Pinky Laing, Electroluminescent Jacket Designer

Who are you Pinky?

I am half English and half Bajan and grew up in England, in the countryside.

As a child I always wanted to organize everything and loved making things. I built doll’s houses, tree houses, made clothes…and everything had to be tidy!

I quit university (to my father’s horror) after 9 very long days and moved to London. I had big plans to conquer the world back then! In my 20s I worked in events planning and interior design. Then I lived and worked in New York for 2 years organising events for a large venue. When I came back to the UK in 2002 I worked for a PR company before setting up my own events company called Pink Tash Events. My great friend Tash and I had great fun throwing all sorts of events for all sorts of people. One of our more memorable events was the BBC Christmas party—sadly he made one too many jokes about the boss, but it all turned out well luckily!

© Marco Walker

Last year you launched a customized military jacket collection, how did you come up with the idea?

My father was an officer and I always loved his uniforms. I would often scour vintage shops looking for amazing old, but in good condition, jackets and uniforms. Then I would re-line and customize them. I started sewing flashing wire on jackets after my first visit to Burning Man, where EVERYTHING and everyone was ‘lit up’! I am obsessed with light installations and lighting. I decided to design my own jackets for the first time last year, as didn’t have the time to keep searching through vintage shops up and down the country. This line is the perfect creative outlet for me, as it combines my love for design, for fabrics and lights, and for making costumes.

Tell us a bit more about your creation process…

An East London factory makes my jackets, my fabrics come from a supplier in Lancashire, and my braiding and buttons all are over 50 years old and come from an old warehouse off Bethnal Green Road that specializes in haberdashery. They have a finite amount of braiding, so once that it all runs out I will have to find some more from somewhere else!

You also create bespoke pieces, how to get one of these and how long does it take to create?

To have a bespoke jacket made, you can either come to my studio or order online by contacting me. Each jacket takes approximately 3 weeks to make on order.

If you had to design a line for a famous brand or designer, which one or whom would you like it to be?

I would love to work with Nicolas Ghesquière at Balanciaga –he is amazing!

Which celebrities would you be honoured to see wear your creations?

My dream has always been to have Scissors Sisters wear my jackets on stage and I would love to make a special version for Florence Welsh (of Florence and the Machine) with white lighting all over it. 

You are based in London: what is your favourite place in the city?

As I have two mini Dachshunds I spend a lot of time in Hyde Park! I also love being outside so I guess Hyde Park is my definite favourite place.

A favourite restaurant?  

My favourite restaurant has to be my own little pop-up place called Maison Du Chien in the attic of Bumpkin in Notting Hill—you can have dinner followed by cabaret and then dancing, every winter for 3 nights a week.

A favourite bar / club?

The bar at Maison Du Chien—because I actually physically built it, covered it in fabric and painted it! Also the Fumoir Bar at Claridge’s. 

A favourite shop?  

I collect butterflies so I love antique shops with preserved butterflies like Les Couilles Du Chien on Goldborne Road, as well as the De Gournay wallpaper shop on the Kings Road. For food shopping I always try to support local farmers markets, but sometimes I can’t help nipping into Tesco metro! 

Any secret place?

I am involved in the creation of a brand new secret place in St James’s…I can’t tell you what exactly yet! Trust me, it’s going to be epic.

If you could live anywhere else, where would it be?

Argentina.

Why?

I love las pampas, galloping on wild horses, good weather and hombres!

What’s next? Any project?

I am working on a design project, a new secret place and new pieces for my collection—trousers and tailcoats.

http://www.pinkylaing.com

Aurelia Stouls, Designer of STOULS

Who are you Aurélia?

I am from the Left Bank in Paris, from a family with a good sense of style who gave me a taste for aesthetics and an understanding of ​​the beautiful and the casual. I studied at a couple fashion schools and that led me to working for 15 years in shoe design for companies such as Carel, Kélian and Heschung.

You launched Stouls in the summer of 2004; its concept is quite unique. How did you decide to design a line of washable leather clothes? 

I wanted to create a capsule collection of T-shirts similar to the Petit Bateau ones, only in leather. That idea led me to the ‘machine-washable’ concept—a good way to avoid rushing to the dry-cleaner every time you wear leather!

The brand evolved thereafter, season after season: I wanted people to wear leather like cashmere and live in it like in jeans, to consider leather like a second skin, an extension of oneself whatever one’s movements. I wanted to create garments allowing mobility and dynamism, that were both casual and extremely chic.

Your website features 16 ‘Stouls Women’ wearing your Fall/Winter collection. Tell us about them, who are they? What do they represent?

They are friends: women who feel beautiful, confident and glamorous wearing my creations. They are from different generations and have different styles. There is an artist, a rider, a curator, an art director, an art student, a journalist, a designer, a muse, a jewellery designer, a mother, a wife…all beautiful women. What they have in common: each one of them is feminine, unique, beautiful and friendly.

Do you think leather could become the ‘new’ jersey, ideal for a casual-chic look?

Absolutely! Leather has become in the recent seasons both a must-have and a basic. I think it is more than a fashion trend. How it is worn has evolved with technology and the various treatments of leather.

What is your definition of elegance?

Ah-ah, that’s quite a topic!

Elegance is something innate—one can’t just learn it. When it comes to clothes, always best to choose what we feel good and comfortable in. This applies to a sexy skirt, baggy jeans, a silk blouse…it all depends on our mood—and mood swings!

For me real bad taste is when the clothes don’t match the mood. Elegance is also the confidence one has in one’s clothes.

If you had to design a line for a famous brand, which one would you like it to be?

Hermes or Bottega Venetta. A brand related to leather, of course!

Which celebrities would you be honoured to see wear your creations?

Julianne Moore, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin… Inès de la Fressange already wears Stouls! Only elegant women if possible…I find the ‘it girls’ phenomenon annoying, I prefer real women.

You are based in Paris: what is your favourite place in the city?

It really depends on what time of day it is. It is either my bed or the Musée d’Orsay (I really like the XIX century); I also like having a drink on the terrace at La Palette and a stroll on the Avenue de l’Observatoire.

A favorite restaurant?

Currently, Racines (Passage du Panorama): very small, organic and delicious. Also Kunitoraya (rue Villedo), a sophisticated Japanese in a former bistro. 

A favorite bar / club?

The Silencio, a new beautiful place created by David Lynch. Go quickly before it’s too fashionable!

A shop favorite?

My ‘madeleine de Proust’, a childhood place, is Le Bon Marché. There you can find marshmallows of all colours and Michel Vivien shoes; olive oil and Martin Margiela clothes; books, men’s socks and Korres products—all of that in a ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ atmosphere.

Each purchase feels like a pure luxury, even if it is only an eraser! 

Any secret place?

Secret!

If you could live anywhere else, where would it be?

In my dreams of great idleness, I would live on a Greek island wearing Rondini  flip-flops and pareos. Otherwise in Beirut (the ‘New York’ of the Middle East) where creativity is free from the constraints of Franco-French mentality. And the food there is so good…

Why?

I love the atmosphere of Mediterranean countries unconditionally. There’s nothing better!

What’s next?

No idleness…

Any project?

I plan to open a Stouls shop in Paris, to find an assistant so I can breathe a little, and to go draw my next collection in Jaipur. Wishful thinking!

Check out Aurelia’s website http://www.stouls.net 

Click here to find a retail store near you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Magali Pont, Jewelry Designer

Who are you Magali?  

I was born in Marseille 33 years ago but Paris has adopted me for a long time now—I’m a real Parisian child! I studied history and archaeology and started working in fashion early on with jobs in design, production and journalism.

You worked for a ready-to-wear brand before starting your own business. Why did you decide to launch a jewelry line?

In 1994, I met someone who changed my life, Laetitia Ivanez. The Prairies de Paris designer, she chose me to be her égérie, her muse, for 10 years. I grew up with her, and after a while, she offered me to design the jewelry collection for her brand. I am self-taught and began to learn my future job by watching the know-how of French craftsmen. Little by little I gained in confidence and decided that is was time to launch my own brand because my style was very different from that of Laetitia. She was supportive and encouraged me to embark on this adventure.

Why did you call your brand AIME?

The second person who changed my life is my partner, Hadrien Bernard. We meet in 2000 and are associates in my company, so it was obvious that we had to name it AIME (LOVE in French!).

Where is your studio? Is everything hand-made there?

My studio is in the middle of Paris near the Louvre Museum, rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau—above the Louboutin shop! All our garments and accessories are hand-made in Paris by the best handicraft specialists who work for French luxury brands.

If you had to design a line for a famous brand, which one would you like it to be?

Hermès. The company has got the best materials and the best workers in the world at its disposal. It would be my dream to have such favourable working conditions.

Which celebrities would you be honoured to see wear your creations?

We are already lucky enough to have Ayo, Eva Mendes, Uffie, Julie Gayet and Louise Bourgoin wearing our creations.

You are based in Paris: what is your favourite place in the city, or favourite thing to do?

My brand is very romantic and all the Paris gardens, its little squares (Place de Furstenberg, Place Dauphine…) and streets offer great spots to watch people living and to find inspiration…

A favourite restaurant? 

My favourite restaurants are the famous Pierre Gagnaire for the gustative experience, and the more accessible Anahi (49 rue Volta, 3^rd) for its authenticity.

A favourite bar/club?

Right now my favourite bar is the Silencio!

A favourite shop?

For furniture: Astier de Villate (173 rue Saint Honore, 1^st)

For clothes: Les Prairies de Paris (23 rue de Debelleyme, 3^rd)

For colours & art supplies: Magasin Sennelier (3 quai Voltaire, 6^th)

For flowers: Vertumne (1 rue de la Sourdière, 1^st)

You have a baby, what is your favourite children clothes shop in Paris? Do you have a secret place?

I like to go by Petit Pan where you can find a lot a cute presents for kids, and also to Bonton and Zef. My secret place for children is La Cité des Sciences, a science museum in the Parc de la Villette!

If you could live anywhere else, where would you live?

We would like live in Tokyo for a year.

Why?

Mainly because we do a lot of business in Japan!

What’s next, any project?

A shop, I have already found the location but it is a secret for the moment. I hope it is going to work out!

 

 

Check out and shop Magali’s collection on http://www.aime-bijoux.fr/

Clemmie Myers, Vintage Detective

Who are you Clemmie?

I am Clemmie Myers 30 and I live in London. I describe myself as The Vintage Detective – but that loosly describes what I do which is source fabulous one off vintage pieces and unusual statement garments from around the world for people who have an individual sense of style and want something a bit different in their wardrobe.

Why did you decide to sell vintage clothes? Where is that passion coming from ?

I grew up with a Mother who was very expirimental with dressing. She always encouraged me to be an individual and to appreciate the beauty and history of well made garments. We had a huge dressing up box in what is best described as a cave under the stairs and I spent a lot of time there. In fact in old pictures of me as a child I seem to have spent a lot of time in dressing up clothes, turbans, Spanish flamenco dresses (my grand mother lived in Spain for 15 years and would send them over….a bigger one every year) When I was 11 I bought my first vintage piece. An Early 1970’s Brown sheepskin coat from a shop in Oxford on a school outing. Whilst everyone else was browsing in the highstreet I slipped off and found a shop in a backstreet called Unicorn. Well I say it was a shop…it was more like a room with hundreds of clothes piled on top of each other and a rather eccentric lady sitting on a chair in the middle of the pile. I felt compelled to go in and once in, I found the experience magical. The clothes were old and seemed to be simply things this lady liked. I saw the sleeve of the coat poking out at the back and asked her if I could see it. She rather begrudgingly got it out for me and I tried it on and I said id like it. I cant remember how much it was but it was worth every penny. I left with it on and wore it pretty much every day for 5 years. To put it in perspective……It is still a little big for me today so you can imagine how silly it looked when I was 11! But I remember the smell of the shop and the weight of the coat and the sense of history, that someone had owned it before me, that it had had its own life and that one day someone would own it after me. I was intoxicated by this idea that clothes could have a life of their own. I loved the idea of discovering something that someone else had discovered and making it my own. Something that I had chosen and that later would be chosen by someone else. Something that had hopefully been to wild festivals or magical underground gigs. Had belonged to a writer or a musician or a young girl with hopes and dreams like I had, a person that had seen things I hadn’t seen. That first experience has never left me.

How do you source clothes?

I am always on the look out. If I go on a weekend away to a new place ill go thrifting. I was in Devon recently and found some gems in Totnes. I go to New York 3 or 4 times a year, I’m going to Paris later this year. People sell to me directly which I love because they can always tell me the story behind the piece which I can pass on to the person who buys it. I also do the vintage fairs on Sundays. Every now and then I find a wonderful piece in a vintage shop or high end charity shop. I recently found an East West Musical Instruments Co Navajo Jacket with beading and fringing in a charity shop in Worlds End. When I went home to research it, the cheapest one online was $2,000! I have emailed the biggest collector of the jackets in the states and given him the neatly stitched serial number. He will be able to tell who bought it originally as he has the archive list. I am hoping it is someone fabulous. They infamously dressed Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin and even Elvis!

You sell from home on appointments only or do you also sell in retail stores?

Yes I do appointments at home night and day and 4/5 times a year I do a 3 day sale. I share the space with my boyfriend who is a musician so it’s a hub of creativity, lots of amps, guitars, dresses, hats and coats hanging everywhere! I keep on saying I’ll get some neatly laid out salon type studio in Holland Park, but my clients are like “no please don’t, we love the chaos and the music and the pieces that appear from nowhere”. I have been approached by a couple of Boutiques to be stocked under my own label so watch this space as I think it is just about time to take the leap. I also do top to toe styling/sourcing for special events and parties. I once kitted out a family of 6 women for a 1920’s party and I’ve done some presenting for 1TV 2.

Do you have a specialty?

No. To be honest I love what I love and I usually just get a gut feeling about something. I have a Victorian cloak in at the moment but I also have a Bruce Oldfield lady in red long satin evening coat from the 90’s. If it’s a piece that works in my collection and reflects my eye I’ll choose it. I do have a lot of 70’s and 80’s pieces but many of the 80’s pieces I have reworked shorter or remove shoulder pads etc. I like to breathe new life into pieces within reason, but if I can keep them as they are I do. I always make sure my pieces are in excellent condition.

What is the most precious piece you’ve sold or that you still have?

I have a couple of prototypes. I get very overexcited by prototypes, I have one by Paco Rabanne from the early 90’s and a Zandra Rhodes from the 80’s. Most of the pieces I sell I find hard to say goodbye to. I Could write a whole list!

Who are your favorite designers, why?

The cut of YSL, the colours and quirk of Zandra Rhodes and the punk of Vivienne Westwood. But there are so many designers that I love and admire many of whom are relatively unknown.

Who would you most like to come for an appointment?

Give me an hour with Lady Gaga, that would make my year. What I love about Gaga is that not everything she wears is necessarily outrageous, it’s just she puts it together in such a thoughtful way and everything is considered from the hair to the nails to the gloves and accessories. You can tell that she finds a piece that she loves and creates a story from that piece, she then becomes a walking piece of art. I’d love for one of her stories to start with a piece that I have chosen.

What is your favorite trend for Autumn/ Winter?

I’m really into Steampunk at the moment. Lace, leather, Velvet in black. Every vintage queen should have a hint of the elegant dominatrix about her this season.

You are based in London, what is your favorite place or thing to do in the city?

My favourite thing to do is shop for Vintage….I know that might be a bit sad as it’s my job but it’s the truth! Otherwise I love finding a quiet café somewhere to sit and write (I’m on my third play and have been writing poetry since I was little). I make frequent trips to the Royal Court their new writing is always inspiring. Last minute gigs or fringe plays always result in meeting new and interesting people.

A favorite restaurant?

Rules is a special place for my boyfriend and I. It is the most beautiful old school restaurant in Covent Garden.

A favorite bar?

I am still searching for the perfect Cocktail bar. To be honest anywhere that does a Lychee Martini and I’m happy!

If you could live anywhere else, where would you live?

New York City !!!!

Why?

There is no reason not to live in New York. It is vibrant, eclectic and every day you wake up knowing that anything can happen. It is the city of limitless possibility. It is where I got inspired to open Lime Green Bow. I went to New York for three weeks and came back with 3 suitcases, a maxed out overdraft and opened Lime Green Bow a month later.

What’s next? Any project?

At some point a studio in Holland Park or Notting Hill and I’m sure you will see a selection of my pieces in a boutique in the not too distant future. Appointments continue as usual from St Helens Gardens W10 6LN.

 

 

 

 

 

Clemmie is having a 3 day sale  from Monday October 24th to the Wednesday the 26th.

 

When:   12pm-8.30pm

Where:  59A St Helens Gardens, W10 6LN (Corner of St Helens and Kelfield Gardens, 5 mins from Ladbroke Grove tube) Look out for the black door and lime green ribbon. 

What:  Beautiful, quirky and unusual statement vintage pieces for the expirimental vintage queen, the designer junkie and the conservative magpie. Halloween outfits for fashionistas.

 

For a private appointment give her a call on 07798602782

Hattie Rickards, Jewelry Designer

Who are you Hattie? 

I am British and at the ripe age of 28!  I am a jewelry designer and launched Hattie Rickards Jewelry in November 2010.  HRJ is a British designed and made luxury brand with a focus on sophisticated design and an ethical backbone.

We want to create beautiful and desirable pieces of refined jewelry that tell a story for or about the wearer.   We also look to cater to a growing client base who wants to know that the rings that adorn their fingers are ethically and responsibly produced.

How did you decide to design jewelry and when was “Revealed”, your first collection born?

I’ve always loved jewelry but it wasn’t until my foundation course at Wimbledon Art College and my BA Jewelry Design and Making degree at Central Saint Martins in London that I decided to make a career in the industry.

We took our inspiration for the launch collection ‘Revealed’, introduced in January, from movement. The twelve rings that comprise the collection allude to as well as inspire this movement theme using kinetic assemblies and rough uncut stones as well as vibrant precious stones.  It is currently exclusively stocked at Dover Street Market in London.  The entire Revealed collection is handmade here in the UK out of 18ct Fairtrade Fairmined Ecological certified gold and a variety of precious stones. The clients may personalise their own piece by choosing the own colour-way of stones and metal.

One of your main piece is inspired by a ruby cube, it’s a great ring, tell us about it.

The Rubix is my signature piece which has been a huge success!  I wanted to create a ring that did something, something that one can play with, distract you, something that was different.  Men love the Rubix because they appreciate the concept of a piece of jewelry having a function.

                                                                     You are about to launch “Geo”, your second collection, what was your inspiration?

It’s SO exciting - it will be launched in November!

It is a range of necklaces, rings and bracelets – all handmade out of 18ct Fairtrade and Fairmined ecological gold and precious stones.

The inspiration for the collection is ‘connection’; the idea of many becoming one.   Visions of puzzles, tessellating shapes, combining geometrical structures and vibrant stones.

You are also working with MADE, a fair-trade accessories brand based in Kenya, can you give us more details about this collaboration? 

My collaboration with MADE required a very different approach to that of HRJ.   I arrived at the workshops outside Nairobi with a few potential designs in my sketchbook, only to be told my brief was to design 70 pieces in ten days!  Initially I was thrown, but after a couple of hours of absorbing the creative atmosphere, witnessing the incredible speed of production and the hard-working enthusiastic team, I embraced the challenge.  It was a very different time scale to the HRJ luxury brand where I design one annual collection.  MADE, in comparison, produces thousands of pieces of jewelry a year from recycled brass.  I have just completed designing my second collection for them which will be in the shops in Spring 2012.

Ideally, if you had to design a line for a famous designer, which one would it be?

I have always admired the work of Matthew Williamson and would the relish the opportunity of working on a collaboration with them. 

Which celebrities would you be flattered to see wear your designs? 

Livia Firth wore the Bullet Ring to The London Film Critic Awards in February. (click here to see the photo)

Vanity Fair asked Poppy Delevigne what her favourite piece of jewelry was and she replied “My Rubix Ring by Hattie Rickards”.

You are based in London, what is your favorite place in the city?

I am based in Gloucestershire but my studio is in London where I am three days a week. During the weekends I love to walk my favorite markets absorbing all the colours, noises and smells.  Starting off at London Fields, walking through Broadway Market  and grabbing my favorite fajita feast from Toma Mexicano … mmm… YUM!  Along the Canal then down to Columbia road in perfect time find all the salesmen eager to shift their last flowers so all going dirt cheap!  I get so carried away!

A favorite restaurant?

Mildreds in SoHo

A favorite bar?

The Experimental Cocktail Club hidden away in Chinatown.

A favorite shop? 

Millau. They have a stall under the Westway at Portobello.

If you could live anywhere else, where would it be?

In the hills of Spain, Andalucia for a warm, peaceful life but still not too far away from the UK!

What’s next? Any project?

I want to go to the mines in Colombia where I source my Fairtrade Fairmined Ecological Gold from.  I want to meet the miners that extract the gold that I use and to achieve first hand experiences.   It is important that I can pass these experiences on to my clients so that they learn the importance of using ethically and environmentally sound materials for their jewellery.

All the pieces shown in this interview apart from the Rubix ring are part of Hattie’s upcoming collection “GEO”.

 

Click here to access Hattie’s website.

To see her collaboration with MADE, click here

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Laure Pariente, Artistic Director of American Retro and Zoetee’s

Who are you Laure?

I am a 32 years old Parisian and I am the artistic director of AMERICAN RETRO and ZOETEE’S.

I studied international business, which has nothing to do with fashion- but I knew that I wanted to be independent and to have my own business one day.

I have always worked in the fashion industry. Before creating my own brand, I was a sales associate in a multibrand shop. After that, my husband, his older brother and I decided to launch our label.

You created American Retro in 2002, tell us about this adventure.

Just after school David, my husband, and I had the opportunity to distribute Joe’s Jeans from Los Angeles, so we decided to drop our jobs and start our own business with Gregory, my brother in law. Over the summer, we went to India to meet a supplier and from there we started AMERICAN RETRO. It was a line of cotton voile dresses, blouses, and cargo pants. It was a huge success at the first “Who’s Next” show.

What about Zoetee’s?

The idea for Zoetee’s came to us in 2005. We realized that the t-shirt was something really different from any other garments and that it deserved to have an unique label … And I’m a big t-shirt lover!

Who is the typical American Retro girl?

The American Retro girl is a young independent woman. She likes clothes, she likes to play and to mix & match. She is a woman who enjoys herself and wants to have fun in life!

What was your inspiration for the FW 11 collection?

This collection was inspired by exotic animals such as panthers and leopards and by the Eighties gothic icon Elvira, handcrafted knits, different mixes of lace and velvet.

The overall look of this season lies between an urban metropolitan style with gothic elements and a luxurious, winterish party look!

According to you, who is the ultimate Parisian girl? 

The ultimate Parisian is stylish, but doesn’t take any risks. She likes vintage and she likes to be unique.

If you had to design a line for another famous brand, which one would it ideally be?

CHANEL

Which celebrities would you be flattered to see wear your designs?

Kate Moss or Kate Middleton

You are based in Paris; what is your favorite place in the city?

Le Marais, la Place des Vosges and le Palais Royal.

Your favorite restaurant?

Pizza Chic, best pizza in Paris.

Your favorite bar / club?

Le Montana in St. Germain

Your favorite shop? 

I love to have lunch at Rose Bakery.

For deco, Atelier 154 and Merci.

For the kids, Serendipity and Bonton.

For vintage: Kiliwatch and Hippie Market.

Any secret places you love?

There is this antique shop, D’Eva Pritsky, in the 20e district- during the day it is a shop and during the night it becomes a very cool bar where you can have a drink with artists friends…

If you could live anywhere else, where would it be?

New York City or Sao Paolo.

Why?

Because I love the energy of New York and I would love to have the experience of living there for few years.

I would live in Sao Paulo because I am simply in love with Brazil and I see my family and myself there later on in life.

What’s next? Any projects?

There are some new collaborations with artists, musicians, designers which I’m working on… but those I’m keeping secret for the moment!

www.americanretro.fr

www.zoetees.fr

Anndra Neen, Jewelry Designer

Who is behind Anndra Neen?

Annette and Phoebe Stephens:  We were both born in Mexico City.  We went to school in the US and have lived in New York ever since.  When it comes to Anndra Neen we do everything together both the design and the business side.

Why did you pick the name Anndra Neen?

It is a combination of both our middle names Alejandra and Annette.

 

We can’t say that your backgrounds are jewelry oriented, how did you decide to start a jewelry line?

We took a trip to Japan together and we were so inspired by their aesthetic and fashion sense that we decided we wanted to do something creative together.

Your grandmother, Annette Nancarrow, has had a great influence on your creativity, can you tell us a little about her? Is she the source of your inspiration?

Our grandmother was an artist, sculpture and jewelry designer in Mexico in the 30′s and 40′s who was part of the art movement of the time.  Her jewelry was all hand made and one of a kind. She has been a huge inspiration for us both in her attitude towards life and her creativity.  She was always adorned with big statement pieces.

 

 

All your pieces are unique. Are they all handmade in NYC?

We have a workshop in Mexico City and everything is handmade there.

 

Ideally, if you had to design a line for a famous brand , which one would it be?

Lanvin, Verdura, Buccellati.

Which celebrities would you be flattered to see wear your designs?

Michelle Obama, Jessica Alba, Anna Paquin, Drew Barrymore, Iris Apfel have all worn our pieces.  We also love Tilda Swinton, Daphne Guinness, Marion Cotillard, Kate Bosworth, Carey Mulligan, Eva Green, Mary Kate and Ashley Olson, Kirstin Scott Thomas Polly Mellen.

You are based in New York, what is your favorite place in the city?

Annette: Finding rare books at The Strand.

Phoebe: I love walking around aimlessly.

A favorite restaurant?

Annette: Little Owl

Phoebe: Kajitsu

A favorite bar / club?

Annette: Kenmare

Phoebe: Boom Boom Room

A favorite shop?

Annette: No. 6 Store, Atelier, Edit, The New World Order

Phoebe: Kirna Zabete, Shop Bop, Maryam Nassir Zadeh, Couture Lab, The New World Order.

Any secret place?

Annette: Little Branch Bar

Phoebe: There is a beautiful secret park on Hudson and Barrow

If you could live anywhere else, where would it be?

Annette: London

Phoebe: Paris

Why?

Annette: The street fashion, music. The city is forward thinking and alive.

Phoebe: The city is breathtaking and the fashion and food are amazing.

What’s next? Any project?

We are working on our new collection that we will showcase during fashion week in September with a surprise spectacular.

Anndra Neen pieces are available on CoutureLab and Shopbop.

For more information, visit their website anndraneen.com