We catch up with Lily Kamper, our new favourite jewellery designer, who talks us through her upcoming collections
I think I speak for women everywhere when I say that I feel as if my outfit isn’t quite complete without a smattering of jewellery. Whether your taste is blingtastic or minimal, quirky or classic; finding the right jewellery can take you that all-important step closer to sartorial heaven.
So imagine what happened when we unearthed the, ahem, hidden gem that is Lily Kamper… This jewellery wunderkind has already had her own London Fashion Week show and also created bespoke pieces for Fashion East designer Helen Lawrence. As if that wasn’t enough, her decorative yet structural designs have also got the Anna Wintour seal of approval. Trust us: if she wasn’t on your radar before then she will be now!
We caught up with the London-based designer to let her take us through the inspirations behind her inimitable jewellery as well as introduce us to her upcoming collections.
What inspired you to create the columnar, structural pieces that have become your signature?
It initially started as an exploration into shaping and adding colour to Perspex, and the initial inspiration for the forms came from the beautiful carved pillars of temples and in particular a visit to Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in North London.
And what led to the unusual material combinations?
I was studying Mixed Media at the Royal College of Art and I think I have always had a fascination with how different materials can sit alongside each other; ones that have different values or simply create different textures.
Could you talk us through your Autumn/Winter 2014/15 range?
My Autumn/Winter Collection was inspired by images of the earth at night time, marble staircases and the phases of the moon. For this collection I introduced the use of a resin that appears to look like stone and also pieces that are set with light blue sapphires: set upside down so the bottom of the cut stone spikes out. I also made a luxury piece made out of solid Lapis with a cap set with sapphire pavé.
And what can we expect for Spring/Summer 2015?
For next season I have been working with a very simple colour palette and also introduced some new hexagonal shapes set with white sapphires, a little rose gold has also made an appearance…
Your work has attracted the attention of Vogue Italia, WGSN and, more recently, Helen Lawrence. Do you enjoy collaborating and working on bespoke pieces? Which has been your favourite so far?
I love working with other designers and really enjoyed working with my good friend Helen to create some pieces for her catwalk show out of glittery resin and powder coated metal. I also really enjoyed working with the designer Steven Tai on some bespoke hardware for a leather rucksack in his Spring/Summer 2014 Collection. There are some really exciting collaborations in the pipeline too which I can’t wait to reveal!
What has been your proudest moment as a designer so far?
I think my proudest moments were graduating from the Royal College and also showing at London Fashion Week at Somerset House. The last year or so has been such a whirlwind, but presenting my work to Anna Wintour in Milan was pretty amazing too!
Wow! So who would you love to see wearing one of your pieces?
I would love to see someone just out and about on the street that I don’t know wearing one of my pieces, it hasn’t happened yet, so I reckon that would be quite cool.
Words: Samantha Southern