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Archery Collections

Aug 12, 2013
Archery Collection's Kate Baillie. Photo: Nat Rogers/InDaily

Archery Collection's Kate Baillie. Photo: Nat Rogers/InDaily

Tribal textiles and geometric design mix with every day items in the creation of Archery Collections bespoke jewellery. DESIGN chats to Kate Baillie and Caitlin Whitehouse.

How did you come to collaborate on this label?

Caitlin has a background in art curation and Kate in graphic design. We used to work at (Rundle Street curio shop) Bauhaus together and spent our days discussing all the beautiful treats we could make. In late 2010, when Caitlin returned from living in the UK, we continued to discuss our plans and after hand-making Christmas presents for each other in 2011 that were a hit with friends, we realised we had a product that we were passionate about and other people seemed to like, so began Archery Collections.

How are the pieces in your collection crafted?

The two of us design and make each item by hand – and it takes longer than we would like it to, but we love creating every piece ourselves and knowing that we send it out into the world as a completely individual design with lots of love and effort put into it.

Tell me about the rope.

arch-2

We love finding beauty in everyday items and the tactility of the rope really appealed to us. We started with the rope and added the smaller colourful details gradually during the planning and designing process. We are excited when people develop an instant connection with the materials as they are items that most people see every day represented in a colourful new fashion.

Where did your love of tribal textiles come from?

Kate grew up in Hong Kong and travelled a lot when she was younger so she was exposed to many textile traditions and developed a love for traditional fabrics from a very young age. Working in Bauhaus has also exposed us both to so many incredible traditional pieces from all over the world, which is a constant source of inspiration. We love the colour and texture that is so often present in tribal textiles and the fact that they have so much traditions, stories and histories within them.

Where does the geometric influence come from in your work?

Kate’s background in graphic design lends itself to a love of straight lines, geometry and classic simple shapes that contrast well with the softer, more tribal aspects of our jewellery.

Where else do you draw your influences from?

arch-3We fossick through great books, blogs like The Design Files, interior design magazines, Instagram, finding our inspiration in many different things and often unexpected places. We also love reading about other individuals or small businesses, particularly homegrown Australian talent.

Working in a store like Bauhaus means we are surrounded by beautiful products every day, which is a constant source of inspiration. Being in that environment for so long has given us the confidence to use colour and interesting materials.

Talented and creative family and friends and living and traveling overseas has always been inspiring too.

Do you ever make anything that you don’t want to sell and just keep for yourself?

Sometimes we make things for ourselves that we think no one else would want to buy because they are too outrageous, but we love to make so we just go with it.

Give me a one word description of the person who wears Archery jewellery.

Awesome.

 

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