Hi lovelies! My name is Carmen and I'm the designer behind the 'NIHON JOURNEY' collection. I have been working with Erstwilder for the past two years and I have to say it is one of the most fun jobs I've ever had. When I'm not designing brooches, you can find me drawing animals and botanicals under my own label Carmen Hui Art & Illustrations.
For this range, I was given a subject that is very close to my heart. I'm a big fan of Japan and Japanese culture, so you can imagine how excited I was when asked to create a range of Erstwilder jewellery inspired by my favourite country. The fact that I was given this brief while travelling in Japan was an extra bonus. During the trip, I took extra care in looking for places and experiences that can inspire me in creating this range. Japan is a country full of contrasts and for this range, I was very much inspired by the colours, vibrancy, and the relationship between the old and the new.
When designing brooches, I always start with a rough pencil drawing. These are super quick sketches that help me get ideas onto paper. Once an idea is established, I will then refine the drawing and think about colours and how different resins will work together to create the final product. This process is quite labour intensive but super duper fun. Some of the time the end result will look exactly as I imagined while other times it will look completely different which can be very exciting.
I do hope you will like this range and I was able to interpret Japan with an Erstwilder twist. Would love to hear your feedback in the comments below. Please let us know what YOU love about Japan and what other countries we take inspiration from next.
xxx
