jewellery | Rosie And The Boys

DOWSE Design – an insight into the motivations of an independent retailer

DOWSE shop front
Image: DOWSE Design

People open shops for all sorts of reasons. Making money is an obvious one, but in my experience this is not the main motivational factor for independent retailers.

During my research for this blog series I have been privileged to be given an insight into what really motivates some of the independent retailers in Brighton and Hove. Today’s feature focuses on those motivations and how they feed into the very soul of an independent business.

Susannah Dowse

Susannah of DOWSE is a great example of someone who puts their money where their mouth is. Unashamedly supportive of buying local, giving ethical principles higher priority than pure profit in her purchasing decisions. This is a design business which recognises that no matter how beautiful something is, purchasing an item made at the expense of another person’s well being leaves rather a sour taste in the mouth.

This might lead you to the conclusion that in imposing such strict purchasing criteria Susannah has had to make compromises on the quality of her product offering. Far from it. In fact her Brighton based shop offers a richness and diversity of products that will have customers beating a path to her door.

I love the statement that DOWSE is “Part of a movement across the country that appreciates the value of well made and distinctive products made by individuals over chain shops and mass manufacturing, DOWSE makes it easy to make the world look better and be better.”

Keen to know more I asked Susannah why source locally and why a high street in Brighton? I’m sure you’ll agree her answers are fascinating….

Susannah’s goal for DOWSE is “to enhance people’s belief in and value of British design and manufacturing and show that it can be affordable, that buying locally is good in the creative industries as well produce such as food.”

“I’d always thought a destination to find special things was important in every town. Brighton has lots of amazing shops but mainly sourcing from elsewhere, i.e. China. I wanted a shop that was supporting local and British designers and manufacturers. Choosing the best from what’s made locally. I believe that quality affordable design is being made in this country and we should support the people making it. Often these designers are the ones copied by the high street and the items then manufactured in China. The money should be in the designers pockets not some factory owner of conglomerate’s share holders.

Two of Susannah Dowse tiny geometry necklaces

Some of Susannah’s beautiful jewellery
Image: DOWSE Design

I believe we need to keep manufacturing in this country alive and the skills continued to be passed down. Our importing from China won’t last for ever, their economy will become so strong they will end up mainly producing for their own market. Then we’ll be at a loss and have lost our ability to create for our needs.

So to compete with Chinese imports we need to keep creating and making. It is hard to compete online as people are mainly motivated by price in their purchases. We can’t compete with that. So I think to be able to offer diversity and directional design people should be able to see and touch it. And doing that in a great environment is an experience not replicated on the internet. I want my shop to showcase what’s great about what’s going on here and in Europe, things being made by hard working creative individuals and small businesses that make things you fall in love with. It’s hard to do that online.”

Which leads us nicely to Susannah’s second motivation for opening a shop on the high street and why she chose to base it in Brighton.

“I think it’s important to keep our high streets interesting…we need nice environments to stimulate us.”

“Selling jewellery, mid century British furniture, prints, homewards, cards, stationery and more. DOWSE have collaborated with noted local designers Baines & Fricker to create a unique installation for the shop, making the whole experience of shopping much more like a dream and a stroll than a soulless troll through the internet.”

Various interior shots od Hove based Dowse Design

A glimpse inside the beautiful Hove based shop.
Image: DOWSE Design

“I think the pace of life in Brighton here is really conductive for creativity, though admittedly maybe a little too laid back sometimes. It’s a different environment to London of course which has a hugely dynamic creative force. But that doesn’t suit everyone. Brighton offers an alternative, near to London and with all the good aspects of London, i.e. access to culture and and a metropolitan feel, but with a more gentle pace and for some that’s necessary. I’ve lived in Brighton since art school and have worked a lot in London, but I’d stick with Brighton always.

I chose to open the shop on this stretch of Western road instead of the Laines, which is probably where you’d expect to see this kind of shop. I live in the Brunswick area and appreciate the diverse independent businesses there. I wanted to be a part of that neighbourhood. I wanted to provide a destination shop for good design, but also serve as a good neighbourhood shop where people needn’t go all the way in to town to get a gift for someone last minute, but could just pop round the corner.”

The shop is also the studio for DOWSE. You’ll find Susannah there designing and making the jewellery and dreaming up new product lines. Current opening hours are 10 – 6 Tuesday – Saturday 11 – 4 Sundays. 133 Western Road Hove BN3 1DA near Norfolk square.

But if you can’t make it to Brighton don’t worry you can also purchase online, simply visit http://dowsedesign.co.uk/

Interview with Katie from Mother Eagle

Around 18 months ago I had the privilege to join an online course called Handmade Horizons. Aimed at female designer/makers who are looking to develop their online businesses, this course run by Claire Hughes and Polly Dugdale had a major impact on how I see myself and my business; it also introduced me to fellow designer makers who are simply awesome. One of those lovely ladies was Katie. Her skill and creativity simply blew me away. This interview has been a long time coming but I’m sure you will agree, well worth the wait……

katiesletterhead

1. Tell us a bit more about yourself

I’m Katie, 33 years old, living by the seaside near Brighton with my husband and 2 naughty cats. I studied fashion at university and creativity was my first love, but this became neglected and I have spent my working life in retail. A few years ago I decided to create Mother Eagle as a means to rediscover my art, and she’s been haunting me ever since.

Red and Blue anatomically correct embroidered heart pendant

Heart Pendant – hand embroidered by Katie Pixie

2. Lots of designer makers feel very connected to their environment. Has your recent move to Brighton had an impact on your work?

Mainly in that I haven’t had as much time to make anything! Seriously though, the move down to Brighton was a LONG time coming, I’ve been in love with the place since I had my first holiday here without my parents at 17, and had a wicked and wonderful time. I’d say it’s too early days to see how the physical place has or will influence my work, but I do know I feel inspired and enhanced in every aspect of my life living and working here.

White Hawthorn Blossom - embroidered by hand

Hand Embroidered Hawthorn Blossom

3. As a fellow Handmade Horizons course graduate I have had the privilege of seeing the journey you’ve made as a designer/maker. How would you describe your creative journey over the last year?

A huge development! I looked back at my blog archives to see where I actually was a year ago and at that point I was just doing my Death Cap Toadstool stumpwork sampler piece, to teach myself more advanced techniques. It was only in March of last year that I realised embracing my inner-embroiderer was the way to go and I began creating miniature embroideries for jewellery. I went down to part-time employment in November 2011 to really focus on my business but it was going in a VERY different direction up until I started the course. It actually blows my mind where I am today to where I was a year ago.

Death Cap

4. The choice of materials you use in your work is clearly very important – can you tell us more about the material choices you make when creating a piece?

It’s really very organic to be honest: my mum has a HUGE collection of threads, fabric and equipment, not to mention knowledge passed down over 5 generations. When I started getting into cross stitch again, with my skull pillow (the first thing I made that I blogged about) she gave me loads of it. So I have about 9 boxes of cotton embroidery thread on bobbins, just from her. Other than that, I love colour so when I’m using silk I tend to go for hand dyed, slightly mottled or variegated colours. Fabric wise, for the little jewellery pieces, it has to be thin enough to be sandwiched between the frames. I mostly use very old cotton bedlinen. For art pieces I’m using vintage lace doilies, and they themselves tend to suggest the embroidery – for example the Red Death – a skeleton was the perfect choice for this long thin doily.

Skeleton embroidered onto doily

5. There is a very strong story behind the Mother Eagle brand – how did that come about?

Through the Handmade Horizons course actually! At least that was the catalyst for it. We were asked to create a profile for our ideal target customer, which I did, but then my product completely changed when I switched back to traditional handwork. At the time I was really struggling with knowing how to unite all the different things I was passionate and interested in producing, but wanted to have a consistent brand feel without getting bored with it myself. One day I sat down and this faux-myth just flowed out. Although the fictional muse of Mother Eagle isn’t a customer of course, as an artistic narrative she constantly inspires me and gives me a place from which all my work anchors. She’s a bit like my editor; if I have an artistic choice to make, I ask ‘What would Mother Eagle do?’ or ‘how would this animal/plant/piece of dead body fit in to her life?’ – that usually does the trick.

Hand embroidered Skull Profile Pendant

6. Are people surprised at your use of a “traditional” craft in such an innovative and unusual way?

I’m not sure really! I can’t say as anyone’s ever expressed surprise. I would say it’s interesting how different people seem to approach my work from a place they feel comfortable with. For example the different animals attracts some people, the toadstools for others, the anatomical stuff again is a different crowd. Usually it’s the size of the work that capture’s their initial attention.

Hand Embroidered Pendant featuring the face of a fox

The Midwinter Fox Pendant

7. We’ve been particularly impressed by some of your recent commission work. What are the highlights of the commission process for you?

I like that it gives me a chance to work on a much bigger scale, and also that it allows me to explore a subject I wouldn’t necessarily go to on my own. I have always said I do not want to be an ’embroiderer for hire’ and as such don’t want to be trapped having to do a portrait of someone’s puppy as it just doesn’t make sense to Mother Eagle nor inspire me ( I love dogs – just not to make art). However when approached I try to be very open minded and working with the client to know what it is that they love about the subject matter is a good ‘way in’ for me. For example, the Swans piece I did last Christmas. I would NEVER ‘do’ swans ordinarily, but my client’s ideas for the overall piece, and the general bird-theme which is always attractive, plus the classical symbolism, the challenge of a limited palette, and the big scale made the whole thing exciting. I’m working on a piece now which I think will be so cool when it’s finished, and again, has exposed me to different themes and directions I might not have wandered down by myself.

Private Commission – hand embroidered swans

8. There are very strong themes to your collections – where does the inspiration come from and do you feel liberated or constricted by keeping so closely to these themes?

Liberated! But it’s an insightful question because as I mentioned earlier, it was because I couldn’t see how I could unite all these seemingly disparate interests and passions I have as an artist into a cohesive collection for an audience in the beginning. I love/am interested by folklore, animals, symbolism, magic, witchcraft, tattoos, goth, ritual, herbs…Creating Mother Eagle as a character inhabiting this fantasy world in my consciousness allows me to weave all these threads into her story with complete freedom in a way that makes sense to me and, I hope, to my audience.

Pendant featuring Ribcage hand embroidered in white onto a black background

Rib Pendant

9. Many people comment on the scale of your work and how amazed they are when they discover the true size of your pieces. Your stitches are so small we wonder – does Mother Eagle actually work with pixies?

Ha ha! I have had a nickname since school which is Pixie – on account of my elfin like appearance I guess. I also met a psychic once who told me I am actually descended from fairies. So there could be something in it!

Iamge showing scale of Barn Owl Embroidery in relation to human hand

Hand Embroidered Barn Owl Face

Barn Owl Pendant

10. What does the future hold for Mother Eagle?

More embroidery, more jewellery, more art, more magical animals, more poisonous plants, more bones…hopefully more exposure and interest and more success!

Hand Embroidered Wolf Pendant

If you’d like to find out more about Katie’s work or purchase one of her beautiful designs here’s the link you’ll need. Oh and did I mention that she is currently having a SALE with discounts of up to 50% off?!

Website: http://www.madebymothereagle.com/ (including her amazing blog and shop)

Facebook: http://facebook.com/MadeByMotherEagle

Twitter: @MotherEagleMade

And if you’d like to find out more about the Handmade Horizons course click here

The Craft of Lasercutting

This year at Rosie and the Boys we have branched out into using the skills of others to help create some of our products. We are passionate about creating things by hand but want our products to be available to a wide range of people and budgets. With this in mind, we set about searching for some of the UK’s finest to help.

Our Cuckoo Clock celebrating the birth of a new baby seems to lend itself particularly well to the laser cutting process.
Photo: Yeshen Venema (http://yeshenvenema.com/)

I was thrilled to be stall neighbours with Jacques and Karli of Designosaur at December’s Crafty Fox market and even more delighted when Jacques agreed to help out with laser cutting some of my designs.

Designosaur logo

It has been fascinating learning more about the process behind creating a lasercut design and Jacques has been a very patient teacher. Early on it became clear that many of the skills associated with “traditional” crafts are still required when using new technologies.

Jacques and Karli have very kindly agreed to answer a few questions about the craft of laser cutting. So here goes:

Laser cutting is used more and more in products. Why do you think it is so popular?

Laser cutting is amazing! You can take digital images and use them to create accurate Models, Cars, Jewellery, Electrical Components, Clothes and Art you can even use it to cook sausages. I think that it is it’s versatility in a wide range of industries that has made it so popular. It allows people to create unique products at the touch of a button and you don’t have to be a millionaire to do it.

Lasercut acrylic necklace inspired by Lictenstein

Lichtenstein Inspired Green Heart by designosaur Photo:Bob Prosser (www.hellomynameisbob.co.uk)

Can you laser cut anything?

No not anything, but nearly anything. It depends on the laser cutter. The laser cutter that we use is able to cut a long list of materials including acrylic, wood, cork and neoprene. It can also engrave anodised aluminium but not cut it. Jacques engraved a dinosaur onto the back of his phone to try it out, we are pretty sure this voids his insurance…

What is the best thing about laser cutting? And the worst?

The best thing about laser cutting is that it is inexpensive, the worst thing is that everybody thinks that it is easy to do it well.

Darwin Dodo Necklace by designosaur Photo: Bob Prosser (www.hellomynameisbob.co.uk)

Tell us a bit more about the process – do you walk around with an Austin Powers style laser gun?

Unfortunately not! The laser cutter is a big machine, that uses a laser to cut out designs from your CAD drawing. It takes a matter of seconds to cut out a small shape but the more detail you have in a design, the more expensive it will be! Jacques does all of the laser cutting for designosaur, so for us, he creates the designs, makes sure all of the cut lines, engrave lines are in place, sets the plastic (or other material) up on the laser cutter, the laser cutter cuts the design, and the process is self finishing… HOWEVER if you use wood like us, all the pieces need cleaning afterwards. The laser cutter runs at different speeds and intensities and it is experience which means that you can get the best cut for each material, thickness and finish.

What creative opportunities does laser cutting provide designers?

The ability to use a range of mediums with only one tool. It also means that you can experiment without spending too much money!

How does someone get into lasercutting?

Lots of people are laser cutting at School or University these days, if those days are behind you then having good CAD drawings means that you can get your designs cut at any laser cutters. When you go to the laser cutter it is helpful to have an idea of the process so that you and the laser cutter are on the same page!

Detail photographs of Rosie and the Boys lasercut cuckoo clock

Here are some beautiful detail shots of our lasercut cuckoo clock
Photos: Yeshen Venema (http://yeshenvenema.com/)

Do you think 3D printing will take over from laser cutting?

Definitely. The price for 3D printing needs to come down quite a lot to make it more accessible but eventually a lot more people will be using 3D printing for jewellery and everything else really! Laser cutting is a completely different technique which only works in a 2D form. 3D printing obviously means that you need to be able to model items in 3D. We think that converting 2D drawings into 3D drawings and keeping that designers style like you can with laser cutting will be a lot harder, so there are a lot of laser cutters out there that would need to 3D model!

Who are your laser cutting heroes?

I get a new hero almost every day its great just seeing how people constantly use the laser to create amazing new designs.

Wooden lasercut Brighton Pavilion Necklace

Brighton Royal Pavilion Neckalce by designosaur Photo: Bob Prosser (www.hellomynameisbob.co.uk)

Some people may think that using a laser cutting machine is not “craft” in the same way as something like woodcarving for example. Can you describe the craft element of lasercutting?

The craft in Laser cutting is in the design not the making. However, the craft element is also in knowing your material and your process inside out. All woodcarvers will know that doing something a certain way could ruin a design – with laser cutting it is the same thing, to get the best results you have to know the process inside out. However we are quite happy to be known as designers not crafters!

To see more of Jacques and Karli’s work head over to: http://www.designosauryeah.co.uk/

To get your hands on one of our lasercut cuckoo clocks head over to: http://www.notonthehighstreet.com/rosieandtheboys/product/personalised-new-baby-cuckoo-clock-papercut

Interview with Gemma Hutchinson of Owlish Grey

1. 3 words to describe yourself

‘Whimmy’ – not really a word but describes my tendency to do things on a whim. A friend of mine actually describes my huge collection of unnecessary possessions as my ‘Whimorabilia’

‘Kooky’ – well most people say ‘weird’ actually but I prefer ‘kooky’.

‘Creative’ – I have always loved to create things with my hands – I get a crazy joy from taking a bunch of materials and turning them into something useful or just pretty to look at.

‘Palaverous’, a new word I learnt, which means wordy. I’ve gone and used four words to describe myself now so I guess that says it all.

2. You say you are inspired by all things geometric, galactic and geological. If you had to pick one which would be your strongest influence and why?

Coral Rhombus Earrings

For Owlish Grey, I think I am most inspired by geometry – I just find myself drawn to minimal shapes with clean lines.

Really though, the scientific inspiration isn’t exactly limited to these three things. I have an old and very big ‘Hutchinson Encyclopedia of Science’ that I love to flick through – this is great for ideas and chucks out new areas of science for me to look into and maybe create something from. It is such a great book – plus, my name is Gemma Hutchinson so it really feels like a big book just for me.

3. What’s your favourite stone, shape and constellation?

Quartz Necklace

Stone – Quartz. “Pretty standard stone” I hear you think. It does make up a huge chunk of the earth’s crust and is possibly not the most exciting choice from someone that loves rocks. But I have a good reason for loving this stone so much…

Someone once asked me “What’s the most special thing you have ever held in your hands?” – this is a brilliant question that I now ask all the time because I love the variety of answers I get in response to it. Most people have to have a think about this a while but I knew my answer instantly and replied “Lightning!”. Obviously I need to explain. When I was a kid my parents took me to Matlock Bath, which is close to where I live in Nottingham. We visited a stone quarry and then went into the gemstone shop. This was the day I decided I wanted to be a geologist (archaeologist and palaeontologist came later with the advent of Time Team and JurassicPark). I was fascinated by all the shiny colourful stones and was umm-ing and ahh-ing about which to have when the shop keeper came over to help me. I remember him to be an old man, but I was a kid so he was probably just the age I am now really. He gave me two dusty white stones that were pretty lack-lustre compared to everything else in the shop. He then dimmed the lights and told me to bang the two stones together – voila, LIGHTNING! Well, probably just a few sparks but to my imaginative child eyes there was an actual rod of lightning between my two small hands. Obviously, these were my take-home stones and quartz remains my favourite today, particularly the rutilated kind.

Circular ‘galaxies apart’ cufflinks

Shape – Circle. The circle has a mocking kind of character about it – who can draw a perfect one?! I certainly can’t. The circle literally lives in its own little bubble of mockery – I like him, he’s cool.

Constellation – Draco, the Dragon. Because it’s a dragon! I don’t think I need to say anymore but Draco does also look down on Hercules!

4. Many don’t see science and art as particularly compatible; people are “good” at one or the other. What do you think?

Asteroid Belt Tourmaline Stone Necklace

But what about Leonardo Da Vinci?! Okay, so his talents were considered to be superhuman, possibly not the best example. But most of my friends are scientists and almost all of them have artistic talents outside of their dayjob; a few have their own bands and my friend Mark is a brilliant scientist, currently building a giant world atlas out of computer parts in his spare time!

Science itself has so much to offer for artistic inspiration too, hence Owlish Grey. Anyone that chooses the path of science is simply seeking truths about the fascinating world that we live in – this craving for knowledge doesn’t necessarily mean losing an appreciation for things just because they are beautiful to look at.

5. Each of your letter charms comes with a rock fact – which rock would you pick to describe yourself and which for Owlish Grey?

Personalised charm designed to fit onto wine glass

Wine Charm place markers

For me – Quartz, just because I am a sparky kind of person.

Picture of a variety of stones inlcuding quartz, howlite, onyx and amethyst

Lots of lovely stones – including howlite

For Owlish Grey, it would have to be Howlite! This is a white rock veined with a lovely grey colour, but I didn’t pick it for the colour. I chose Howlite because it tends to grow in irregular nodules to eventually resemble a cauliflower. I feel like my little business is quite unpredictable, even to me, as to what will be the next thing I do. I don’t think there will ever really be any eventual shape, cauliflower or otherwise, as I hope to always have this waterfall of ideas to play with and to keep developing my product range.

6. What are the best and worst aspects of the design process for you?

Gemma’s creative space

The best is the ideas bit. It is so exciting when an idea first springs into my head and I get to swill it around and think up all the possibilities. I have so many scraps of paper that just look like the scribblings and doodles of a mad man. They are always scraps too as I never have these ideas whilst I am sat at a desk with a nice tidy book to hand.

Necklace with Ombre wooden nuggets

When I decided to turn my creative pursuits into a business I initially felt restricted on what I could do on the design front. I felt like I had put myself into the jewellery bucket and now must stay there. I found this really limiting and a bit of a killer to my creative spark so I just scrapped it. It may not be the normal thing to do but I am happy having my jewellery mixed in with prints, cards, home accessories, things for kids… all sorts really. I don’t think this make a Jack of all trades as I am still very picky where quality is concerned. Sometimes I will try my hand at a new skill and just find that I cannot do it to a standard I am happy with, no matter how hard I try – in fact, I probably have almost as many bad ideas as I do good ones.

7. There seems to be a hidden/secret message theme to a lot of your work – is this a fair comment?

Morse code message printed in the shape of the moon

The Morse Moon print

Absolutely fair. I developed these mainly for Valentine’s day. I’m not really a soppy sort myself and if someone was to give me something to say they loved me then it had better not be a big fluffy bear holding a heart saying “I LOVE YOU”. A secret message though, containing a really personal message for my eyes only – that might just sway me. I thought this might just be me though and was literally baffled at the popularity of my morse moons and sound wave cards. I’d love to be able to share the mixture of funny, sad and sometimes deeply personal messages I’ve received – especially the sound recordings, with crazy women laughing, babies babbling, men gushing, kids singing… the list goes on.

8. Tell us about your amazing self-designed gift box.

Gemma’s amazing self designed icohedron box.

This came as a result of my terrible best friend, procrastination. I was supposed to be working on my thesis but instead found myself cutting and sticking bits of paper, trying to turn it into some kind of shape. I’m not great at maths (probably shouldn’t admit this as a scientist) so this was a long 6-hour process of trial and error – the lid drove me crazy. This was one of the rare occasions where I felt that the end result was better than the creative process itself. Despite spending so much time on it, I had actually planned only to use it to store all the little things accumulating on my desk. But, I loved the box so much I actually started Owlish Grey just so I could have an excuse to send it out to people.

9. Can you tell us more about your love of the periodic table?

Genius greetings card spelt using periodic table elements

One of a range of periodic table inspired cards from Owlish Grey

The periodic table is just incredible in its simplicity. I remember the day I was introduced to it in science class and feeling amazed that our planet had been boiled down to these core elements, all organised in a tidy little table. It really is quite a remarkable thing.

10. What can we look forward to seeing from you in 2013?

Gemma’s nephew

One thing I really want to work on is a science range for kids. I am lucky to have a 6-year old nephew that has all the interests I did when I was his age. He loves science and is already planning the ‘Archeology Dig’ he is going to be doing with his grandparents in the summer. I got him an ant farm this Christmas and solar system mobile the year before but it took me forever to find these – I really don’t think there are enough toys for kids that like to learn. I’ve started with the spring experiments test tube kit for easter – there’s some chocolate in there to keep them happy but mainly it is about the learning activities designed to teach kids about the spring season in a fun way.

The new Spring Experiments

I am also saving for a laser cutter as I would like to expand my range to use sound waves in personalised jewellery and wall art.

Here’s how you can keep in touch or buy something from Owlish Grey: Just click on the links!

Facebook: Owlish Grey

Website: www.owlishgrey.com

Twitter: OwlishGrey

Interview with Designosaur

Designosaur logo

1. 3 words to describe yourselves (you can have 3 each!)

Jacques: Laidback, Silly, Perfectionist
Karli: Colourful, Fun, Organised

2. How do you make a design partnership work?

Stegosaurus brooch – Stella

Hmmm. Ours works because we have very different roles and know what each other’s strengths and weaknesses are. Jacques is very patient and calm, and I am very organised but stressy. This leads Jacques wanting to do all of the designing (hours and hours on illustrator), whereas I do all the of the branding, marketing, social media, contacting stockists and general admin. It means that when I get bored half way through a task I can flit onto something else.

3. How does being based in Brighton feature in your work life?

Barrel o’ Monkeys Brooch

Living in Brighton is not only inspiring in itself but also means we are close to London for visits to galleries, museums and to see skyscrapers. Brighton is great for the beach in the summer, and the fact that there is always something going on. We very much live for the motto “Work hard, Play Hard”. We also have most of the things we need on our doorstep – need more chain we head down to the bead shop!

4. Can you tell us more about the upcoming Plastic Fantastic! event?

Laser cut acrylic sign reads plastic fantastic!

Upcoming event at Porta, Brighton on 21st February

Plastic Fantastic! is a Press and Blogging event that is being held at one of our stockists Porta (www.twitter.com/BrightonPorta). It is four Brighton based designers who will be showcasing their new collections. Maggie Angus (www.maggieangus.com), Sugar Jones (www.sugarjones.co.uk) Katze Shop by Rosa Pietsch (www.etsy.com/shop/katzeshop) and ourselves. It should be a really fun event, we’ve got goodie bags and all of the designers will be there to chat to and show off their new designs! If you would like an invite just email portabrighton@hotmail.com

5. What exactly is Product Design and how does it influence designosaur’s work?

Roar brooch in Acrylic

Both Jacques and I studied Product Design at university and I would say that it is the design of everything that isn’t aeronautical or mechanical. It is such a large field and we chose not to specialise although our final year projects were very in depth, but completely different. Our Product Design degrees taught us lots of techniques, as well as bringing us together. So without a degree in Product Design there wouldn’t be designosaur!

6. What led you to jewellery?

Laser cut brachiosaurus necklace worn by model

Image: Bob Prosser (www.hellomynameisbob.co.uk)

I have an acrylic and junk jewellery problem. Jacques started an internship at a laser cutters and was making children’s acrylic mirrors. He brought home some of the designs to show me, and one of them was a GIANT Brachiosaurus Mirror. I held it up to me and said that it would make an awesome necklace, (it covered my entire torso) and I think it clicked with Jacques that if he was making the acrylic jewellery, this could work out cheaper in the long run! He reduced the size of the design and we went from there!

7. What are the best and worst aspects of the design process for you?

Designosaur Necklace

The best bit is the ideas stage, we are full of them, and scribbling them down and discussing them is the most fun. The worst bit is when you have had an awesome idea, you have made it, and then for some reason it doesn’t quite work, maybe it is too weak at one point, or doesn’t hang correctly. This can be quite disheartening sometimes.

8. Do you find that focusing your subject matter to mainly dinosaurs and extinct creatures is limiting or liberating?

Colourful dinosaur necklaces held in model's hands

Photo: Bob Prosser (www.hellomynameisbob.co.uk)

Ahhh! Well, we are designosaur, or designosaurs and although we happen to make dinosaurs they are not the designosaurs that our brand entirely relates to. Dinosaurs were a great first collection, and we will continue to make dinosaur themed products and to sell our dinosaurs as a core collection, but there is so much more to come from us. It is good to have a strong brand recognition, people know us as the ones that make dinosaur jewellery and then they remember we are called designosaur. It has opened us up to a wider range of stockists doing the Natural History style designs too.

9. Your designs are available in fabulous range of places from craft fairs, to independent boutiques and the Natural History Museum. What is the best bit about each of these type of stockists for designosaur?

Woolly Mammoth Necklace made from wood and acrylic

Exclusive to the Natural History Museum – Woolly Mammoth Necklace

We love craft fairs, we love people being excited about our designs, chatting about dinosaurs and having that personal touch. The independent boutiques are what moved us from crafters to a brand. It’s fun dealing with independent boutiques, there is a lot of passion behind each store and we’ve worked with some lovely store owners in the last year. Big stockists like the Natural History Museum are fantastic advertising for our brand – giving people who would have never come across us otherwise the chance to fall in love with designosaur jewels!

10. What can we look forward to from designosaur this year?

Narwhal Necklace

You can look forward to SO MANY THINGS this year. I am Queen of saying YES to everything, and recently when asking Jacques if we should take on another huge project he said “well you only run a dinosaur jewellery business once!”. We have collaborations, collectives, events, new stockists, new collections and so much more coming your way. Unfortunately at this stage of the game it’s Top Secret, but we promise you will be excited!

Want to find out more or do some designosaur shopping? Here’s how:

Shop: www.designosaurYEAH.co.uk
Twitter: www.twitter.com/designosaurYEAH
Facebook: www.facebook.com/designosaurYEAH
Blog: www.designosaurYEAH.blogspot.com

DOWSE Design – an insight into the motivations of an independent retailer

People open shops for all sorts of reasons. Making money is an obvious one, but in my experience this is not the main motivational factor for independent retailers.

Interview with Katie from Mother Eagle

The Craft of Lasercutting

Interview with Gemma Hutchinson of Owlish Grey

Interview with Designosaur

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People open shops for all sorts of reasons. Making money is an obvious one, but in my experience this is not the main motivational factor for independent retailers.

About Us

Sign Up For News + Updates

Get Social

Latest Posts