Designer Alice Sutton and jeweller Phoebe Porter will be joining forces for a special open studio event as part of the 2020 DESIGN Canberra Festival.
The pair, both proud Canberrans, first met in 2014 when they had neighbouring studios at ANCA in Dickson, finding their design ethos was similar and their clothing and jewellery designs complementary.
Phoebe, 41, uses industrial materials such as aluminium, titanium and stainless steel with precious materials such as gold, silver and faceted jewels to create her striking contemporary jewellery.
Alice, 31, specialises in contemporary, classic designs, finding the calm of the bush capital inspires her work.
"I like creating simple pieces that are really comfortable but also elegant so you can wear them to work or for travel or in the evening," she said.
Phoebe said they both emphasised strong and simple designs in their collections.
"It's more about the materials and the structure than decoration," she said.
"It's also about longevity. We're trying to make an end product that won't go out of fashion, you can wear it from season to season."
Since meeting, Alice and Phoebe have collaborated on several events and projects, including the popular Living Rooms series for DESIGN Canberra.
This year, they joined so many other small businesses which had to learn to innovate to survive in the face of the coronavirus.
Alice's husband John van Meurs built her a studio for Edition in the backyard of their Waramanga home which allowed her to offer private consultations to clients who did not want to go to big shopping centres. She also released a range of sustainable designer masks that have been popular both locally and interstate.
With the temporary closure of many retail outlets, Phoebe had been offering private consultations at her Gorman Arts Centre studio and found that many people were making a strong commitment to shopping local. Jewellery was also having its moment post-COVID.
With events and travel plans cancelled or postponed, people were looking for other ways to celebrate important milestones, and a special piece of jewellery was often the way.
The pair recently commissioned a photo shoot of their local collections using an all-local team of photographer Lauren Sutton, hair and make-up artist Hayley Boyle and models, mother and daughter Nicole and Kate Cooper. They used local settings that capture the bush capital essence of Canberra.
"Some we just walked to the end of Alice's street," Phoebe said. "I think it shows how beautiful Canberra is and the accessibility of that bushland."
All the pieces will be available to purchase at the Edition Open Studio with Phoebe Porter Jewellery Pop-up on November 28.
The spacious indoor- outdoor event will provide plenty of space for social distancing. Phoebe said it was a great opportunity to meet the makers, browse their latest collections and support local design.
- Edition Open Studio with Phoebe Porter Jewellery Pop-up, Saturday, November 28, 10am-4pm, 12 Warrai Place Waramanga. A QR code will be available at the COVID-safe event.
