“IF THE FUTURE GIVES YOU ANXIETY, STAY PRESENT AND RETHINK YOUR REALITY. REACH FOR UTOPIAS AND FORGE SPECULATIVE NEW WORLDS.”
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RE-IMAGINING THE FUTURE HAS BEEN THE BACKBONE OF MY WORK FOR YEARS, BECAUSE QUITE FRANKLY, THE FUTURE LOOKED SO FRIGHTENING AND GAVE ME PERSONALLY QUITE A LOT OF ANXIETY.
UTOPIA IS AN ON GOING THEME FOR A SEASON-LESS DESIGN PROCESS THAT EVALUATES AND KEEPS ON CHANGING. UTOPIA IS THE ‘LOOK OF FUTURE’ THAT FUSES OUR EXPECTATIONS OF BEAUTY, VALUE, GENDER AND AGE. THE FIRST DROP OF THE UTOPIA COLLECTION, CALLED 'BACK TO UTOP/A' CONSISTS OF MADE-TO-ORDER, HAND-CRAFTED SILVER JEWELRY (TO AVOID UNNECESARY USE OF RESOURCES) AND UPCYCLED LEATHER PIECES THAT ARE HAND PAINTED, ONE-OF-A-KIND WEARABLE ART. WHY?
BECAUSE, AS DESIGNERS AND/ OR CONSUMERS, WE NEED TO START FINDING OUR INDIVIDUAL STYLE INSTEAD OF TRENDS AND RESPECT MORE THE NATURE AND THE THINGS THAT WE OWN.
IF SOMETHING IS TO BE VALUED AS ‘ART’ OR A UNIQUE PIECE OF HAND-CRAFT, IT CAN FORM AN UNDERSTANDING, THAT SOMEONE ACTUALLY USED THEIR VALUABLE TIME FOR DESIGNING AND MAKING THESE PRODUCTS. NOT ONLY TO MAKE PROFIT, BUT TO MAKE THE FUTURE LOOK MORE BEAUTIFUL, MORE VARIABLE, MORE SUSTAINABLE AND MORE INTERESTING. AND YES, LESS FRIGHTENING.
THE VALUE OF THE COLLECTION IS NOT IN THE MATERIALS OR TECHNIQUES USED, IT IS IN THE EMOTIONAL CONNECTION OF THE PIECES AND THE WEARER.