A ‘Happy Melting Pot’: Jeweler Dorianne Attiogbé Releases Her New Spring Collection Eliké
Portrait of Dorianne Attiogbé. (Photo: Kyla Mae Cantillo)
By Mead Gill
The organic movement of molten metal, lava, and water could be considered artistic statements in themselves. When Seattle-based jeweler and engineer Dorianne Attiogbé channels them, she fulfills a creative vision that refuses to compromise on heritage or style.
Before her brand Atiwo came to be, it was a quiet act of personal reconnection, and a way for Attiogbé to reconcile her identity as a first-generation immigrant navigating three distinct cultures: Beninese, Togolese, and French. The name Atiwo is a statement in itself, meaning “the trees have refused” in Mina, the language of her Beninese-Togolese heritage.
Recently, she released her new spring collection, Eliké, inspired by how her distinct cultures flow together. Eliké embodies these same elemental movements in the form of necklaces, rings, and earrings that fluidly represent the oftentimes jagged nature of two (or three) worlds colliding.
"You're always rejected from everywhere. You're not African enough, you're not French enough, you're not American enough,” Attiogbé said, reflecting on her childhood. In turn, Atiwo has become the crucible where all versions of herself—the engineer, the West-African child, the Parisian, and the designer—come together.
Currently working in the cybersecurity space, Attiogbé’s creative process operates at the intentional intersection of art and engineering, balancing intuitive, smooth movements with the structured geometry of her left brain. Her practice has grown from experimental beginnings into a fully realized aesthetic vision, most clearly seen in her desire to bridge her cultural inspirations.
"I've stopped going after the trends and really now going after what I want to do,” she said, evidenced by the sleek yet asymmetrical lines in the new collection.
For the first time, Attiogbé is expanding into brass and metal jewelry, which also serves as a subtle nod to the aesthetic of brass and bronze jewelry in her African background.
“This is kind of a happy melting pot,” she said. "I'm calling my designs African inspired but with a Parisian vision and a point of view from the Pacific Northwest.”
That melting pot concept forms the foundation of Eliké, available now for order on her website. You can also shop Atiwo's previous collections in-person at MUVA Seattle at 701 5th Ave #303.
You can find Atiwo on Instagram at @shopatiwo
Stay tuned for Attiogbé’s upcoming appearance on “The Day With Trae” this Monday, April 27th at 11 a.m. on all Converge Media streaming platforms.
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