Inspired by Architecture – How fashion and Jewellery has been inspired by Geometry

 A big trend this season, as seen in the couture fashion circles and on the high street is the architectural influence in fashion and jewellery.

One of the more unusual designers Frank Gehry, a guru in creating interesting metal sculptured buildings, was commissioned to translate his architectural design skills into creating a collection for Tiffany & Co.  The "Torque" collection, a simple set of brown banded agate, cachalong and ebony wood bangles shows architectural influence at its finest.

Designers like Yeohlee Teng also are inspired by architectural and geometrical creations which form the body of her design. Her elegant pieces take their shape from the way fabric drapes on the body.  In a recent interview she asks “I am interested in how they make you feel—sensual? Inhibited? Free?”

One of our personal favourites is the the famous "Möbius" shoe, from United Nude, cofounded by Dutch architect Rem D Koolhaas (nephew of the provocative architect Rem Koolhaas). It is clear to see in the final design that the shoe was inspired by the famed Barcelona chair.

One of the big inspirations behind the  Lolo & Galago ‘ Spice Trail Collection’ was architecture in the form of Arabic buildings and mosques situated on the old Spice Trail route. In the design you can see how these buildings have inspired the designer to create a beautiful and unique piece of jewellery.

So next time you look a a creatively designed piece, maybe have a think at what was the inspiration or muse behind that special piece of jewellery in your jewellery box.

Written by Rosie May Reddington

Alex Davis- Fine Jewellery for Lolo and Galago

At Lolo and Galago, we love that we work with a number of London’s most celebrated luxury jewellery designers and as a result offer a wide variety of top level designer pieces.
One such jewellery designer we work with is Alex Davis, creator of fine jewellery based on nature, science and architecture.

As with all our designers, we ensure we have a deep and thorough understanding of their inspirations, creative process and meaning behind their luxury jewellery- and we love to share this with our customers. We chatted with Alex at his designer studio in central London, just round the corner from Selfridges.

 

Interestingly, Alex’s background is technical and science based, having completed a degree in Biochemistry. It’s an unlikely source of inspiration- but Alex often draws from it. “Inspiration can come from anywhere, but I love to be inspired by nature, science and architecture. My degree is in Biochemistry so I often draw inspiration from that” he tells us, as we admire his Dendritic collection, available at Lolo and Galago.
The collection is based on a molecular structure and took several years to develop technically. Like all the collections at Lolo and Galago, we find it is important to understand the meaning and development behind a piece to truly appreciate it as a work of art.

 

Alex talks us through his design process: “I normally start with a design concept, before working through a series of drawings. I use a variety of techniques from traditional and ancient jewellery making processes to the latest CADCAM techniques”. It’s a great fit for Lolo and Galago- all our luxury jewellery is produced by a combination of traditional and modern techniques which we find best create beautiful designer jewellery.

So what makes the perfect piece of jewellery according to a jewellery designer? “The best jewellery is something new and something fun.  It needs to be bold and exciting, but above all it needs to beautifully made”.

 

And it’s not easy to ensure this with every design- the qualities required to be a top London jewellery designer are immense- “You need an eye for style, and a creative, inquisitive mind.  Also, you need patience, the ability to multitask & a capacity to learn a large number of techniques”, Alex tells us. Even with all this, work can be tough, Alex makes a point of highlighting the difficulties: “Keeping up with all the different projects I run concurrently, and staying on top of demand” are the things he finds most difficult.
With the beautiful luxury jewellery designs Alex produces for Lolo and Galago, it’s likely that demand will continue.

Behind the Scenes- Creating a Photoshoot

 

Behind every beautiful piece of imagery is a lot of inspiration, imagination, design and skill. With so many photos around it’s easy to forget the amount of work that goes into each print.

Here in London at Lolo and Galago, we wanted to make the most of our surroundings in our upcoming photoshoots to beautifully exhibit our designer jewellery.
We interview London based photographer Martin Lear, Lolo and Galago’s artistic director. With experience working for many designer brands as well as Coca Cola, Haagen Dazs and MTV, Martin is the personification of our brand- a love of drawing inspiration from every aspect of the World, bringing it to a conclusion to produce a beautiful work of art.

From his apartment in London (complete with his own studio, of course), Martin explains to us what makes a ‘perfect’ campaign shot. “Understanding the essence of the brand is key” he muses. “Leave no stone unturned during the preparation and planning stages, this allows you to have complete freedom on the day of the shoot, creating real connective natural moments”.
Martin is keen to point out that the most beautiful photography comes from these natural moments where real emotion is captured. “Ideas come from everywhere. The real art is seeing which ones have the ability to reach across all the brand’s varying touching points. Once you have this, and it’s a strong concept, then everything else should simply slot into place”.

And it is this art that makes the difference between a normal shot and a designer masterpiece. Truly beautiful photography should be able to stop people, make them pause to appreciate the nature of the jewellery. And it should also demonstrate the brand. For Lolo and Galago, we want to make sure our designer, exclusive and fashionable jewellery is beautifully displayed in London surroundings. To cover all of these takes a lot of planning- and a lot of people.

 

“Choosing your crew is all important. So, once I’ve sifted through all the relevant portfolios, I then personally meet everyone, from the photographer and make/up artists to stylists and set builders, making sure they are all on brief regarding the creative dynamics”. For a typical shoot at Lolo and Galago, we will begin planning the concepts 2 months in advance, talking with designers about how they best want their jewellery represented. With all the people involved, budgets for photoshoots can be extraordinary- it is not unknown for some companies to spend up to £250,000 a shoot.

We can’t wait to get going with our latest shoots, which Martin will be leading. And he can’t wait to start working with us. “A brand where the core truths are based around art and fashion always gives a good foundation to build engaging and compelling creative narratives”, he says. We’ll take that as a compliment- and are looking forward to seeing our designer jewellery come to life in London locations.

The Next Stage of Design at Lolo and Galago

Lolo and Galago’s designers and development team have been working hard over the past few months to continue our stringent design process on 2014’s newest jewellery collections.

Our development team keep their finger on the pulse with respect to the Catwalk’s latest designs and use these as our first point of inspiration, applying the styles and merging them with our own artistic inspirations to create a brief used to pinpoint beautiful, luxury design.

 

Using our guiding brand principles of being led by design, founded by fashion and created exclusively, we seamlessly add the fashion styles to our own impressions of luxury, lifestyle and art until we create designs we are proud to call timeless art.

 

 

We’re still mid-way through this process and as part of our ongoing work we wanted to display our latest sketches.
One of the most exciting launches will be our Dark Roccoco- a challenging concept melding traditional later Baroque stylings with modern gothic accents. Whilst technically a difficult balance to get right, from it a beautiful juxtaposition can arise within the jewellery piece, providing a true reflection of luxury but with a modern flair.

 

We’re also working on a hotly anticipated collection for late 2014. Inspired by the upcoming Autumn-colour palettes, we wanted to address the season to produce luxury jewellery that works with the style whilst using our own twist of bright colours.
Our design team have concentrated on combining metal with enamel to provide a strong colour contrast complementing the trend- but adding a luxury touch to the jewellery piece to help it through the ages.

 

Whilst there’s a lot more work to go before we can create a finished collection ready for release, we love to share our progress and show our customers the thought and effort that goes into our designer strategy.

Choosing a Gemstone- What works for you?

Think Gemstones and most of us tend to come up with Diamonds, Sapphires, Emeralds and Rubies. It’s a surprising fact that there are actually hundreds of types of gemstones, each with their own unique colours and features.

The great thing here is it means there are many beautiful gemstones at your fingertips when you’re searching for that perfect piece to compliment a particular look. Here we look at a few different stones- both well known and others- and how they can be worn, using celebrities as examples.

Kate’s engagement ring, beautifully passed onto her from Prince William after it was originally owned by his mother Princess Diana, is 12 carats of Ceylon sapphire and a cluster of 14 diamonds set in white gold.

Sapphires are not just blue. They can come in an almost rainbow assortment of colours- and if they are red, we call them Rubies. Yes, that’s right- Rubies and Sapphires are the same stone (corundum, the second hardest substance known to man).

The reason for their famed blue colour is that it is this concentrated, mid-blue that is the most valuable due to its rarity. In fact, some sapphires even have ‘two’ colours depending on how the light reflects on them and can change colour under different lighting conditions.

Sapphire in its ‘rough’ form

So how to wear blue sapphires?
We feel they work best with chique, sharp outfits. We’ve used examples of Kate Middleton with her engagement ring- of course she wears it everywhere- but the deep blue particularly works with her style of smart, well cut fashion.

Blue Sapphires have always been a favourite amongst royalty- their deep colours have been associated with dignity and loyalty, and their beautiful, rich colour that personifies an air of class. They’ll bring out the best parts of a chic outfit designed to look classy- whether contemporary or traditional- and work fantastically at glitzy events. Our Spice Trail collection harvests many sapphire stones and the sparkling nature works particularly well if worn with a simple, non-detailed outfit.

 

 Opals come in a variety of colours; the red and yellow Fire Opal is amongst the most breathtaking

One stone that we feel is underused in jewellery is Opal- adored by the likes of Elizabeth Taylor. Opals have the unique characteristic of beautiful rainbow coloured flecks within the stone, bringing out its colour so that it appears vivid and bright.

We think Opals are a beautiful compliment to a fun and bright outfit. Opals will stand out on their own accord, but wearing a contrasting coloured opal to that of your clothes helps differentiate the piece and compliment the outfit.
Because Opals exhibit their coloured flecks in almost any scenario, they’re a great piece to wear outdoor in sunlight- so they can be a great stone to wear throughout the day and really show off.

Elizabeth Taylor was reported to have a passion for Opal jewellery
 

Colbie Smulders uses Aquamarine beautifully with her outfit

Aquamarine is another stone that needs nothing to help it stand out. Meaning Sea Water in Latin, it has an almost electric blue colour and is closely related to Emeralds.

Representing friendship and courage and said to help with happiness and everlasting youth, it is a popular gemstone seen on the likes of Colbie Smulders, Katie Perry, Mila Kunis and many royal figures.

 

Aquamarine before cutting

There are several ways to best work an outfit with Aquamarine jewellery. One of our favourites is to be bold and match it with an equally bright, blue coloured outfit as Colbie has. It’s a great way to make a loud statement at an event, whilst keeping the look classy and high end by matching the jewellery to the dress.

Aquamarine also works very well with black and white outfits. An all-black dress or monochrome outfit for work are well-complimented by the light blue of aquamarine, providing a sparkling addition of colour that doesn’t distract from the overall look.

The good news is there are many, many more gemstones out there- each with their own unique looks that help complete an outfit and perfect look. At Lolo and Galago, we will continue to introduce you to new and exciting gemstones set into beautiful jewellery, so that you can own fashionable pieces that work with any number of trends.

However you decide to wear yours, make sure you enjoy your jewellery and get as much as possible out of it.

Inspiration in Design- Bars and Cafes

At Lolo & Galago we take inspiration for our designs from all aspects of life.
 One of the big trends this year for jewellery designers has been taking inspiration from  geometry and buildings worldwide. Stephen Webster created a whole collection of jewellery around buildings and architecture. So we thought we would take a slightly differently angle and look at what inspires the designs of interiors themselves; namely cafes and restaurants around the world.

Gemstones originate from the ground and at some stage started life in the form of a rock. This inspiration from rock is also found in the creation of Corus, a bar designed by the Doyle Collection, where they have installed rocks into the bar and framed as artwork. Rocks were the fundamental inspiration and set the theme & colour scheme of the interior. This bar has won awards for their design.

 

One of our favourite café bars was inspired by speakers, music and lighting. It was opened up by locals in Brisbane ( http://www.alfredandconstance.com.au/) and  you can see their design inspiration at every angle around the bar.

 

The Living Room in West Seatle is a true piece of art. The project’s visual centerpiece is a three-story tower covered with 1,000 stainless steel shingles, and it houses a ground level fireplace with a DJ booth on top. Believe it or not, the surrounding the fireplace is comprised of three miles of multi-coloured cording flowing from illuminated ceiling beams, past pink trumpet-shaped blown glass chandeliers and into the backs of matching couches. This café bar draws connections to the geography and regional culture where the design is employed as abstract storytelling.

 

Finally inspiration can come from heritage, community and local landmarks. An example of this is the The Movement,  a community café and poem in Greenwich, designed by Morag Myerscough. The café was designed and built in just 16 days to greet visitors to the London 2012 Olympic equestrian events in Greenwich. It was created in a site left derelict by demolition. The sunken plot was turned into a natural amphitheatre that used recycled shipping containers for the base structure and a tower of scaffolding to hold the words forming a Lemn Sissay poem. This particular café, though simple in design won various awards. The judges said: ‘We like this because it creates a real event out of literally nothing. It embraces hospitality in its true sense – a warm welcome, a meeting place, a sense of togetherness, a team effort. It’s dynamic and it works.’

So whatever your design preference in jewellery, remember to take your inspiration from all aspects of life.

Tomasz Donocik- Lolo & Galago Designer and Artistic Inspiration

 

“Those who find beautiful meaning in beautiful things are the cultivated. For those there is hope.”
So says Oscar Wilde, and it is this quotation that spearheads the philosophy behind jewellery designer Tomasz Donocik’s work.
As winner of Goldsmith’s Jewellery Designer of the Year, Tomasz Donocik needs no introduction in terms of his prowess in design- though at Lolo & Galago we like to think of him as an artisan.

And it is for this reason that Tomasz and Lolo & Galago fit so well together- we are both interested in creating works of timeless art, converting our silver and gold designer jewellery into beautiful artistic pieces in their own right. It’s a partnership that works.

What is exciting for us is to understand the scope of design behind Tomasz’s work- and so we met up to discuss with him exactly how he is inspired and how such a talented jewellery designer begins the task of creating beautiful designer silver and gold jewellery.
Read on to see our exclusive interview with him.  

Tomasz Looks over early designs for Lolo & Galago with us

Tomasz tells us he always loved art, but it was only during university that he began to explore metal work, fashion and the concept of adornment. “Mixing materials to create something long lasting and wearable seemed to be a perfect fit for me” he says to us over a coffee near his studio in East London. “(I get) my inspirations everywhere. I love stories and narratives, the jewellery illustrates the characters and background. The best things are in the details; as in architecture, fashion, all design disciplines- jewellery is the detail that makes your style unique”.
We couldn’t agree more- our founder at Lolo and Galago wanted to offer jewellery to customers that has a story and a meaning behind it- a designer piece that was as much fashion and art work as it was jewellery. This is not an easy process, however, as Tomasz was clear to point out:
“I have so many ideas, it’s hard to know where to start. But once I get going, it’s a great process. (For some) pieces, these can take months to refine and test. Other times, I can find a form I love and the other elements just fall together”.

Tomasz's award-winning piece, The Courtship of the Hornbill

It’s Tomasz Donocik’s tireless attitude to continue to be inspired by everything he sees that has won him a number of accolades- his most recent being the awards at Couture. But Tomasz insists he is always “reaching for the next, always looking forward”.

We were interested to hear about his inspirations from the fashion industry, and wanted to learn how he feels his jewellery is best worn. “Your jewellery is always what is most unique to you; pieces you choose are what you will wear with many different outfits and will outlive your clothing and the fashion cycle” he says. “Once you have chosen a particular style, you grow with it and it forms that extra detail that is part of your identity. It’s a poignant reminder that every designer jewellery piece created is, as we see it at Lolo and Galago, timeless art. And whilst we create everything to work with current trends, our pieces are also designed to be wearable in a variety of situations for years to come.

Tomasz also has a love of sculpture and painting. “The hues and textures used in these art forms are just amazing” he tells us. You can’t help but be taken in by his passion for all things artistic and fashionable. Thankfully, he was also taken in with us.
“After my first meeting with Lolo and Galago it was obvious that they are passionate about bringing designers to the attention of people that will love the jewellery” he tells us enthusiastically.
For us, it is a privilege to be working with Tomasz and we cannot wait to work with him on exclusive collections in the near future.

Creating a Beautiful Website

For Lolo and Galago we have made sure the online offering of our brand is beautiful, exciting and simple to use. For us, we wanted to make sure everything that represented our brand- fashion, exclusivity and art- was showcased online in an elegant and charming way.

But how is this done? Is it as simple as drawing up an online plan and ‘building’ it? We wanted to show you a quick behind-the-scenes tour of how we built up our online site and kept it associated with our brand throughout the process.

The very first thing we have to do is define to our website designers roughly how we want our website to be laid out- what we want to include in it and what our brand represents. We also show them a mood board of online sites we like from other brands, to help inspire some ideas.

Our designers then come back to us with some templates that show us what the website might look like for its layout, like the picture above.
They also give us several concepts about how the brand will be represented online. Some of our early concepts are in the pictures below.

At Lolo and Galago, we decided it was important to keep our famous brand purple involved throughout our online site. We looked at different concepts and between us, our marketing team helped decide on a final style that would be applied.

 

Once we have decided on a brand style to be applied across the whole online site, our designers then get to work producing the layouts and structure for every page on our website- there’s over 200 pages on the final Lolo and Galago site and over 2,000 figures to enter.

 

 

As a luxury brand, all our online site is to be built around beautiful imagery. Much of this will be of our Lolo and Galago models but some will be artistic approaches. Our artistic director helps recommend different image styles to enhance our jewellery products, which we choose to be ingrained into the online site’s set up.

Finally, there’s hard work to be done by our coders who take the final designs from our web designers and make our website come to life. We combine this with our imagery and photoshoots to produce a complete online offering.

Like every aspect of our business, we take great care in faithfully showcasing our brand and the principles it represents. With the time and effort spent on the online design to make sure we have a beautiful, practical and unique website, we’d like to think this shows with every click you make. 



 

What’s Hot – Florals Trends Worldwide

As Milan Fashion Week finishes and Paris Fashion Weeks gets underway, it is clear to see that there are two key trends that are ruling all the runways- ‘ Florals’ and ‘Animal Prints’. These themes have inspired collections worldwide and will continue to flourish in 2014.

In London we saw Temperly triumphing with her flower designed collections and she incorporated animal print into one of her ultra feminine designs, pairing this with a stunning bejewelled long sleeve transparent top. Next year we will also see a lot of layering, loose fitting and flowing designs.

Over in Milan, Pucci incorporated Animal Pring into his more street style 60’s short skirt collection. It was evident that after a season of sleeo, sexy minimalism, Emilio Pucci designer Peter Dundas has returned to the brand’s hippie roots for Fall 2014. His collection combined 60’s rock chic super short skirts, patterend and sheer long-sleeved dresses, animal print belost and long thigh length boots.

Jil Sander was also inspired by the floral theme and launched her runway collection with   prints focused around flowers and patterns in Milan.  In line with this trend, Versace filled the catwalk with bold flower prints, while MSGM created a collection which was packed with a patchwork of florals. Marni added an oriental twist to the theme, creating kimono-style jackets with bold floral patterns.

One of our favourite collections was by designer Giambattista Valli who combined silky flowing tops with shorts of every style in faded silk in 3D floral.

The Gimbattista Valli collection finished their catwalk show with white flowers printed on lilac ( one of the core colours next year) and a design which appeared like golden branches encrusted into the dress like jewels. Floral jewellery will be a big next year so make sure you check out our latest designs at Lolo & Galago. We will be showcasing some of the most unique floral designs in early 2014.

 

Written by: Rosie May Reddington