Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week AW15 Exhibition Stands Report: Jewellery

Imogen Belfield jurassic ring
After nearly 20 years of attending London Fashion Week and supporting emerging designers the British Fashion Council denied me a press pass for the exhibition stands because I forgot to register online (it went to spam mail). After conferring with a manager upstairs I was told that my website was ‘not influential enough’ to warrant a pass and I should reapply next season, which is pretty galling given the amount of time I have spent promoting designers in Amelia’s Magazine over the past decade, many at the start of their careers. The only way I was allowed in was to drag a designer out from the stands so that I could be allocated a plastic wrist band as a visiting friend. Thanks for the show of appreciation for all my hard work BFC!

Jewellery has become a major fixture at the exhibition stands, so there is loads to report on. Read on if you love jewels as much as I do.

Imogen Belfield
Much gratitude to the lovely Imogen Belfield for leaving her stand in the Rock Vault to sort me out with an exhibition pass. Her new collection is amazing as ever, featuring rough diamonds, black diamonds and an array of new fine metals as well as solid gold pieces designed to appeal to her Far Eastern markets. Her chunky Jurassic ring (at the top) is chock full of rough diamonds. Yum yum! Read my first interview with Imogen Belfield here, we’ll be doing a catch up Q&A soon.

Alice Cicolini
This season Alice Cicolini (read more in this round up here) showcased a concise new collection named Summer Snow, featuring fine quartz crystals which spin on the inside and outside, with precious gems such as tourmaline and sapphire in the centres. So different and beautiful.

Ornella Ianuzzi
Also in the Rock Vault I was wowed by jewellery from Ornella Iannuzzi for the first time. These opal cage earrings feature a beautiful round gemstone that rolls around inside a gold shape inspired by the Platonic Solids. Find out more about Ornella in my upcoming interview.

Goddess Aviator goddess aviator
This gigantic Goddess Aviator showpiece by art jewellers Yunus and Eliza is not for the faint hearted! What an awesome piece.

Shimell and Madden
We first met Shimell and Madden way back in 2011, so it was nice to see them now doing so well – I love the new collection, featuring these unusual cabochon garnets and finely set diamonds.

This is what they do! Stratus rain earrings dancing away at Rock Vault

A video posted by Jo Hayes Ward (@johayesward) on


Jo Hayes-Ward has not let a new baby get in the way of her prolific output, first profiled in Amelia’s Magazine in 2010 – creating swathes of new designs in her signature building block style. An inspiration to us all! These earrings dance so beautifully, as shown in her video. Just imagine them in the ear! Magnificent.

Beth Gilmour
Beth Gilmour is a Cockpit Arts based designer, I absolutely adore her Dichroma Collection, featuring bi coloured gemstones set in similarly toned metals.

Lily Kamper
Lily Kamper enamel pendants
Moving on to other rooms… Lily Kamper has also been busy creating a vast new collection, including this glorious pendant in her colourful Art Deco style. Also new for this season are new abstract enamel initial pendants, which she began sketching out last season.

Kattri pendant
This bold pendant comes from the new Assymetry collection by Kattri – find out more about designer Amanda Gerbasi in my recent interview here.

Ruifier face pendants
So sweet and unusual: these gem face pendants are by Ruifier, which is the new jewellery brand from Central Saint Martins graduate Rachel Shaw. Her distinct pieces feature precious gems in layerable designs that marry wit with luxury.

Alighieri
Alighieri is Dante inspired jewellery from Oxford University graduate Rosh Mahtani, who set up her brand in 2013 with no formal training but a burning desire to translate her love of literature into jewels.

Eshvi bracelet
This bracelet by Eshvi showcases the brand’s individual aesthetic, featuring chunky resin shapes in bold designs.

Brooke Gregson constellation pendants
Brooke Gregson is another designer who is new to me. The American designer works with some fabulous boulder opals and her Astrology collection is such a unique and wonderful idea.

Ros Millar rings
These gothic rings are from Ros Millar, also based in the Cockpit Arts studio, and whose work I admired a few years ago at the Treasure Jewellery Show.

Kirsty Ward
Kirsty Ward necklace
It’s always a joy to catch up with Kirsty Ward, especially since she hasn’t show at London Fashion Week for a few seasons. As well as churning out a full collection of clothing her jewellery range has also grown hugely since she first started out with Fashion Scout. I absolutely adore her unique statement pieces.

Only Child necklace
Over with Black PR I discovered these serious druzies on a chunky gold chain by Only Child.

Gina Melosi
Designer Gina Melosi (discovered last year at the Off Strand showcase) specialises in ethical jewellery, creating distinctive looks such as this raw beehive geometric design on a necklace.

More from the stands soon…

Categories ,Alice Cicolini, ,Alighieri, ,Amanda Gerbasi, ,Assymetry, ,Astrology, ,AW15, ,Beth Gilmour, ,Black PR, ,british fashion council, ,Brooke Gregson, ,Central Saint Martins, ,Cockpit Arts, ,Dichroma Collection, ,Eshvi, ,Exhibition Stands Report, ,Fashion Scout, ,Fine Jewellery, ,Gina Melosi, ,Goddess Aviator, ,Imogen Belfield, ,jewellery, ,Jo Hayes-Ward, ,Jurassic, ,Kattri, ,Kirsty Ward, ,Lily Kamper, ,London Fashion Week, ,Millar, ,Off Strand, ,Only Child, ,Ornella Iannuzzi, ,Oxford University, ,Platonic Solids, ,Rachel Shaw, ,Rock Vault, ,Rosh Mahtani, ,Ruifier, ,Shimell and Madden, ,Summer Snow, ,Treasure Jewellery Show, ,Yunus and Eliza

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Amelia’s Magazine | Tent London 2010 LAB CRAFT Exhibition Review

Tent Lab Craft logo
All photography by Amelia Gregory.

Yes, help I admit this will be a series of massively late reviews, but I’m going by that age old edict, better late than never…. My first port of call at Tent London 2010 was the LAB CRAFT area; Digital Adventures in Contemporary Craft. A Crafts Council exhibition, it attempted to redefine what is meant by ‘craft’ in an age when we have so much digital technology at our disposal. Curated by Max Fraser, I found this arguably the most interesting part of the main exhibition.

Under the auspice of ‘Urban Camouflage’ Chelsea College of Art graduate Chae Young Kim had created the Knitted Room, soft hairlike lines on a wallpaper design – so fine that they could only have been made by a computer, of course. Hypnotically beautiful.

Chae Young Kim Tent

For Information Ate My Table Zachary Eastwood-Bloom had chomped through the side of a coffee table in a fabulous mathematically shaped design.

Tent Zachary Eastwood-Bloom

The Bravais Armchair by Lazerian was created from cardboard – but retails for a massive £1700. Steady now. It’s design was inspired by the structural columnar forms found in nature, and looks to be an idea that could easily be made using recycled materials, and potentially very cheaply at that. Unfortunately there was no mention of sustainability and given the high price it’s likely that the Bravais Armchair will remain available only to the very rich. Designer Liam Hopkins’ other work is inspired by wasp nests and crystals – stunning stuff, if only we could all benefit from such great design.

Tent Lazerian

Daniel O’Riordan had created a stunning wood table, it’s surface subtly etched with the pattern of rain plopping onto water. He managed to get this effect by stimulating the effect with fluid dynamics software, the results of which were then milled into the oak table top.

Tent Daniel O'Riordan

A triangular bean bag by Jo Pierce was made from a digital textile design that was then digitally printed. A hand finish was given to the surface to still further mix up manufacturing mediums. Lost in Digital was an art piece that epitomises the way that most graphic artists currently work – created by the BA Print Pathway Leader in Textile Design at Central Saint Martins.

Tent Jo Pierce

Philippa Brock had woven an amazing textile. Ignore the pretentious art name and marvel at Self Fold #1 and Self Fold #2, inspired by paper folding techniques. Despite digital intervention initial prototyping was done on hand looms and the resulting fabric is textured yet elastic.

Tent Philippa Brock

Jo Hayes-Ward is an old friend, talented jewellery designer and graduate of the RCA. She works with traditional jewellery making processes such as lost wax casting to create complex, attractive rings and broaches embedded with digital patterns.

Tent 2010-Jo Hayes-Ward

It goes without saying that these days almost all artisans embrace some level of technology, but this was a stunning collection of those who have really pushed the limits of their craftsmanship to encompass digital advances in design.

*News just in* LAB CRAFT will be going on tour soon: it visits these venues across the country:
Turnpike Gallery
Civic Square, Greater Manchester, Leigh, WN7 1EB
30 October 2010 – 18 December 2010
Plymouth College of Art
Tavistock Place, Plymouth, PL4 8AT
10 January – 19 February 2011
New Brewery Arts Centre
Cirencester, Gloucestshire, GL7 1JH
11 March – 25 April 2011
Leamington Spa Art Gallery and Museum
Royal Pump Rooms, The Parade, Leamington Spa, CV32 4AA
29 September – 20 November 2011
The Civic
Hanson Street, Barnsley, S70 2HZ
30 November 2011 – 21 January 2012

In my next posts: best sustainable designs and best of the rest of the show.

Categories ,Bravais Armchair, ,Central Saint Martins, ,Chae Young Kim, ,Chelsea College of Art, ,Crafts Council, ,Daniel O’Riordan, ,Digital Adventures in Contemporary Craft, ,Information Ate My Table, ,Jo Hayes-Ward, ,Jo Pierce, ,Knitted Room, ,LAB CRAFT, ,Lazerian, ,Leamington Spa Art Gallery and Museum, ,Liam Hopkins, ,New Brewery Arts Centre, ,Philippa Brock, ,Plymouth College of Art, ,rca, ,Tent London, ,The Civic, ,Turnpike Gallery, ,Zachary Eastwood-Bloom

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