Amelia’s Magazine | Secret Emporium Christmas Market: Christmas Gift Ideas 2013

Diane Turner necklace Secret Emporium Christmas Market

Niecklace by Diane Turner.

Secret Emporium events always promise plenty of atmosphere and this year’s Winter Edition Christmas Market did not disappoint – visitors to the old Nicholls and Clark tile showroom in Bishopsgate were greeted with a greenery festooned stairwell, huge paper stars, a disco ball and lashings of fairy lights. It was the perfect ambience to put shoppers in the mood for all things glittering and twinkling, which was apt, given the amount of jewellery available to buy. For a jewellery lover such as myself, this was heaven. Here’s a small selection of my Secret Emporium finds so that you can seek out this talent online should you fancy.

Secret Emporium Christmas Market Josephine Hicks print

This collaged print is by Josephine Hicks, who had a selection of intriguing one off designs on show.

Diane Turner Secret Emporium Christmas Market

I love the way that goldsmith Diane Turner mixes wood in this spiky statement necklace (at the top). Her awesome gilded bogwood pendant is also a real winner in the style stakes.

Strange Loop mandala Secret Emporium Christmas Market

This jewel and resin wall art mandala is by Miles of Strange Loop, who specialises in weird and wonderful one off pieces.

EA Burns geometric necklaces Secret Emporium

It was great to see the new Ancient Rites collection by EA Burns, who creates avante grade pieces with an ethical heart. The pieces above are part of her classic range, featuring up cycled leather and spikes.

Jessica de Lotz squirrel Secret Emporium Christmas Market

This stuffed squirrel sports an apple core necklace by Jessica de Lotz. A strong way to show work!

Tessa Metcalfe claw rings Secret Emporium Christmas Market

Claw rings by Tessa Metcalfe glinted in the low light. I was particularly enamoured of her new labradorite rings: stunning. One day I will own one of her pieces.

Ali Forbes leather broach Secret Emporium Christmas Market

Ali Forbes is an RCA graduate whose latest leather jewellery collection was inspired by her time in Austria. I look forward to her new collection which she will be launching next year.

Rosita Bonita Secret Emporium Christmas Market

Rosita Bonita always puts together a superb display of jewellery. Her holographic embossed earrings were particularly eye catching… so tempting.

Typical Freaks pendant Secret Emporium Christmas Market

Typical Freaks are Sonia Xiao and Seun Ade-Onojobi, and together they have amalgamated their talents to produce a clothing line and laser cut jewellery collection that features this tribal face pendant necklace.

Tawn holographic sweater Secret Emporium Christmas Market

There will always be a space in my heart for holowear, and downstairs Tawn won me over with her Chelyabinsk Meteorite Collection. I don’t care if these sweatshirts demand good lighting to give their best, I want one now.

There were undoubtedly many other fabulous things at the Secret Emporium Christmas Market but I had to get home to feed the little one. Make sure you catch their next live event if you want to discover and support the most interesting creatives working in London today.

See my best creative finds as I discover them by following me on instagram.

Categories ,2013, ,Ali Forbes, ,Ancient Rites, ,Bishopsgate, ,Chelyabinsk Meteorite Collection, ,Christmas Market, ,Diane Turner, ,EA Burns, ,Jessica De Lotz, ,jewellery, ,Josephine Hicks, ,Nicholls and Clarke, ,Rosita Bonita, ,Secret Emporium, ,Seun Ade-Onojobi, ,Sonia Xiao, ,Strange Loop, ,Tawn, ,Tessa Metcalfe, ,Typical Freaks, ,Winter Edition

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Amelia’s Magazine | Treasure Jewellery Show 2013: Review

Treasure jewellery show review
This year I got my first taste of the Treasure jewellery show at Somerset House, a vast showcase now on its sixth outing during Jewellery Week. Here’s the familiar talents and hot new jewellery discoveries that caught my eye.

Ostrich little finger ring in rose gold with iolite gemstone by Dominique Lucas
The first thing to grab my attention was this unusual ostrich little finger ring in rose gold with an iolite gemstone by Dominique Lucas. Dominique trained with master craftsmen in Italy, Mexico and London. She’s created some bold pieces based on animals, and I love her current collection, featuring big bullet gem rings.

A clever neon lot display for silicone bracelets by #brazelights
Brazelights had created this clever neon lit display to show off modern silicone bracelets.

Ros Millar Nugget_Stud_Earrings
I couldn’t get close to Ros Millar‘s stand – an young award winning designer from Northern Ireland, who creates on trend organic metal jewels with a ‘Gothic Luxe‘ feel.

Tessa Metcalfe jewellery

Jeweller Tessa Metcalfe looked amazing in her own jewels. This young jeweller trained as an illustrator and has been championed by the Secret Emporium for some time. Now I see why her bold bird claw rings and necklaces are fast gaining a loyal following. Check out her innovative video look book above.

Rosita Bonita jewellery
Beautiful Rosita Bonita looked gorgeous sporting her new embossed leather collection (inspired by a combination of Japanese and Spanish styles) at her fabulously appointed stand. She’s another jeweller who trained as an illustrator before settling on her profession – read our recent interview with Rosita Bonita here.

An outsized showpiece ring containing fruit Atelier Laibach
This outsized showpiece ring containing fruit was worn by Kerstin Laibach of Atelier Laibach. She is an entirely ethical jeweller, so nothing is newly mined and her collection is vegan friendly. This wasn’t something I have ever considered before, but apparently many of the items used in the day to day production of jewellery feature animal products.

Pretty necklace of found objects by Sarah Drew with ecoluxe london
Ecoluxe London has recently launched a shopping site to compliment its trade fair presence during London Fashion Week, and their stand featured a variety of represented designers. This pretty necklace of found objects is by Sarah Drew, who finds all sorts of interesting things to work with on the beach where she lives in Cornwall.

Öhlund silver mens jewellery
These recycled sterling silver pendants are by men’s jewellery designer Öhlund and are inspired by aviation and industrial design. I think the shapes in the Boneyard 13 collection look like bullets or cartridges.

Myia Bonner
Jeweller Myia Bonner builds on her deconstruction of the traditional diamond shape with these dangly earrings. As one part of the Metric Collective she’ll be showcasing new work at their annual pop up store between 7th July – 1st September on Columbia Road.

It’s not often that I am gobsmacked. But three quarters of my way around Treasure this is what I stumbled upon: astonishing moving stainless steel rings by Atelier Michael Berger. His kinetic jewels swing around the finger on invisible mechanisms as if by magic.

Abby Carnevale jewellery New York
abby carnevale
Another beautiful jeweller wearing her wares was New York based Abby Carnevale, who solders fine chains together with gems to create intricate waterfall designs. This was her first visit to London, but she hopes to return again.

Michele White jewellery
Without a doubt the most fabulous person I met at Treasure was Michele White, sporting amazing thigh length hair that was dip dyed purple to match her clothes. It was a delight to talk to this former ceramics teacher turned master jeweller and gemologist based in the famous Birmingham jewellery quarter. Her timeless art nouveau inspired designs (below) make the most of the natural beauty of opals and other gems, and really stood out amongst a sea of very similar jewels.

michele white gold opal ring
Michele White opal earrings
Now I can’t wait to discover more graduate talent at the New Designers shows!

Categories ,Abby Carnevale, ,Atelier Laibach, ,Atelier Michael Berger, ,Birmingham, ,Boneyard 13, ,Brazelights, ,Cornwall, ,Dominique Lucas, ,Ecoluxe London, ,Gothic Luxe, ,jewellery, ,Jewellery Week, ,Kerstin Laibach, ,Metric Collective, ,Michele White, ,Myia Bonner, ,Öhlund, ,review, ,Ros Millar, ,Rosita Bonita, ,Sarah Drew, ,Secret Emporium, ,Somerset House, ,Tessa Metcalfe, ,Treasure

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Amelia’s Magazine | Ohh Deer Pop-Up Shop at Wolf & Badger: Review

Ohh Deer Pop-Up

The only thing I know about Mayfair is that it’s a pretty good property to buy if you’re playing Monopoly. In reality, this pretty ‘n’ posh street is filled with people wearing suits standing outside clubs in the afternoon sun and, as far as I can tell, looking (or at least trying to look) as though they make lots and lots of dough. The cash kind, not the squishy kind.

It is strange but sort of perfect that the latest Ohh Deer Pop-Up is on Dover Street. As I head to the launch I notice that skinny jeans, hipster glasses, tattoos and dyed hair are dotted amongst the briefcases and Oxford shirts, as people make their way to the opening of this creative hubs latest temporary shop. These arty folks are a stark contrast to the suited up worker bees hanging out for cocktails after a hard day in the office.

Ohh Deer Pop-Up
Ohh Deer Pop-Up
Ohh Deer Pop-Up
Ohh Deer Pop-Up

When I get to my destination I am not disappointed. Nestled in a basement shopfront, in independent retailer Wolf & Badger‘s Gallery Room is a wonderful, creative celebration. Although it’s been and gone now, this illustration extravaganza took place between the 21st June and 4th July, with the launch event I popped along to falling on Thursday the 20th June.

I’ve written a lot about online shop and illustration collective Ohh Deer lately. I interviewed Co-Founder Jamie Mitchell a few months ago, I wrote a strange and slightly creepy love letter about them which you can read here. Bearing all this in mind, I was understandably pretty excited to be heading to their pop-up launch.

Ohh Deer Pop-Up Ohh Deer Pop-Up Ohh Deer Pop-Up

The night was filled with the latest contemporary illustration talent and general creative peeps and all sorts of products were on hand, from tee’s to cushions. With free illustrated badges and neon cupcakes on the menu as well as plenty of tipple all ’round, this was a pretty cool pop-up (and my first). Complete with a goodie bag to end the night, and artwork projected onto the wall, this was an illustration spectacular at its best.

Ohh Deer Pop-Up
Ohh Deer Pop-Up
Ohh Deer Pop-Up

Wearing Rosita Bonita seahorse earrings, I bumbled my way inside with a friend and got myself a drink and some cake. Tired after work, this was the perfect way to get my spirits up as well as meet some creatives and browse some great products. Laura Gee‘s beardy cushions and Jack Teagle‘s comics made a particular impression on me, and I also met Drew Turner and saw his spectacular tattoos. The night was a mesh of bright My So Called Life style dyed locks, quirky outfits and plainly clothed artists and arty types too. My friend having abandoned me for her book club down the road, I spent the second part of the night getting to know the amazing Yasmin Dilekkaya of Yas-Ming Ceramics and her lovely mum as well as getting an eyeful of the latest in contemporary illustration.

Ohh Deer Pop-Up
Ohh Deer Pop-Up
Ohh Deer Pop-Up
Ohh Deer Pop-Up
Ohh Deer Pop-Up

One of the especially exciting things about this pop-up was seeing a whole bunch of Ohh Deer products up close and personal. Although I spend a good chunk of my wages buying out their stock and have everything from t-shirts to a notebook myself, there’s something special about seeing it all laid out. As one of those annoying hipster peeps that spends their evenings hanging out in Paperchase until it shuts, I can imagine myself spending my time lingering in permanent Ohh Deer stores one day. Fingers crossed they open one.

Ohh Deer Pop-Up

As an illustration junkie living outside London, this Ohh Deer Pop-up was one of my first real introductions into the illustration world. Meeting some of the collaborators and hearing them talk about the brand was great too. With workshops spread over the pop-up to help build skills and get creative in a flock, there was not much more you could ask for from this young, fresh, determined creative company. Pretty impressively the pop-up also kicked up quite a buzz with Elle, Time Out, The Evening Standard and The Telegraph all giving it a mention, as well as the workshops being completely booked up.

Once all the fun and games was over at the end of the night and and after a long journey home courtesy of National Rail, I realised I had left my cardigan on the train (again). ‘Ohh Deer‘ I said to myself, smiling.

Ohh Deer Pop-Up

To find out more about Ohh Deer and get your hands on their beautiful illustrated products check out their website here www.ohhdeer.com.
Pictures courtesy of Ohh Deer and Yas-Ming Ceramics.

Categories ,Alice Potter, ,art, ,ceramics, ,cupcakes, ,cushions, ,Dover Street, ,Drew Turner, ,Gemma Correll, ,Homeware, ,illustration, ,Jack Teagle, ,Jamie Mitchell, ,Kris Tate., ,Marc Callaby, ,Mayfair, ,Ohh Deer, ,Pop-up, ,Rosita Bonita, ,T-shirts, ,Wold and Badger, ,Wolf & Badger, ,Yas-Ming

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Amelia’s Magazine | Christmas Gifts: Ethical Fashion and Skincare Ideas

I have no idea how this fella’s haircut works. I don’t know what bit of hair is attached to what bit of scalp. But I do know that you and I and the whole of London will soon be sporting this very style upon our heads because this… chap… is… the guy from… DD/MM/YYYY, search and those guys play music better than other people.

DD/MM/YYYY at Old Blue Last

They also write music that is pretty much unreviewable. It’s not that they don’t ever sound like any other band, erectile but when you do clutch at a glimmer of sound overlap, that’s not where these mighty Canadians are coming from.
So here is a list of the irrelevant comparisons I thought I could hear: Deerhoof, but less songy. Battles, but more songy. Early Foals, but tighter and more complex. Six Finger Satellite, but less clownish. Boards Of Canada, blatantly… for about three seconds. Tortoise with charisma. Perry Farrell in the bath. Squarepusher with the munchies. Forward Russia having attacks of Chik Budo. Zoogz Rift puppeteering Purple Stag on the grave of Truly. Gong molesting The Mars Volta for the amusement of King Crimson.

DD/MM/YYYY at Old Blue Last

All of it completely irrelevant since, as I had been warned, DD/MM/YYYY have a “no-style” approach to music-craft. I didn’t believe it, but it’s not far off as a description. The one idea I did have which stuck was that the whole band was synchro-hallucinating Frank Zappa wielding conductor’s baton above the audience’s heads. And they have practised really hard for a million years. In the rhythm of N/N. Most of these songs seem to exist to prove how bouncably groovy any time signature can be. Higher maths. One tune calculated Pi to 1000000 decimal places. But it comes out more as autistic space-jazz than math rock. Almost every song is rhythm-based, there are no solos, not too many motifs even, just additions to the groove, and instrument-interplay key-changes. The drums dominate, followed by guitar detail and big fat synths. Solid basslines and the variety-guy (sax/spare snare and beaten-up crash cymbal) fill the rest of the space, with cartoonish zero-ego vocals sitting on top..
Enough analysis. How did I feel? Did it work? Well… I felt entranced. It worked stunningly well. Nobody knows what any of the songs were supposed to be about, but I was so deeply cuddled up in their slipper of sound, and amazed by how thoroughly well they chugged. There was no attempt to tug at a emotional heartstring, just to uplift your tantric verve with hypno-intensity and complex brain-shuffling. Like I said, they’re nearly unreviewable. Go and listen to them.

Hymns at Old Blue Last

Support on the night came from two equally noisy but quite different sources. Hymns are a very sharp two-piece (guitarist vs. drummer) from the midlands. Without any notion of enjoying themselves, they martyred themselves upon their instruments, in precise fits of religious agony. “More bile, please” chanted one reveller as a song came to an end. “May the Lord have mercy on your soul” came the answer for the next three minutes. These beautiful, but perfectly serious, joyless songs of Apocalypse rely on the vocals of the guitarist, who screams as convincingly and genuinely as I ever heard. He surely watches the Exorcist every night. No smile or thank you after a song, just a swig of beer and twang-brap-”Wrrrrraugh!” again. Well worth a pilgrimage to get preached at with enough vitriol to fuel a thousand Death Metal acts.

Hymns at Old Blue Last

Opening the night were Part Dinosaur, who are insanely ambitious and courageous, winning them my coveted “one-to-watch” medal. If you, like me, feel a deep sense of loss at the passing of Youthmovies, perhaps you used to be in Youthmovies or were touched by the music they made, you will want to follow the trajectory of Part Dinosaur. It’s the same approach to rocking out with neglected time signatures, dynamic changes and instruments filling each others’ gaps. I’ll review them properly someday. It wouldn’t be fair now, as they were a man down, and were a little plagued by techie trouble (an out-of-tune guitar/a broken monitor failing to guide a vocal part). But I will come back for them, and I know it will be good. A first-rate drummer commands the other fellas through a strangely sensitive landscape of out-of-nowhere jolty emotion. Attention to detail and a very obvious excitable rapture in playing interlocking segments of thrilling musical action define a band that is part dinosaur, part hope, all rock!

Part Dinosaur at Old Blue Last

Illustration by Timothy Hunt
Illustration by Timothy Hunt.

A couple of days ago *ahem, ask more like a week* I put a callout on twitter for people to send me their fabulous ideas for Christmas presents – here, finally is a round up of the best clothing and skincare gifts alongside some of my own recommendations. My second post will cover art, homewares and jewellery.

Bonbi Forest equus scarf

Lee May Foster of Bonbi Forest never fails to produce delightful stuff, my current favourite of which is this stunning Equus scarf, new just in time for Crimbo. It comes in either a pink or blue colour way and will certainly catch people’s attention with it’s lovely sustainably handprinted pattern of horses and zebras.

Natasha Rae Richardson hankie

At the upper end of the market check out this rabbit skeleton organic cotton hankie from Natalie Rae Richardson at Tout Nouveau, a website which offers the work of some fantastic emerging designers – perfect for a super stylish man to flourish when out and about.

Natasha Wood cardigan

I wish I had discovered ethical clothing designer Natasha Wood in time to include her in my book… but alas it is too late. These upcycled leather trousers are made from old leather jackets and above is her special two cardigans coatigan. Just fab.

Bradley Beanie Hat and Bow Brook Top by Maria del Carmen Smith
Bradley Beanie Hat and Bow Brook Top by Maria del Carmen Smith.

Continuing on an ethical clothing bent I really do love the simple good designs of Liv. I’ve been wearing her delightful Bow Brook top non stop this winter, and her Bradley knitted beanie is oh so cute. Liv works exclusively in fairtrade and organic materials. Better still she is running a wee Christmas competition – just join her on Facebook for the chance to win a lovely Shell Ford Cardi in her Berrrry Christmas competition. (but make sure you do it this morning as the offer ends at noon today)

Dr Hauschka bath care kit interior
Dr Hauschka bath care kit

Over on the beauty gift set side of life I recommend the Dr. Hauschka bath oils set – I am a real sucker for a hot steaming sweetly smelling bath and these smell just divine. A Bath Care Kit contains small starter versions of the oils and costs just £12.50. What a blooming’ bargain for the bath lover in your life. Dr. Hauschka is running a similar chance for a Facebook fan to win a beautiful make up set. Just join their Facebook page before noon.

Dr Hauschka rose tea

Many of Dr. Hauschka’s lotions make use of the wondrous properties of rose, and I particularly like the Rose Body Hamper Body Moisturiser Gift Set, which includes Organic Loose Tea with Rose Petals – since I started drinking black tea on it’s own I’ve discovered that rose tea is absolutely my favourite, yet it is still relatively hard to come by in your average supermarket, making this gift all the more special.

Pai serenity kit

As you can probably tell I am a big fan of a long luxurious bath, especially in this cold weather. Pai Skincare is another fabulous organic brand that has produced a bath care kit – and the Serenity Bath and Body Collection will go down a treat with anyone like me.

Savonnerie-Naughty Weekend Kit

For the lover in your life, there’s always the Savonnerie Ever So Slightly Naughty Weekend Kit. Why wait for the wedding anniversary or Valentine’s Day when you can drop a ginormous hint at Christmas? This boxed kit includes yummy Love Soak bath bits, Vetiver massage oil, a tender kissing glaze… and a blindfold and feather for a truly erotic experience. All this pleasure for both you and the recipient comes at a very reasonable price.

Savonnerie-soaps

Savonnerie specialises in high end hand made soaps encrusted with all sorts of delicious goodies, and their beautifully packaged luxury handmade soap box makes the perfect gift. They are based over in Brushfield Street near Spitalfields Market so if you live in London there is still plenty of time to go and visit them. Yum yum yum.

For fans of yummy skincare products there are plenty more Christmas gift suggestions in some of my previous blog posts about ethical beauty brands, so do go check them out. And you can check out the companion blog to this one, featuring art, jewellery and homeware ideas, right here. My best art books round up can be found here.

Categories ,Beauty, ,Bonbi Forest, ,Bow Brook Top, ,Bradley Beanie, ,Brushfield Street, ,Dr. Hauschka Bath Care Kit, ,Dr.Hauschka, ,ethical, ,Ever So Slightly Naughty Weekend Kit, ,fairtrade, ,fashion, ,Fickle Fate, ,Lee May Foster, ,Liv, ,Luxury, ,Maria del Carmen Smith, ,Natalie Rae Richardson, ,Natasha Wood, ,organic, ,Organic Loose Tea with Rose Petals, ,Pai Skincare, ,Rose Body Hamper Body Moisturiser Gift Set, ,Rose Petal Tea, ,Savonnerie, ,Serenity Bath and Body Collection, ,Shell Ford Cardi, ,Skincare, ,spitalfields, ,Timothy Hunt, ,Tout Nouveau, ,Upcycling

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Amelia’s Magazine | An Interview with Jewellery Designer Rosita Bonita

Rosita Bonita portrait by<strong> Laura Gill</strong>” title=”Rosita Bonita portrait by Laura Gill” width=”480″ height=”571″ class=”aligncenter size-full wp-image-69903″ /></a><br />
<strong><a target=Rowenna Harrison portrait by Laura Gill

Working under the name Rosita Bonita, Camberwell illustration graduate Rowenna Harrison makes beautiful jewellery that would be at home in any trinket lovers dressing-up box. Her pieces celebrate all things vintage glamour and have a whole host of other influences from the mythical to the historical. We’ve mentioned Rosita Bonita before as Amelia stumbled across her work at Wilderness Festival 2011 and her stuff is still just as inspiring.

Rosita Bonita

Her pieces are gaining a following and she has recently been shortlisted to win a stand at Treasure Jewellery Show by Professional Jeweller Magazine (you can vote for her here). She’s a busy girl and a few days ago had a stall at the Secret Emporium Pop Up Shop in Boxpark, Shoreditch where she launched her latest collection Siren ’13.

Rosita Bonita by Louise Smith
Rosita Bonita by Gareth A Hopkins Top illustration of Rosita Bonita jewellery by Louise Smith, bottom illustration by Gareth A Hopkins.

More than just pretty pieces, her hand-crafted beauties are keep-sakes rather than regular old fashion knickknacks. I especially love the heart necklaces from her Sweet Black Heart collection, but all of her pieces are real treasures and her latest collection is sure to bring out your inner ’30s pin-up gal as well as rekindling your (my) childhood dreams of one day becoming Ariel the little mermaid. Siren is a collection of necklaces, earrings and more, which explore the sea-side feel from era’s past, as well as hinting at more magical influences. Looking at these treasures, I can’t help but think of the tongue twister we would recite on the playground: “she sells sea shells on the sea shore,” and be reminded of the feel of sand between my wiggling toes on British summer beach vacations.

I spoke to the lovely Ro Harrison, the face behind Rosita Bonita, about the launch of her new collection, her plans for the future and why she switched from illustration to jewellery design.

Rosita Bonita Siren Collection
Rosita Bonita Siren CollectionRosita Bonita Siren Collection Rosita Bonita Siren Collection

How did you decide on the name Rosita Bonita?
The first product I made to sell commercially was pasties (nipple tassels). This came about after making a pair for a friend to replace ones she’d lost at a fancy dress party, then making a few more as birthday presents. They quickly evolved into brooch versions, for those (like me) that don’t tend to have the occasion to wear the originals! I’ve always hated selling my work, so I wanted to create a brand name to create a degree of separation; to make it easier for me to go out and find shops to sell to. I starting experimenting with variations of my name and Rosita Bonita just kind of popped out. I had a vision of her being a ’50s Mexican burlesque dancer, it just felt right!

Rosita Bonita by Victoria Haynes

Illustration of Rosita Bonita jewellery by Victoria Haynes.

What made you choose to take the jump from illustration to jewellery design?
For as long as I can remember I have been drawing and making. I love both and don’t see a huge difference between the two. Illustration and jewellery (for me) are both about decoration, engaging with materials and creating characters and fantastical worlds. After graduating I struggled to find enough work as an illustrator (I was never very good at trying to sell myself), so I spent years working in what were supposed to be temporary jobs, in a cafe and managing a vintage shop. All the time I was drawing and making and waiting to be ‘discovered’. In the end, I had the idea to take my drawings and put them onto a physical product that people would want to buy. I had done a lot of screen-printing at college, and I had made various accessories (jewellery, purses, fascinators) out of leather, so it seemed like the next logical step to combine to two. Leather is so tactile and a joy to work with and it seemed to be a great surface to print on, so I did some tests, liked what happened and out came my first collection (Orchard).

Rosita Bonita Siren Collection

How do the two skills influence each other in your work?
All my pieces begin as drawings, and the pieces are often formed from a combination of separate 2D elements, so assembling them into the finished product is a bit like collage. Having had no training in jewellery, I suppose my whole approach is influenced by image-making; having said that, with each new collection, I am adding more metal elements and playing with different construction techniques. For my next collections I am working on a few more sculptural touches.

Rosita Bonita Siren Collection

You worked as part of design duo Dirty Drawers with artist Laura Gill, how did this relationship come about?
My best friend from my Foundation course went on to do a degree at Central Saint Martins and I met Laura there. She’s such an inspirational character. She has tremendous energy, a really positive outlook, a carefree demeanour, and a brilliant imagination, which all come out in her work. Laura met a group of artists who were squatting a big house in Peckham and were turning it into a gallery to show their work. She’d been allocated a room in there to use as a studio and exhibition space, and she asked me if I wanted to show there too. It was all quite short notice and I didn’t have anything prepared, so she gave me some drawings she had been working on and asked me to add to them. We had a pile of books of documentary photography, full of inspiring characters and began drawing from them. The process worked like a game of exquisite corpse (which became the name of the series). We would draw sections and cover them up before swapping and continuing to draw. It was more to amuse ourselves than anything else, but we liked the results and kept working and exhibiting together for years to come.
[Jessica: You can see one of Laura’s illustrations in this article as she provided the beautiful portrait of Rowenna]

Rosita Bonita Siren Collection
Rosita Bonita Siren Collection

Do you feel Camberwell prepared you for entrepreneurship?
One highlight I remember from my course at Camberwell was a talk from Tatty Devine. They didn’t come from a jewellery background and didn’t have financial investment, and seemed like genuinely lovely people, so their success story was (and still is) a huge business inspiration. In my final year I did a number of work placements. The first was a short stint at an Illustration agency (CIA). They kindly took me under their wing and showed me a glimpse of the goings on. Then I was lucky enough to work for my 3 heroes of the time; Marmalade Magazine, Shona Heath (Art Director) and Julie Verhoeven [Jessica: I recently mentioned Julie in a Bath in Fashion 2013 Listing which you can read here] They were all hugely inspirational learning experiences and gave me the opportunity to use my craft skills, and feel valued for them. They also supplied me with bits of freelance work after I graduated. However I still didn’t feel I had the confidence to go out hunting for my own work in the real world. The course itself felt like a bit of a bubble. Because I got a 1st, I just stupidly assumed that people would come to my degree show and offer me work. When I graduated, the bubble popped.

Rosita Bonita Siren Collection

What’s been the biggest challenge so far of setting up shop?
The biggest challenge in setting up shop is money. I started Rosita Bonita when I was still working four days a week managing a vintage shop. I didn’t have much cash (or time) to spare, so I have always made things according to the material costs I could run to and the skills I had to make things myself. It’s really frustrating as I have so many ideas of things I would love to make, but am very limited by costs. As things have been going better and better, these frustrations are highlighted more and more. Ideally I wouldn’t be producing everything myself. I would love to just be designing and making samples, then getting the bulk manufactured, and it would be great to have PR, but this is just not possible yet. The business is growing, but very slowly! The further it goes, the more you realise how much you need money. Designing, manufacturing, selling, promoting, building websites, taking photos, and doing accounts and admin all by yourself is not ideal. I’ve also just had one of my designs copied (by someone who does have money for manufacturing, sales & PR), but I can’t afford to take them to court.

Rosita Bonita Siren CollectionRosita Bonita Siren Collection

What are the main inspirations of your work?
My inspiration comes mainly from the past. I’m obsessed with vintage photography and graphic design, anything from the Victorian era through to the ‘50s. I look a lot at Hollywood studio shots from, particularly from the ‘30s. The sets and costumes are mind-blowing. I love watching movies from that time too. The characters are so glamorous and almost cartoon like. I am always amazed at how little we’ve artistically progressed since then. I’m not excited by realism and the mundane. I also love to look at the history of jewellery and the social meanings attached to it. I want people to put on my pieces and feel like they are becoming a fantastical character, or that the jewellery is bringing them luck or special powers.

Rosita Bonita Siren Collection

Your new collection Siren has a seaside theme, what made you choose this?
The Siren collection came out of my research into amulets. There was too much material in there for one collection (it’s actually now spawned 3 – Amulet, She’s my witch & Siren). Mermaids and seahorses, as well as certain types of shell, have been used as charms or amulets. I wanted to take these motifs, but treat them in a different way to the previous collection, which was quite dark and magical. They seemed to be perfect for a light summery collection. There is a still from a lost George Méliès film from c1905 which I had photocopied when I was at Camberwell and had always wanted to use somehow. It was a shot of six ‘mermaids’ posing in this great stage set in a star formation, with solid tails. I tend to visualise the photoshoot/video for the collection before I design the actual pieces (usually including which models/friends and which music to use), and knew I wanted something like this, but with a brighter, more ‘30s seaside resort feel to it. I drew my own version of this (which I’ve since printed on framed glass and t shirts), and that became the basis of the collection. I also looked at loads of other mermaid imagery, from ancient myths, fairytales, figureheads, movie stills, tattoo designs and carnival exhibits. I wanted to capture girlhood escapist fantasies of being a mermaid.

Rosita Bonita Siren CollectionRosita Bonita Siren Collection

Your jewellery has been featured in places like Nylon and Elle, how does it feel to see your work in mainstream mags?
It’s very rewarding to see my work in magazines, of any kind. I Google myself every few months and usually find some new mention in a blog or something. It keeps me going. More please!

What plans do you have for the future?
I’m not very good at planning ahead and managing my time. I have the next two collections designed in my head (just need to grab a moment to get them on paper and to develop the samples), but beyond that I’m never sure exactly what is to come. I will be working on finding some new stockists, so more people can discover me. I have three new international ones in the pipelines, which is all very exciting.

How would a reader go about purchasing one of your pieces?
I have a shop on my website . I don’t discontinue previous collections, as I don’t like the disposable nature of fashion, so most pieces are still available to order, if they are not in stock, and certain pieces can be made in custom colours. I’m also open to illustration, design, bespoke accessory/costume commissions and collaborations, so feel free to get in touch!

Rosita Bonita by Maya Beus
Illustration of piece from Rosita Bonita Siren collection by Maya Beus

All unreferenced illustrations and photography were provided by the lovely Rowenna Harrison.

Categories ,50s, ,amulets, ,Camberwell, ,Collaborations, ,Costume, ,custom, ,design, ,designer, ,Dirty Drawers, ,fairytales, ,fashion, ,framed glass, ,graduate, ,graduation, ,illustration, ,interview, ,Jessica Cook, ,jewellery, ,Julie Verhoeven, ,Laura Gill, ,leather, ,Louise Smith, ,magical, ,Mermaids, ,Myths, ,Rosita Bonita, ,Rowenna Harrison, ,seahorses, ,Shell, ,Shona Heath, ,Siren, ,special powers, ,T-shirts, ,Victoria Haynes, ,Victorian era, ,vintage, ,‘30s seaside resort

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Amelia’s Magazine | Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas by Designer Makers: 2014

jenny robins - valentine - boo kiss

Valentine’s card by Jenny Robins.

It’s coming up to that time of year again… when the romantics amongst us express love through a special card or thoughtful gift. I’ll be running a post about something to craft yourself (find it here) but if you’re short of time here’s my round up of suggestions, all made with care by some of my favourite designers, soon to be featured on the new Amelia’s Magazine market place.

jenny robins - valentine - love is in the air

Amelia’s Magazine illustrator, writer and all time lovely contributor Jenny Robins has produced a range of quirky collaged Valentine’s cards in her inimitable style. They cost £2 each and are available from her etsy shop.

Baines and Fricker tattoo print

Love Hurts. Baines & Fricker have collaborated with tattoo artist Adam Sage at Into You Studio to make this fabulous screen print, in an edition of 35 only and £50.

Rosita Bonita - HEART_BOLO

Rosita Bonita has heart designs aplenty in her charming jewellery range. My favourite piece for Valentine’s has to be this unusual unisex gold foil embossed leather heart charm, which is worn Rodeo Style on a bolo for £54.

Beautiful Soul-KICHI SCARF-LADYBIRD BLACK

This beautiful silk georgette scarf is from the I ♥ Ladybirds range by Beautiful Soul – featuring a print design of dainty ladybirds nestled on big blossomy hydrangea flower heads.

Made by Mememe heart brooches 2

Made by Me Me Me makes these sweet porcelain hearts, to use a 20% discount code pop over and visit her facebook page here.

Love You print-East End Prints - valentines

At East End Prints a new range of prints by Philip Sheffield are a graphic reminder of love, to be hung on the wall. Read an interview with the artist here.

Sian Elin - you-are-lovely-valentines card

Multi-talented surface designer Sian Elin has created this subtle Valentine’s card, printed in the UK and just £2.50.

Melody Rose Kissing Couple Side Plate

The Kissing Couple bone china plate is a perennial favourite from the SurRealist collection by Melody Rose, and perfect at this time of year. It looks beautiful on display but is also entirely functional and can be used every day.

Tessa Metcalfe jewellery

Jewellery Tessa Metcalfe is ‘giving the boys a helping hand‘ with 15% off every piece if you use the code ROSESARERED. I particularly love her pieces that feature saturated red synthetic rubies.

Paris Postcards by Jason Brooks

This month book publisher Laurence King release an elegant set of postcards inspired by that most romantic of cities and created by fashion illustrator Jason Brooks. Buy Paris Postcards here.

Anna Popovich Marilyn Dress

Delve into the archive collection from Anna Popovich and get dressed to impress in luscious Valentine’s red with the Marilyn Dress, which is cleverly furled and draped to create a flattering hourglass silhouette.

Louise Wilkinson Berry Tree cup & saucer

This Berry Tree Cup & Saucer by Louise Wilkinson is perfect for the tea lover in your life and just £19.50. Made from fine bone china and hand decorated in Stoke on Trent.

Map-My-Heart-book-cover-by-DomInk

I interviewed our contributing illustrator Dom and Ink about his debut publication Map My Heart a few months back. It would make the perfect Valentine’s gift for a friend who is single, or the other half with a sense of humour.

And remember, if you have time, I’ve got a clever little craft to make – read how to make your very own Valentine’s Day Hanging Heart Decoration here.

Categories ,2014, ,Adam Sage, ,Anna Popovich, ,Baines & Fricker, ,Beautiful Soul, ,Berry Tree Cup & Saucer, ,Dom and Ink, ,East End Prints, ,Gift ideas, ,I ♥ Ladybirds, ,Into You Studio, ,Jason Brooks, ,Jenny Robins, ,jewellery, ,Kissing Couple, ,Laurence King, ,Louise Wilkinson, ,Love Hurts, ,Made by Me Me Me, ,Marilyn Dress, ,Melody Rose, ,Paris Postcards, ,Philip Sheffield, ,ROSESARERED, ,Rosita Bonita, ,Sian Elin, ,surrealist, ,Tessa Metcalfe

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Amelia’s Magazine | New for 2013: Amelia’s Award will launch the career of a talented Graduate Designer Maker

amelias award with secret emporium
Calling all soon to be design graduates: read on to find out about my new collaboration with the brilliant Secret Emporium, a curatorial umbrella which supports and promotes independent creators of wonderful goods. We’ve long championed the work of Secret Emporium and the designers they work with on this website so I’m really happy that we have now teamed up to bring you Amelia’s Award.

Secret Emporium at SGP christmas fair
Diane Turner at the Secret Emporium Christmas Market. Photography by Elizabeth Khan–Greig.

Secret Emporium at SGP EA Burns
EA Burns stall at Secret Garden Party.

This summer Amelia’s Magazine and Secret Emporium will celebrate the best in graduate design by helping a gifted young designer to launch a career as a designer maker. We are searching for a super talented graduate with bags of ideas about what they would like to make. This could be: jewellery, sunglasses, visors, clothing, accessories, illustrated goods, screen printed wares or art based food. Products with ethical or environmental considerations will be favoured.

Secret Emporium yellow cheetahs spangled sunglasses
Yellow cheetah sunglasses by Spangled at Secret Emporium.

And now for the best bit of all: the Prize! The winner of Amelia’s Award will be gifted a scholarship place worth £495 to showcase and sell their work with Secret Emporium at Wilderness Festival (held in Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire on 8th – 11th August 2013). They will be profiled and promoted on Amelia’s Magazine, as well as through the Secret Emporium and Wilderness Festival promotional channels. A couple of runners up will also receive special recommendations and promotion in Amelia’s Magazine, and for the winner there will be the potential to become part of Secret Emporium in the future.

Secret Emporium tent at festival
This is a great opportunity for a talented young design graduate to kickstart a glittering career so we can’t wait to hear from you! All we are looking for right now is some brilliant design ideas, the ambition to create wonderful things, and the desire to win Amelia’s Award and be a part of Secret Emporium this summer. Advice will be on hand to ensure those ideas become a reality, so don’t delay: fill in the form at this link now, or pass the information on to any talented design graduate friends who might be interested! The closing date for submissions is Tuesday 2nd July. *NOW EXTENDED*

Secret Emporium Rosita Bonita
Secret Emporium Rosita Bonita siren collection
Rosita Bonita. Photography by Emma Saunders.

Here’s a bit more information about Secret Emporium and Wilderness Festival to whet your palette:

Secret Emporium seeks out grass roots designers and curates events, collaborations and mentorship schemes to support designers and launch their careers. Every summer Secret Emporium embarks on a tour of the best British festivals with a tent full of independent designers hand sourced and curated from a mix of graduates and more established labels. Each designer takes a 8ft x 6ft pitch and sells their fashion, jewellery, art or illustration to the crowds for 4 full days. It allows designers who are starting out and who perhaps don’t have their label with stockists yet, who are doing things independently for themselves, the opportunity to access up to 60,000 people for sales. Designers get to interact with customers and benefit greatly from being juxtaposed with other designers who are able to share the same trials and successes of growing their own business. Collaborations are born and ideas are shared, but ultimately the most important part of being with Secret Emporium is the access to so many people thirsty for independent design, which results in sales and revenue that allows designers to financially support themselves.

Secret Emporium at SGP Daisy Thomas
Daisy Thomas at Secret Emporium.

Wilderness Festival is a 15,000 person music and culture festival at Cornbury Park in Oxfordshire on 8th – 11th August 2013. Secret Emporium has a tent at Wilderness festival each year showcasing the best of independent British designers. The winner of Amelia’s Award will win a scholarship place in this tent worth £495. Wilderness Festival is a particular favorite for Secret Emporium as the Wilderness crowd love the tent and, financially, it is the most successful festival of the season.

Secret Emporium sign
Secret-Emporium-at-Secret-Garden-Party-Grace-Du-Prez-photo-by-Maria-Papadimitriou
Grace Du Prez at SGP. Photo by Maria Papadimitriou.

Further reading:
My reviews of Wilderness Festival in 2011 here and here (including photos of the Secret Emporium tent), an extensive review of the Secret Emporium tent at Secret Garden Party in 2012 by Maria Papadimitriou, a piece about Secret Emporium artist Lauren Baker and a recent interview with jeweller Rosita Bonita by Jessica Cook.

ENTER AMELIA’S AWARD BY CLICKING HERE.

Categories ,Amelia’s Award, ,Cornbury Park, ,Diane Turner, ,Grace Du Prez, ,Lauren Baker, ,Oxfordshire, ,Rosita Bonita, ,Scholarship, ,Secret Emporium, ,Secret Emporium Christmas Market, ,Secret Garden Party, ,Spangled, ,Wilderness Festival

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