Exclusive interview with Giovanni Li Castro, founder of Amen Gioielli
In an exclusive interview granted to Italian Tradition, one of the most visionary entrepreneurs on the Italian scene talks about himself without filters. From the falls that marked his path to the birth of Amen, a brand that revolutionized the way of interpreting spirituality in jewellery, the story of a man who made resilience his entrepreneurial signature emerges. A dialogue that is not just a successful story, but a manifesto of a vision: that of those who believe that business is not simple commerce, but an act of faith, courage and love.
Giovanni Licastro, why was Amen born?
A. There are entrepreneurial stories that arise not from a planned project, but from an unexpected event that could have marked the end, but instead marks its rebirth. Amen’s is one of these. Thirteen years ago, I suddenly found myself out of work. The company I had worked with for years, as a distributor, decided to terminate the contract to manage the activities directly. A very hard blow, which could have marked the end of an entrepreneurial journey. Instead, it was the beginning of a rebirth. A few days later, upon cancellation of the contract, I found a leather bracelet engraved with the Our Father prayer. That symbol, simple and powerful, lit on the wrist, transformed into a vision. At that time, selling a leather bracelet in jewelry with prayer engraved on it was perhaps not easy. Plus I had the problem of the name, what to call it, if I could sell it with prayer.
Thus Amen was born: from an imposed failure, from a crisis not chosen, but transformed into opportunity. What might have seemed like a gamble – bringing a bracelet engraved with a prayer to jewelers – soon became a recognized brand, capable of combining spirituality, design and universal message. Today, Amen represents not only a brand, but concrete proof that resilience, when combined with instinct and courage, can turn the hardest fall into a successful enterprise.
So?
A The choice of name was not immediate or obvious. «Turning his wrist, at the end of the prayer engraved on the bracelet, it said Amen. That’s where I decided: I’ll call it that». In reality, at the beginning, the brand was born as A-men. An expedient dictated by the fear that the Church might have objections to the direct use of such a sacred word. For this reason he went to study: “A” and “men”, accompanied by a graphic sign capable of giving strength and identity to the project. Those stars that make up the logo today were not an aesthetic quirk, but a precise choice. They represent the constellation of the Southern Cross: a tribute to the southern roots of the entrepreneur, but also a symbolic bridge with the spiritual world that the brand wanted to evoke. «At first, I also called it A-men for a play on words: men, men, from English. A poetic license, a way to tie faith to humanity», he explains. The official baptism came almost by chance. During the first advertising campaigns, one of these broadcast by TV2000, it was the Catholic broadcaster itself that sanctioned the decisive step. «When they saw the commercial they said to me: “But why A-men?… It’s Amen”. At that moment the brand was recognized for what it really was».
From there Amen set out. A simple, universal name, which contained within itself the spirituality, roots and destiny of a brand born from resilience and destined to leave a mark.
What was your experience in the industry?
A «I came from the world of jewellery, that has always been my job. I gave continuity to what I knew how to do, but I was forced to start from scratch. I suddenly found myself in a difficult situation, through no fault of my own, and had to navigate a thousand obstacles to put the pieces back together and rebuild everything all over again.»
«Our strength comes from a clear and unmistakable DNA. Amen carries a precise identity: a jewel that combines the spiritual dimension with the fashion one The winning intuition was not to propose a religious object understood exclusively as a liturgical expression or linked to the Church, but to reinterpret it as a universal symbol of love and spirituality.
What is the peculiarity that distinguishes your creations compared to all the others?
A «Our strength comes from a clear and unmistakable DNA. Amen carries a precise identity: a jewel that combines the spiritual dimension with the fashion one The winning intuition was not to propose a religious object understood exclusively as a liturgical expression or linked to the Church, but to reinterpret it as a universal symbol of love and spirituality. Crosses, angels, prayers: each element was thought of not as a sign of restricted belonging, but as a language capable of speaking to everyone. We have shown that wearing an object of faith can be both beautiful, contemporary and deeply meaningful. This is the figure that distinguishes Amen: transforming spirituality into an accessible, elegant and universal message.»
What philosophy is behind his business project?
VASCULAR. It all starts from a concept of love, which clearly working on a brand called Amen – we have a payoff which is “Love is a choice”, so we give people the opportunity to choose to love. Loving anything, which can be a human being, the earth, nature. What they feel. The plan is to make everyone wear as many objects of faith as possible. Because the way this object came to me, I consider it almost a way of evangelizing man. If you think that after the 80s, therefore Madonna who used crosses and religious objects, or Dolce and Gabbana who invented the crew-neck rosary, or Paciotti who made the rosary with the sword, these objects disappeared from what is the common consumer. The whole world of pilgrims who have always followed the Church has clearly not disappeared. I repeat: we worked not on a Church discourse, but on a discourse of faith and love. The concept is this.
How do you explain the secret of your success?
A «The secret is never a stroke of luck. It is made of hard work, perseverance and faith in one’s ideas. It means always believing, even when everything seems to collapse, and having the courage to rely on your instincts, offering the public the best exactly where they are looking for it. But the real message I want to convey is another: success does not lie in not falling, but in knowing how to get back up. Every business is born from a moment of difficulty. It is in that fall that resilience is forged. And it is by getting up again, with determination and vision, that the future is built.»
Does customer religiosity play an important role in purchases?
A Depends. Our object can be religious for those who buy a rosary, but we have many customers who, despite not being practitioners, approach it: this is our goal. This is why new evangelization. Trying to grab an audience that even approaches an object – sometimes they also do it out of superstition or because I have to rely on something – and therefore they get closer. Example: Our side too fashion serves to sell the brand and still sell that concept of spirituality, faith, love, because you still wear a product called Amen. And Amen is so be it. It’s the word itself.
The product that sold the most?
The rosaries. At the beginning definitely the bracelet with prayer. He only sold that product for four years. I can say that in the history of Amen both the prayer bracelet and the rosary are the best-selling products.
And the one he’s most fond of?
The leather bracelet. Absolutely.
Is there a jewel that he would like to create, but which has not yet seen the light?
«Yes, there is one project that I care a lot about: the Ring of Values. A jewel that contains, engraved, the fundamental principles that every man and every woman should cherish and pursue, especially in an era in which these values risk being lost.
It is an idea that wants to go beyond aesthetics, transforming an object into a poster to carry with you every day. A tangible symbol of what must not be lost.
Alongside this, we also have a new project in the pipeline. For now we can’t reveal the details, but it will be a further step in Amen’s journey: combining beauty, spirituality and universal message.»
Where are you present in Italy and abroad?
In Italy we are present throughout the territory. From North to South without distinction. Abroad in Europe we are in Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Austria, in Eastern countries: Croatia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Czech Republic, Hungary. Then Greece, in short, we are a bit patchy but little by little we are growing. We are in Puerto Rico, we are in Canada. We are in Manila, Philippines, where there are two single-brand Amen stores. The main market is clearly Italy, but since last year we have started a significant process of expansion abroad. We also have a shop in Georgia, in Batumi. Little by little we are growing.
Is it also possible to buy online?
It is possible to buy online. We have the site: amencollection.com
Are you optimistic about the future?
«Being optimistic is a necessary condition, otherwise we couldn’t be entrepreneurs. Despite the daily difficulties –from finding staff to the complexities of an ever-changing market – we must look forward with confidenceThe secret is to remain vigilant, ready to read the transformations and seize the opportunities that emerge. It’s not easy, it requires constant attention and the ability to reinvent yourself day after day. But this is precisely the challenge that makes our profession fascinating: not to suffer the future, to build it.»