About Me
James Smart, Fashion Accessories graduate from Ravensbourne
James Smart is a Fashion Jewellery designer who seeks to rekindle forgotten values and cultures through art jewellery.
During the course of my BA I studied Womenswear Fashion for two years, before deciding to specialise in Accessories design in order to pursue Fashion Jewellery. History and traditional cultures around the world have always fascinated me. Having grown up in New Zealand I developed a strong connection to Maori culture, whilst my time studying in London has drawn me to immerse myself in Korean culture and history. Because of this, my focus as a designer is being able to reconnect people with their ancestral traditions and cultures through art Jewellery.
INSPIRATION
Eon “The tale of a Gardener”
Eon tells the story of a barren world yearning for nourished soils sprawling with life. However its land is not truly barren, only it has forgotten to let the light in. As it finally stops in time, and appreciates the wisdom the dormant seeds have to tell, it clears its skies once more. As the beams kiss the soil, the seeds erupt with life, and uncontrollably they grow. Throughout the sprawling fauna ascends life, and from it awakens the Gardener.
The Gardener tends to the gardens, with care and precision they flourish ever more towards the heavens. The world dances with joy once more, it had only forgotten. Each piece of the Eon collection symbolises a stage in the tale of the Gardener, reminding the wearer the value of rekindling the forgotten values of our ancestors.
MY WORK
PORTFOLIOS
Shoulder piece "Seed"
Shoulder piece "Seed"
Earpiece "Wind"
Earpiece "Wind"
Earpiece "Wind"
Headpiece "Sprout"
Headpiece "Sprout"
Headpiece "Sprout"
Final headpiece "Bloom"
Final headpiece "Bloom"
Final headpiece "Bloom"
Final headpiece "Bloom"
Final headpiece "Bloom"
DETAIL
Eon consists of four pieces, each of which symbolise a gradually stronger connection with nature.
The first is the shoulder piece, it symbolises the seed that is always present but neglected. The second is the earpiece which represents the life that is blown into the seed. The third is the small headpiece showing the sprout, the beginning of the conscious connection to nature. Finally, the last headpiece is the Bloom, the fully conscious connection with nature.
“I rise up from myself. The path becomes clear, Silence speaks. I summon thee to old footprints. Tonight I shall listen… …to that which grows and covers the paths”~ Wardruna ~
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