![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Portrait_new_\u00a9Kirstine-Sommer.jpg\" "\\"Portrait_new_\u00a9Kirstine-Sommer\\"")
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Combining minimalist design with the impact of an avant-garde twist, Vibe Harsl\u00f8f’s jewellery manages to fuse together the ready-to-wear aspect of commercial design with the aesthetics of the art design market, resulting in pieces that play with elegance and toughness.\u00a0 On the launch of her new collection at Wood Wood, Berlin, the Danish jewellery designer talks to Sleek about what gets her going, Eighties hip hop, and how Scandinavian design is always on her mind (subconsciously at least). Sleek’s Marina Hoppmann caught up with her to inspect the hand-picked selection of pieces from the current summer and upcoming winter collections 2013.<\/p>\n
How did you find your roots as a jewellery designer?<\/strong> It was actually kind of random that I ended up doing jewellery. I knew I wanted to do something creative but I wasn’t really sure in what field that should be. Originally I had the idea that I either wanted to do interior design, jewellery design, or graphic design, but after just one day at my (then) jewellery design internship, I totally fell in love with the craft. And that was it!<\/p>\n What was the inspiration behind the current collection?<\/strong> Actually, the past three seasons are sort of a prolonging of each other. It started out with “Fool\u2019s Gold” which was very minimalist and set a dogma for myself where I wanted to see how far I could push a piece of silver wire. I was playing around with it, and trying to place it on different areas on the body and just seeing how far I could take it really. That is what initiated the idea of something giving the illusion that the body is locked yet can still function, which I thought was very intriguing.\u00a0<\/p>\n The current collection, “Vespertine”, is sort of a continuation of that idea, while still trying to be very minimal. It was then that I also found the starting point with men\u2019s jewellery. Often in my work process I\u00a0have several thoughts or creative lanes working together, and have always enjoyed men\u2019s jewellery \u2013 and the way it always has a function. You have the tiepin, the cufflinks for the shirt, a watch chain, and I wanted to try and feminise these things. The next collection will be a continuation of this process; playing with concepts that were very feminine but still have a sort of street edge to it.\u00a0<\/p>\n You cited graffiti and underground scenes as key in the inspirations before. Does this still apply to your work now?<\/strong> The graffiti scene is not really so relevant in the newer works, but I do definitely still look at sub-cultures, and pick elements from the various manifestations. I am really influenced by the hip hop scene pre-85, when it was still really happy and the boys look like cartoon figures and the girls had these Seventies references with the big gold hoops but turned it out in a new way. I think that is a really cool style, and I definitely had that as an inspiration in the back of my head.\u00a0<\/p>\n What is the main philosophy behind your work?<\/strong> Most importantly, it has to make sense to me. I need to feel it. I think I make jewellery for me, and then luckily other people like it as well (laughs)! Obviously I look at what other designers do and trends of the moment, but that’s not really important to me, what is important is that it makes sense when you put it on, when you wear it. Function is also another priority. I aim to challenge the established way of thinking about jewellery, because even though I\u00a0am definitely in the commercial field rather than the art field of jewellery design, it doesn’t mean it has to be easy to understand, it can still be challenging.\u00a0<\/p>\n Does Scandinavian design play a role in your aesthetic?<\/strong> I think so, yes. I think the traditional Scandinavian design plays a role subconsciously, but I don’t think it is something that I particularly\u00a0 think of when I design. You know, I was brought up with a certain type of aesthetic and I think it sort of shines through. The fact that the items I make are so minimal is obviously a very Scandinavian approach.\u00a0<\/p>\n How do you make the pieces wearable yet at the same time have them be statement pieces?<\/strong> Well that is the challenge! I think that my jewellery doesn’t appeal to everyone. For some people it is too complicated to wear, but often after I show how it\u2018s meant to be worn, people are surprised how easily it fits and how you really don’t feel it once it is on. Perhaps this way of designing comes back to the impact of Scandinavian design.\u00a0<\/p>\n What is your favourite piece from the hand picked selection at Wood Wood?<\/strong> I have several! It’s actually really difficult to narrow it down to just one, but I think one of them is an old one, which is now a classic: “The Double Ring”.\u00a0<\/p>\n Interview by Marina Hoppmann<\/strong><\/p>\n\n <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Combining minimalist design with the impact of an avant-garde twist, Vibe Harsl\u00f8f’s jewellery manages to fuse together the ready-to-wear aspect of commercial design with the aesthetics of the art design market, resulting in pieces that play with elegance and toughness.\u00a0 On the launch of her new collection at Wood Wood, Berlin, the Danish jewellery designer…<\/p>","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":9139,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[81],"tags":[34,796,797,798,182],"class_list":["post-9132","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fashion","tag-berlin","tag-jewellery","tag-marina-hoppmann","tag-vibe-harslof","tag-wood-wood"],"acf":{"main_category":null,"legacy":"1","exclude_from_ads":null,"hero_title":null,"subtitle":null,"hero":null,"teasers":null,"facebook_image":null,"related_articles":null,"next_article":null,"sleek_card_focus":null,"content":null},"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/VH_SS13_09.jpg\" "\\"From")
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