erki moeshow

what a relief! the fashion show, erki moeshow, is over!

these past five weeks have been such a blessing. being a part of this show was such a great opportunity to jump start my work here in estonia and give me some helpful insight into the contemporary scene. i collaborated with mikko seppa, an estonian/finnish designer, who needed a wearable structure (which we refer to as "the hood") for one of his models. this piece really pushed my jeweler comfort zone by forcing me to work much larger than i normally do, but in a way that would be light (aesthetically - to compliment the fashion and physically - to be comfortably worn). we began with mikko's initial sketches, modified the design slightly according to material/functional restraints, and then i got to work. thankfully, i was able to meet the needs of the designer, the piece, and my own aesthetics without much compromise.

mikko was also kind enough to invite me to make more work, time permitting, for the other three models. so, with his collection in mind i created a series of two necklaces and three rings. mikko's collection was entitled fallen nature with a color scheme that included rich browns, hints of red, and golden tones. previously i had been working with deconstructing solid materials, such as concrete, and re-assembling the parts to make a new material suitable for jewelry. the series of jewelry i created for the show utilized this process. i began with fresh soil, forming spheres with the help of a binding agent. i then graded/measured and drilled the dry "pearls." for the necklaces i wanted to maintain the appearance of a traditional strand of pearls, with knots between each one, while adding a hint of color and a contemporary feel. the rings are quite large, measuring 35 to 50mm. in order to highlight the texture and incorporate the golden tones from mikko's collection, i applied gold leaf to two of the rings.

the pictures that accompany this post were taken during the show and therefore do not specifically highlight my jewelry. saturday afternoon before the show mikko organized a photo shoot of the collection and my work in order to take advantage of full hair and makeup that was completed that morning. again, what a great opportunity. to have professional photographs of my work within the appropriate context on gorgeous models is more than i could ask for. as soon as i receive the images from the shoot i'll be sure to post them!

the week leading up to the show was hectic. i helped mikko affix several hunderad viscous threads to the hood on thanksgiving day in between basting the turkey! saturday morning was a rush of bringing everything to the school for the photo shoot, attending hair and makeup, dressing the models for the shoot, packing up everything to be taken to the show, getting ready.... and all on tape. mikko's friend from finland is a film student who, for his senior thesis, created a documentary based on mikko's collection and the days leading up to the show. which meant that through all the chaos, he was there capturing it on film.

the show itself was spectacular. 28 designers were represented from kunstiakadeemia (the art academy), estonia, finland, denmark, and sweden. the theater was filled to capacity, camera crews for print as well as television were present, a dj, a live band, pole dancers during intermission..... in all, a very exciting evening. the best part? nothing went horribly wrong. worst case scenarios had been flashing through my mind all week. the hood falls apart on stage, the pearls crumble, the models trip, you name it i was dreaming about it. but no, it was simply wonderful.