Another Lau to Remember

If I could devote my time to meeting designers in person and talking to them about their work, I would as sometimes, even from the most comprehensive of websites and press releases and most detailed of iamges.  It won’t ever compare with seeing things in person and gauging what inspires the designer. I hope to devote more time to seeking people out and possibly seeing things for myself so that when I write about it on the blog, hopefully I’m giving everything my personal seal of approval as if to say ‘Hey! I ‘m not just talking out of my arse! So and so is REALLY good!’.

Maria Lau (no bias because she shares the same surname as me or anything…) was yet another IQONS find but was someone I really had to speak to in person as her website is so sparse at the moment.  Her background in textiles at the RCA (I seem to be gravitating towards a lot of RCA grads at the moment…) gave her the freedom to explore her real love for jewellery and so in effect she is self-taught. Mer MA collection using cording and macrame techniques:

What I love about her work is the slightly naive simplicity to the materials used but using them in a complex way as demonstrated by the cord pieces. I also think it’s the first time I’ve seen facial embellishment like the one above done in fabric binding which hooks over the ears like spectacles, like a lower extension of a hat.

The idea of the face brace is explored to a more heightened effect for Maki Ichikawa, who Maria collaborated with for her recent graduate collection at the CSM BA show. From this, I do get the feeling that Maria’s jewellery skills lie in augmenting high-fashion catwalk shows with her conceptual pieces that are more than just decorative. Like the face brace of flowers that bloom from the mouth growing into black leaves falling from the sides of the mouth, depicting beauty and death.

Flower Brace // Plaited collar made of nude hosiery, antique chinadoll’s heads, dyed human
hair, copper wire and chains// Belt piece made from reclaimed vintage handbag straps, chain old keys, vintage doll parts

Her use of materials for me is the perfect balance of casual and luxury which for me is the only way that I can wear jewellery on an everyday basis. Materials like jersey encase pearls and are used in place of chains.  I also love how the seams to   Then there’s the play on conventions with the use of chiffon and pearls, something naturally paired together but not in the way of the necklace as shown on the left.

Her new ready to wear collections is called ‘From Winter Blackness to Spring’ and purposefully clashes different stones, beads and crystals on the necklaces.   

Speaking to Maria about her interest in found objects and choice of materials and her desires to work with designers for catwalk collaborations, it strikes me how so little shows take full advantage of using heightened accessorising to style outfits.  It’s careful not to overcrowd the garments but I think for certain designers, prop accessorising like what Maria did for Ichikawa really works.  As much as I like her ready to wear collection as jewellery I would wear on a day-to-day basis, I’m more interested to see what Maria can produce if she works with a designer in that exaggerated context.