| Type | Privately held |
|---|---|
| Industry | Fashion |
| Founded | 1951 |
| Founder(s) | Michaela Frey, Friedrich Wille |
| Headquarters |
Gumpendorferstraße 81, A-1060 |
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Jewellery, Fashion accessory |
| Employees | ~500 |
| Website | www.freywille.com |
Frey Wille is an enamel jewellery manufacturer based in Vienna, Austria founded in 1951. The trademark is usually written "FREYWILLE". The label is known for its artistically hand decorated designs that are based on the works of 19th and 20th century artists. Next to its headquarters in Vienna, the company operates 86 shops worldwide.[1]
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Founded in 1951 by Michaela Frey, the company started out as a local artisan workshop in Vienna. In 1970, Friedrich Wille, a chartered accountant and lawyer, paired up with Frey to form the brand in its present state. Wille had previously worked for the company as its financial auditor from 1960 onwards. When Michaela Frey died in 1980, Wille purchased the whole company and took over as the sole CEO. Because he himself is not an artist or designer, he turned to the Austrian Academy of Applied Arts, specifically to Simone Gruenberger-Wille, who became the chief designer of the company in 1981. She and Friedrich Wille eventually married.[2]
Under Wille the company started to expand in Europe and later on worldwide. For three decades up until 2009, Frey Wille also worked with and designed jewelry for Hermès, the French high fashion house.[3]
As of today, Frey Wille operates more than 86 boutiques in 30 countries on 4 continents. The company employs more than 500 employees, a large part of them in Vienna.[4] In 2011, the company opened various stores in new cities they were not previously present in, most notably in New York on Madison Avenue.[5] Other major cities in which the company has several boutiques are Moscow, Paris, Beijing, Hong Kong, Dubai, Istanbul and its city of origin, Vienna.
Frey Wille was started as a workshop solely dedicated to enamel jewellery. Recently, the company added watches to its product line, especially a gold watch line. Beside jewellery and watches, the company has now also expanded into accessories such as scarfs, handbags, belts, ties, cuff links and fine pens.
The company has its factory and manufacturing unit in Vienna. The products are handcrafted by goldsmiths and people with expertise in enameling.[6]
The collections at Frey Wille distinguish themselves through the use of colorful motifs and gold. They are either designed with original ideas of the company's artists, such as the "Ode to Joy of Life" collection,[7] or by using motifs from influential artists or mythology. The company has concentrated on motifs from artists of the 19th and 20th century, especially Austrian painters in several product collections. Among them are Gustav Klimt, one of the most important Austrian painters of the turn of the century. For instance, Klimt's painting Adele Bloch-Bauer which sold for USD 135 million in 2006 was used for a whole collection of jewelry.
Among other artists whose styles are used by Frey Wille in the creation of their product collection are, most notably, Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser, one of the founders of impressionism Claude Monet, but also Czech artists Alphonse Mucha.
Part of the reason for deciding to create collections inspired by well-known artist was that in the 1990s the Claude Monet Foundation approached the company and asked them to pay homage to the artist by creating a collection inspired by him. Thereafter, a collection was created for the Victoria and Albert Museum in London based on works by William Morris.[2]
Frey Wille has both products for women and men in their collections.