very slim cigarettes or six regular ones. I love the idea of being at a party and elegantly taking a cigarette out of a piece of jewellery. Is it subversive? Yes. Out of step with the times? I’m not so sure…
Why did you choose Charles Baudelaire’s poem Sed non satiata as the inspiration for your brand’s name?
It’s a poem from Les Fleurs du mal that evokes alcohol, tobacco and opium. The title means “Never Satisfied”, which describes me rather well. Baudelaire writes about his muse, a woman with very dark hair and intensely dark eyes, and I saw something of myself in that description. I didn’t want to give the brand my own name because I don’t particularly like being in the spotlight. I wanted a name that would evoke all the addictions and obsessions we might have, including love.
Does your minaudière really celebrate cigarettes, or is it more about a certain idea of personal freedom?
Freedom, of course! That’s the whole idea behind it. You can put whatever you like inside: banknotes, chewing gum, pills… It’s also a nod to the 1970s. I adore that era. Women were incredibly elegant and beautiful, yet they were also very free.
I’m certainly not going to encourage anyone to smoke with this piece. People who smoke are perfectly capable of doing that without my help! (Laughs.) But if you’re going to enjoy a few cigarettes, you might as well do so with a little panache. Paradoxically, this piece of jewellery has actually helped me keep my smoking very much under control. When I go out, I put no more than nine very slim cigarettes inside, because I’ve decided not to exceed that number. Both my parents are doctors, I don’t drink alcohol and I smoke very little. I’m fully aware of the health risks associated with smoking, but I love going out wearing this beautiful object, knowing that I can hide whatever I please inside it.
Your creation evokes both the aesthetics of the 1930s and the spirit of the 1970s, although neither period was particularly carefree, marked as they were by war and the oil crisis. What is it about those decades that you want to bring back?
It’s a brass case, also available in palladium and gold. I wanted to bring together the things and people I admire. Before launching my brand, I visited the exhibition Luxe de poche. Petits objets précieux au siècle des Lumières at the Musée Cognacq-Jay in Paris. I discovered all these exquisite objects that were fashionable at the court of Versailles: gold snuffboxes, poison rings, miniature sewing implements and so on. They were absolutely delightful! I drew inspiration from the luxury of Versailles and that very French sense of beauty.
I also wanted to pay tribute to some of my idols. As a child, I went to school near Serge Gainsbourg’s house on Rue de Verneuil. The Verneuil Case is, in a way, an homage to this great smoker and poet. I worked with jewellery designer Sophie Calvi to develop the piece. The little pyramids decorating the Verneuil Case are inspired by the floor tiles of the house on Rue de Verneuil. The design brings together several influences. I don’t yet know what the rest of the collection will look like, but I will probably draw inspiration from other artists I admire, people for whom freedom is second nature.
Do you think contemporary luxury has become too restrained?
Simplicity is timeless, but I think it’s interesting to shake things up a little. My jewellery is elegant, but it can also be worn with more classic pieces. I love the idea of people wondering what’s hidden inside.
Did you turn to workshops that still knew how to make minaudières, or did you have to rediscover forgotten techniques?
Through Sophie Calvi, I worked with an Italian workshop in Arezzo that produces jewellery for major fashion houses. I wanted to create a genuinely beautiful piece, made according to the highest standards of craftsmanship, something that would last rather than become another disposable product.
Did you conceive this piece as a way of keeping part of yourself secret, in response to an age when everything is put on display?
I hadn’t thought of it that way, but now that you mention it, it does reflect who I am. I dislike vulgarity, and I’m not particularly fond of people revealing everything about themselves. I prefer to keep certain things private. To me, it’s a form of discretion. With this piece of jewellery, I wanted people to be able to preserve a little mystery, at a time when we’re encouraged to reveal so much about ourselves. It wasn’t intended as a reaction to the times, but it’s a happy coincidence.
Is the Verneuil Case about cigarettes or desire?
It’s about desire and freedom. I’d love for a sort of secret community to grow around this object, with people who wear a Verneuil Case recognising one another, while nobody else quite knows what’s hidden inside.
Are you considering creating a piece of jewellery designed to hold perfume?
I can’t answer that just yet, but I can tell you that the collection will include several different types of objects. I hope I’ll be able to bring all the ideas I have in mind to life…
I’d love to revive the elegant pieces of jewellery our grandmothers used to own, those little treasures in which you could conceal whatever you wanted. My mother had a locket containing a photograph of my brother and me. I’m fascinated by all these pieces of jewellery that hold the things we keep hidden deep within ourselves.
