I love championing smaller designers and when they also have an ethical side to them, it's even more of a plus. Because of that I am really excited to collaborate with jewellery brand
LA Kaiser. LA Kaiser was founded by Cindy Kaiser, a graduate of Creative Jewellery and Metal Design from Stellenbosch University, South Africa. She further honed her skills in the USA and has worked with Michael Schmidt Studios helping design stage costumes and accessories for a number of A-list celebrities including Rihanna and Madonna. After that she founded her own company LA Kaiser and is designing and making truly amazing pieces with precious metals and stones. But the thing that I love the most is that her jewellery is ethical and part of all profits is donated to scholarship fund in Zimbabwe helping kids get an education and better their lives.
Hence the company's motto: "Designed in Zurich. Hand-crafted in the USA. Helping Africa."
Cindy was kind enough to send me 2 gorgeous pieces from her current Cape Collection and I cannot wait to wear them. They came in an elegant grey pouch and box with a golden stamp. Both pieces are wonderfully detailed and beautifully made.
And since I like being a bit nosy and I also thought it would be interesting for the readers of my blog, I asked Cindy a few questions about her brand.
1)
Hi Cindy, could you please tell us a little about yourself and how and why did you decide to pursue jewellery design?
I've always
been a very creative/ hands on type of person. When I was a child, I was
always making things : gifts, clothes, jewelry and basically anything
and everything! I couldn't see myself having a career that was not based
on creative work and I wanted to do what I love, so that's why I
initially went on to obtain a degree in Visual Arts at college. That
experience further cemented the fact that I was on the right path and
that if I continued along this path, I would be able to fulfill my
dreams.
2) You have studied both in United States and South Africa, which
jewellery design schools would you recommend to young people interested
to pursue that line of work?
Well, I guess I may be biased due to the fact that
I grew up in Africa.. but I would definitely say that the four years I
spent at Stellenbosch in South Africa studying jewelry design, was an
irreplaceable experience and the knowledge and techniques we walked away
with at the end of the day was rather impressive. We were a small and
focused class of only 20 students during the four years and we really
did receive top quality education. That being said my time spent at FIDM
in Los Angeles, has proven to be extremely useful and beneficial as I
walked away with valuable knowledge on how to start up and run a
fashion/design business, as well as learning about all the ins and outs
of the fashion industry in the USA - which was really helpful.
3) What are your designs inspired by? Where do you draw your inspiration from?
My designs are predominately influenced by travel. I spend a lot of
time in Zurich each year with family and during this time I like to
design, as I am always surrounded by such inspiring aesthetic beauty -
gorgeous architecture, exquisite lakes and mountains and lush
countryside. I could sit outside all day with a pen and paper and just
let my mind go into design mode. It's addictive.
4) What kind of person wears your jewellery and how does it feel when you see someone wearing your designs?
Women who
appreciate fine and unique design, as well as simplicity tend to go for
my pieces. It's a women who is looking for quality over quantity and
who enjoys a little bold color from time to time. It feels fantastic
when you see/know someone who is wearing your piece and even more
satisfying when you see them wearing it over and over again. It's such a
rewarding feeling to know that you have created something that they
really like and looks great on them too.
5) What advice would you give someone entering jewellery design business nowadays?
Don't give up!!!!
It's a crazy roller coaster ride, especially in the beginning... but
you just got to keep on pushing and persevering every day. You got to
believe that you deserve success and go after it with all you got.
You can have a look through the current collection of LA Kaiser
HERE and friend them on Facebook
HERE.
I had the honour of photographing the one and only Jean Paul Gaultier back in April. The photos were taken for a Croatian magazine and to coincide with the opening of his exhibition at London's Barbican centre. Monsieur Gaultier is charming and very, very funny and I loved both him and the exhibition. If you happen to be in London this month, the event runs till 25th August and it's well worth seeing. 
These are some of the photos I took back in October for a young and talented Russian fashion designer Tatiana Smirnova. The full collection can be seen at 
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