Florentin Grossé and his sons were integral designers for Dior, but the Grossé brand has its own long and unique history. The company came to be recognised in Germany in the early 1900’s for their highly popular watch straps and accessories made from human hair. The popularity of these keepsakes saw the company through the turmoil of the first world war.

They emerged from this turmoil with a modernist sensibility that embodied the Bauhaus notions of marrying art and technology that began to gain Grossé international recognition from Europe’s greatest fashion houses. This upward trajectory was halted by the onset of the Second World War and the rule of Nazism in Germany. The Grossé factory and offices were bombed in 1945 and the company’s assets destroyed. However the Grossé family once again showed innovation and guile to emerge from the ruins of the Second World War and again continue to create beautiful and unique jewellery.

In 1955 they signed a deal to become exclusive designers for Dior, which in the context of French-German relations at the time is exceptional. This was ultimately the turning point for the company, gaining them an international reputation as a creator of unique and exquisitely wrought jewellery. Whilst Dior jewellery is characterised through a liberal use of rhinestones and natural imagery, Grossé has built its own reputation for originality and quality, focusing on manipulated and ornamental metalwork.