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AfricaSelf-taught artisan and cigar lover Patrick Mavros has turned his stunning, wildlife-themed silver creations into a top luxury brand BY ANDREW NAGY PORTRAITS BY MATT FURMAN =:=:=

eated on the other side of the table, Patrick Mavros exudes an aura of the African savanna, as if he just strode from the golden sands of his native , straight into the posh dining room of New York City’s Club Macanudo. He wears a chocolate- brown safari jacket over a white linen shirt, slate trousers with reinforced seams and is crowned by a custom, broad-brimmed hat that has a guinea-fowl feather—a Skeepsake from his wife, Catja—protruding from its band. He appears to be more of a seasoned big- game hunter, ripped from the pages of a Hemingway story, than the preeminent master silversmith to the world’s aristocracy. As it turns out, he’s both, as well as many other things, including raconteur, polio survivor, retired baker, conservationist and a former member of the Selous Scouts, an elite special forces unit that fought in the . He rests his lit Cohiba Comador in a crystal ashtray on the table, sets his hat next to it and runs a hand through his untamed, wispy salt-and-pepper hair, revealing a bearded countenance that is simultaneously stern and friendly, highlighted by piercing brown eyes. “Alright,” he says, a charming lilt in his British accent, “where shall we begin? I know!” He affixes a pair of pince-nez reading glasses to the bridge of his nose and thumbs through his iPhone, which displays a photograph of five men who work for Mavros standing shoulder to shoulder, grinning and holding up a massive python no less than 40 feet long. “The boys caught that this morning.” Just another day of unexpected adventures at Mpata Farm, Mavros’s 1,500-acre compound that overlooks the Umwimsi Valley, located about 20 miles outside of , Zimbabwe’s capital city. Named after the pitter-patter sound of water splashing off the granite rocks at the base of a waterfall on the grounds, Mpata is the center of Mavros’s growing silver empire. It’s the place he calls home, Patrick Mavros, silversmith to and it’s where he and Catja raised their four boys. Also, his state-of-the-art silversmith’s workshop the stars, puffing away happily is located there, as well as a gallery that showcases and sells his newest creations. at Club Macanudo.

146 148 The MavrosflagshipstoreinLondon’sChelseaneighborhoodisdesignedtotransportshoppershisfarmZimbabwe.Cigarsarewelcomeoutback. replaced by the silver. After the silver cools, the plaster isbroken toreveal poured in.Theheatmeltsthe wax(soit’s onlyusedonce),which is isthencoveredwithplaster ofparisandthemoltensilveris new model This from therubbermoldasaperfect copyoftheoriginalwaxmodel. then injectedintothisrubbercavity whereitcoolsandisthenremoved liquid rubber, which sets and is then carefully cut away. Molten wax is Fahrenheit). Whilethat’s iscoatedwith done,anoriginalwaxmodel gold industry, isheatedupto1,000degreescentigrade(1,832 called lost-waxcastinginwhichsilver, ofZimbabwe’s anaturalbyproduct himself oroneofhissons,whoallparticipateinthefamilybusiness. eitherbyMavros commissioned worksthataredesignedandproduced ized pieces such as cigar ashtrays, penholders,candelabra,aswell ladies jewelryandmen’s adornment.Additionally, Mavrosoffersspecial- a baboonontopofananthill.Nevertheless,it’s 100percentZimbabwe.” never knowwhatyoumightbesummonedtolookat.Aspittingcobra,or great hospitalityandasenseofcalm.Andexcitement,becauseyou the mannerinwhichweliveourcommunityisremarkable.There “A sortofSwissFamilyAfrica.To goandseeahomewiththisfamily many onlyreadaboutinbooksorseefilms. lifelike, naturalisticsilverwares,buttoexperienceapartoftheworld hand. TheycomenotonlytowitnesshowMavroscreateshisexquisitely chic-bushman lifestyle,andsomeeventrektohisestateviewitfirst the animalsinvalleybelow. Ultimately, hisclienteleisbuyinginto in hand,puffingacigaranddrinkingEnglishbreakfastteawhilestudying artisan saysheoftensitsontheverandaofhishouseatopahill,sketchpad images that have inspired and influenced Mavros’s silversmith art. The tall baobabtreesandvariousotherindigenousflora.It’s preciselythese zebrasand,yes,snakes,liveamong muses, elephants,monkeys,crocodiles, an undisturbedareawherehundredsofspeciesbirds,lions,hippopota Each item is handmade out of British sterling silver using a technique Each itemishandmadeoutofBritishsterlingsilverusingatechnique Mavros’s silverpiecesincluderegular-production itemsforthehome, “Our business isnotjust commercial, butawayof life,” says Mavros. Most important,themajorityofMpataFarmisawildlifesanctuary, - -

year of my life it was like that.” By the time he was about seven years old, his year ofmylifeitwaslikethat.”By thetimehewasaboutsevenyearsold,his carried outsidebyourcookormother soIcouldsketch,”hesays.“Andfora ivory, ordrawingandpaintingtheflora faunathatheloved.“Iwouldget his innateartistictalent.Bedridden, Mavrosturnedtocarvinganimalsoutof me fightharder;madeclimbtreeshigherthananyoneelse.” in theend,becauseitkickedmeoffwithabitofdisadvantage. Itmade thing, it,” remembersMavros,hisvoicedroppinganoctave.“Itwasagood doctor, theroadtorecoverywasarduous. of fivehebeganshowingsignspolio.Eventhoughhisfather was a family home.Hislifetookaturnfortheworse,however, whenattheage watching withfascinationthemanykindsofanimalsthatsurrounded the environment byclimbingtrees,swimminginstreams,catching birdsand fathered sixchildren,oneofwhomwasPatrickMavros’s dad. the time married Southern a , lovely lady and named Aphrodite, gentleman, Mr. MahatmaGandhi.” In1902,Stamatisettledinwhatwasat would representa Greek,” his grandfather “sought the council of an Indian needed theadviceofalawyer, andsince “noself-respectingEnglishlawyer while hismother’s sidehailsfromScotland. AccordingtoMavros,Stamati Stamati MavrosemigratedfromGreecetoDurban,SouthAfrica,in1901, Matabeleland, aprovinceinthecountry’s westernregion.Hisgrandfather very biginmylifethatyoucomeontheAfricansafariwithme.” story is authentic. We don’t make up nursery rhymes and fairy tales. It’s of this,”saysMavrosashetakesanotherdrawfromhisComador. “Every detail. “Each piece is an heirloom for the future. There’s a story behind all each ofMavros’s worksstrivestocapture auniquetaleinincrediblyfine monkeys ridingonhisback,oranornatesilversculptureofabaobabtree, company’s registeredmarkingsbefore beingpolishedandshipped. the silvercasting.Piecesareinspectedandthenhallmarkedwith Mavros credits his bout with polio as the catalyst that led him to discover Mavros credits his boutwith polio as the catalyst that led him to discover “There wasamassiveepidemic,andIjusthappenedtobecaught in In hisyouth,Mavroswouldtirelesslyexploretough,rural bush A fourth-generationnativeofZimbabwe,Mavroswasbornin1954 Whether it’s apairofelephantearrings, anashtrayofalionwithtwo

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The works of Patrick Mavros hark to his roots in Africa, and the beasts of the continent take center stage in many of his designs, including cigar ashtrays.

symptoms had subsided. But, he says, “I was still a bit shaky on my legs were constructed, how they looked, how they smelt. Always distinctive.” until the age of 10. Really it was by 15 that I learned how to run.” As Mavros continues his mouth moves, but his eyes remain locked on Mavros went to a school of about 350 kids divided into about five the cherry of his cigar, as if he’s staring deep into the past. houses, modeled after the classic British boarding school system. “I didn’t “Yeah, it was scary. But you’re young!” His voice oscillates. “You’d hunt do well in school at all,” he admits, ordering himself a double of Johnnie with adrenaline, and because you’re in the special-forces unit, you feel very Walker Black, his preferred spirit, to wash down the hamburger (cooked confident. Very professional. There was a lot of glory in it for a young guy.” rare) that he just ate. “I failed a number of my exams and was a bit lazy. If War, though, was not all glory, and it instilled in him a few valuable life it had anything to do with birds, nature or art, I was the top of my class. lessons, least of all was discipline. “[War] taught me a little about leadership, But that didn’t get me through school properly.” and taught me a little bit about knowing who you were in life,” he continues. While academics might not have been Mavros’s strength, his boarding “[I learned] the value of life and the stupidity of human beings. Especially the school in the wilderness did act as a springboard for one of his favorite stupidity of human beings who are supposed to be responsible leaders. It gave pastimes: cigars. me a lot of confidence, I suppose. A leg up.” “My housemaster, who we called E.J., was a gentleman who taught As the war waned, Mavros was granted increasingly more time in biology, and instead of giving us prayers in the evening at the end of between fighting. To fill in these gaps, and to earn some needed money, he school, he would often recite poetry to us,” recalls Mavros. One night, accepted a job working for a bakery in Salisbury, then the capital of Rhodesia E.J. recited Rudyard Kipling’s widely known song “The Betrothed,” and and known today as Harare. “I thought I was destined to be a big boss in this the words tantalized young Patrick. He managed to get his hands on a baking empire,” says Mavros, “but this art thing got to me.” friend’s father’s cigar—“a cheapo Villiger”—and hustled far away from Just before the war ended in late 1979, Mavros found himself sick in the the school grounds to light up. Only he didn’t take into account that hospital. Recently wed to his bride, Catja, he wanted to create an original and the smoke might linger on him afterwards. Caught, young Patrick was unique gift for her while he recovered, so he carved a pair of ivory earrings summoned to his schoolmaster’s study. (ivory was still legal then). When Catja wore the earrings to the salon, her “Mavros, do you know what the punishment is for smoking at this friends raved about their beauty and requested a pair for themselves. Mavros school?” Mavros says, clenching a fist and imitating his schoolmaster’s set about creating four more pairs, which he sold for $6 apiece. “When I started voice. “Yes, sir. Six of the best,” his voice rising to sound like a young boy. and sold those first earrings,” Mavros says, “I knew I was onto something.” “It’s six lashings for cigarettes, Mavros! Thin, lady cigarettes would get Mavros quickly resigned from baking and turned his kitchen dining you seven! But seeing as this is the gentlemanly affair of smoking a cigar, room table into his workspace. His medium was strictly ivory, and he I will only beat you five. Now bend!” would carve little figurines of animals that he had seen on his property. His For most, a story such as this would mark the end of any more cigar pieces began selling, and soon he transformed his garage into a much- experimentation. But Mavros would keep sneaking smokes. Upon gradua- needed larger workshop. It was around this time that news reports started tion, at the still tender age of 18, he was conscripted into the Rhodesian to expose the brutality of the ivory trade. Seeing that his new livelihood Army, one of three sides fighting in the Rhodesian Bush War, a bloody was threatened, Mavros began to study silver and the art of lost-wax casting. civil war in which roughly 20,000 were killed. For two years he fought as His first piece was a mother-of-pearl and silver jewelry necklace he an infantryman before joining the elite Selous Scouts, a special-forces unit produced for Catja’s mother. While the necklace looked lovely, Mavros that carried out the most dangerous of missions, often behind enemy lines, recognized that his technique was imperfect, and so he visited a silver often employing asymmetric warfare tactics. studio in Glenmoriston, Scotland, to hone his new craft. “The particular regiment I was into had a very high physical demand,” says Today, Mavros’s collection of work spans more than 500 pieces in all, Mavros. “Still, I used to smoke cigars in the army. None of them were very good. with the cheapest selling for about $50 while commissioned pieces can run [Zimbabwe] couldn’t import good cigars in those days, and I couldn’t afford a into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. He also employs a total of 25

PHOTO CREDIT TK good cigar anyway. But I still enjoyed everything about them. The way they workers, all of whom Mavros trained himself, none of whom had any previous

151 =:=:= “Sometimes I’ll turn around and say, ‘I have to have a cup of tea and smoke a cigar.’ And the soothing effect of that cigar on me now is vast. It absolutely tranquilizes me.” education in silver casting. Regarding his management philosophy, Mavros to be discreet,” he says. “Of course, we feel very proud about it. But, I think says “I’m a big one for opportunity and giving people an opportunity. Most one of the reasons that a number of these celebrities feel safe is that we don’t of my employees have been with me for decades. There can be some very discuss what they’ve discussed with us. That’s a huge thing. That they can interesting, explosive situations in our design studios as we go along on our walk into our shop and just find calm and get away from reality.” journey. But, the fact of the matter is at the end of the day, we all pull the When Mavros isn’t traveling around the globe or designing his next same rope in the same direction, which is what we must do.” piece (he just finished a series of slender cigar ashtrays that feature precious All four sons contribute new designs at a steady clip, which excites inlaid stones for The Lanesborough Hotel [see page 65]), the artisan enjoys Mavros. “You never know what’s coming up,” he proudly states. “It’s not so bird hunting and taking his family on safari—and, of course, his fondness for competitive, but there’s such a desire to do well in front of your siblings that fine cigars. It’s a hobby, he says, that he acquired through a Swiss client. “He it is good. Every now and again, there will be something that will receive the introduced me to fine cigars. I used to inhale every inch of a cigar until my full-on scorn of everybody, like any family. But that doesn’t happen often. Swiss friend said don’t do it or you’ll get very sick one day. And then, of All of them are very artistic, very hardworking, course, it was a question of affordability. I liked cigars very productive.” In fact, the company’s most so much that I’d stand outside Davidoff every time I popular cigar ashtray, a bull elephant supporting was to London and would just look through the tortoise shells and a hippo, was designed by his son window at these rich men buying boxes of cigars.” Alexander when he was only 12. One day he finally walked inside the store and The company has expanded the number of met longtime proprietor Edward Sahakian, who Patrick Mavros retail stores, which can be found took him through the store’s humidor and educated in Harare, Nairobi and Mauritius, with a flagship him about cigars. “He taught me how to keep gallery in London’s tony Chelsea neighborhood. cigars, what the different sizes meant and what was “London is the center of the world when it comes comfortable to smoke,” says Mavros. Then Sahakian to people who shop,” says Mavros, explaining his put a selection of cigars in Mavros’s hand and told move to internationalize his African brand. The him to enjoy them. Now every time he visits London, shop, Mavros says, has been patronized by every Mavros pops in the shop to buy a few boxes. His level of society, a fact that makes him proud. current favorite is the Partagás Serie E No. 2, which Helmed by Alexander, now 37, the London he proclaims “a lovely size.” He used to smoke Romeo showroom is meant to whisk customers away from Churchills more often, “but I find you have to watch reality to Mpata via its teak floors, photographs of the them. Some are too thin, too tight, too whatever. Mavros enjoys smoking cigars outdoors, family on safari, and walls speckled with the antelope preferably on safari while perched on a tribal You’ve really got to be picky.” horns, buffalo and other animals of the savanna. stool, lighting his puros straight from the fire. Mavros doesn’t consider himself a cigar collector, Cigar smokers sense they’re in friendly territory as despite having some rarities. “I know that I have soon as they enter, as there is an assortment of desktop humidors, ashtrays and some valuable boxes of cigars—Davidoff Château Mouton Rothschild, a humidor filled with boxes of Cubans. There’s even a place to puff in the back. Cohiba Esplendidos from the king of Spain and other boxes that were given While the Harare and Nairobi stores are also designed around Mpata, to me years ago. But I’ve never dived into them.” So what is he waiting the Mauritius venture, which opened in 2011, is an aesthetic departure for for? “I don’t know,” he says with a laugh. “I might give them to someone the company. “We already did Africa and its elephants, crocodiles and lions,” one day, someone who will really cherish them. I like the practical boxes of explains Mavros. “What next in life is beautiful? A tropical island! Flowers, cigars that I can smoke.” coconuts, starfish, coral and sea urchins.” Mavros’s son Forbes, 35, who As for where he enjoys smoking, Mavros eschews the indoors. “Cigar studied jewelry design at the Edinburgh College of Art, planned the clubs I very seldom go to,” he says. “I like fresh air to smoke a cigar. I like Mauritius atelier and helped build it. Patrick Jr., 30, is wrapping up a master’s going on safari, sitting on a tribal stool, picking some coals out of the fire and degree in Paris through Cartier, and Benjamin, 28, works out of Mpata Farm. just watching them make that cigar glow red. I puff it, as Kipling said, and “Right from the beginning this business evolved,” says Mavros. watch the ‘soft blue veil of the vapor musing on Maggie’s face.’ “There was no magic key. It evolved through hard work and dedication and “Every now and again I’ll smoke a cigar in my studio. Sometimes I have being reliable with customers and having integrity with everything we to. I could sit on two or three projects, and I’ll turn around and say ‘I have to make… It slowly gathered momentum, and now it’s sitting rock solid.” have a cup of tea and smoke a cigar.’ Realign myself. And the soothing effect Many of the world’s elite are reportedly admirers of the creations of of that cigar on me now is vast. It absolutely tranquilizes me.” Mavros, including Juan Carlos I, former king of Spain, Sharon Stone, Bruce Can he ever see himself retiring to his homestead? Springsteen and J.K. Rowling, as well as Kate Middleton and husband Prince “Forget it,” he says, sharply. “I got work to do.” And with that Patrick William, who celebrated the birth of their son with silver figurines produced Mavros rises from the table, shakes hands, smiles and walks out the door, all by Mavros. The artisan, though, doesn’t glorify his celebrity clients. “We like dignity, ready for his next high emprise. v

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