FK talks to Cory from Sydney based jewellery label, Cory Child.
Tell us about your jewellery label, Cory Child.
Cory Child is a collection of unique jewellery and delightful wearable accessories for the romantic whimsies. It all began when I was inspired by my grandma’s mad obsession with origami. Most of her origami’s were so beautiful and intricate, they left me with a fascination to do my own whimsical creations; including my new exploration to incorporate fabric, which is hardly ever used in origami.
I find origami is a time intensive process and the making of a piece becomes meditative, creating time for reflection, like a daydream – resulting in a unique object imbued with sacred beauty. So, I am feeling really pleased and excited about this new project!
How does your studies in architecture affect the aesthetics of your work?
When I studied architecture, I got fascinated with the beauty of repetition. I think it became instinctively the major part of my design aesthetic.
For many years, I also made architectural models which have taught me the basic construction, form and the skills to create handmade objects. A sense of intricacy and finesse was definitely instilled in me through my training there.
Who or what inspires you and your label?
My label is primarily inspired by my childhood nostalgia on origami. As mentioned above, when I was a child, I used to grow up watching my grandma making origami everyday and night. All of our rooms are madly filled with origami creations. Most of the time, I have to make rooms for -and literally sleep next to- the swans, the golden dragons or the waterlilies.
My collection also gathers inspiration from the flora and romantic aesthetics aside from my love for repetition, the renaissance collar and my constant daydreams of the woods. I am motivated by the desire to create beautiful and whimsical objects for others to love and treasure.
What are your favourite blogs and online inspiration?
I am loving interior + lifestyle blogs like Design Sponge, Black Eiffel, the Design Files and the Finders Keepers to keep me updated with the Australian talents. From these beautiful blogs, I gather many inspirations of form, materials, composition for my collections!
What is your creative process and what is your workspace like?
Generally, I start with a simple idea. I have a love for drawings so I doodle frequently in my little fat book whenever – and wherever – I find an inspiration. Then, I translate the ideas into objects – which also mean I have found the best excuse to keep adding to my jewellery collection. This process can be time intensive filled with indecisiveness. I always find getting feedback from family and friends are very helpful to narrow down the choices.
For many years, my creative actions have taken place in the living room – slash – studio in my Sydney apartment. So, I am well accompanied with all the things I needed like the lazy couches to daydream, a couple of desks with all my tools, laptop, and most importantly the music player as my constant companion.
What have you learnt most about selling your range and what are you planning for 2011?’
Finders Keepers was a great event to have my first debut and to test out my collection in the market. Happily, it was well received and I have been getting plenty of feedback from the beautiful similar-minded people. Currently, I am still working on my production process, my bookkeeping and my marketing- which is an awful lot of work for one mind to keep up with whilst practicing architecture during the day!
This year, I hope to get my collection out into stores and hopefully, more peoples’ jewellery collection. I would also like to do more exploration and design beautiful small accessories for the winter season which I am really excited about! I can’t wait for the next Finders Keepers market.
