L’Avenir is a dynamic company who is hitting the fashion scene hard with their innovative and conversationalist efforts to bridge the gap between the classic and modern worlds based on their love for vintage jewelry. Jen and Joan, the team behind L'Avenir, talk to us about what it means to remain an individual, their creative inspirations and process and how important it is that industries today should be making conscious efforts to put an end to contributing more waste into this planet.
Can you tell us a little about the
beginnings of your business? What inspired you, Joan and Jen to create such
versatile and elegant line of jewelry?
Jen and I started
as collectors. We both have a passion for the artistry and
quality found in
costume jewelry from the 1920’s through the 1960’s. As we
progressed in our
craft our style developed out of the materials we gravitated
towards, keeping a
mindful eye on wearability we gear our products towards
women who curate
their wardrobe with functional and exceptional statement
pieces.
A lot of the pieces you use to create
your jewelry are recycled. How do you feel about the waste many industries
contribute to and what are the ways you would like to emphasize the importance
of recycling?
We have become a generation of waste. Fast fashion and low budget
retailers
create a disconnect between the manufacturer and the consumer, allowing
people to blindly follow and contribute without seeing the
repercussions. Through
the way we work, the way we shop and participate in the fashion
industry we
want to emphasize the importance of knowledgeable consumerism. It is
up to the
masses to define what companies they will and will not support based
on their
business practices. In
addition to taking control and curating the brands and
companies we buy from we believe whole heartedly in quality over
quantity. The
first step to reducing waste is to purchase products that will last
years, if not
generations. Will I pass a Forever21 blouse down to my
Grandchildren? No, will I
save my handmade vintage designer necklace for the next fashionista
in the
family? It would be a crime not to…
L’Avenir seems to place a lot of
emphasis on cultivating a timeless look that showcases the modern woman’s
classic roots in a direction to who they are and where they want to be in life.
How important do you think it is for people to bridge the gap between the
dichotomies of what makes them a unique individual?
I
think it’s less about dressing for the woman you want to be and more about
letting your
style become a visual definition of the woman you are. The pieces
you choose to wear allow
to the world to see that you are unique and timeless
in your own nature.
Are there any public figures that you
look up to and keep in mind when creating your jewelry?
We’ve both always
been influenced by badass women. The nature of what we do lends us to fall for
some amazing Icons of early Hollywood, in a more current timeframe I have an
immense love for Tilda Swinton and everything she is. Her androgyny is so
intensely mesmerizing at times and I think she puts forth such a comfort with
who she is that I can’t not be that cool. We look up to talented women who are
leading the trend of being only and exactly who they are and not giving two
shits about what anyone else thinks. Women like Debby Harry, Bjork or Tori Amos
who exude a sense of confidence and power that uplifts and inspires us.
On your blog, it is read
that, “Creativity, something taken for
granted all too often,”. How would suggest to incorporate the time for creative
expression to those who lead a very busy lifestyle?
Admittedly, we are
still trying to figure this out. It’s not easy, sometimes it can be
frustrating, but the more we make time for ourselves to focus, relax, exercise
or take some me time our creativity tends to blossom. When it comes to
fitting it into a busy life style it’s all about setting boundaries for your
time. We have been lucky to have very flexibly managed jobs in the past so this
is different for everyone, but you have to learn to schedule it into each week.
A class, a project, a show, anything that fuels your spirit and allows you to
let go. The creativity will follow once you have taken time to nurture
yourself.
Tell us a little about
the typical photo-shoot for your jewelry? What kind of planning is entailed to
make the shoot successful?
Each shoot is very
different, but for our most recent Lookbook it took a handful of beforehand
coordinating. We worked with a collaborator, Kate Anderson, to assist in
booking a venue, gathering props, booking and coordinating with a model,
scouting for wardrobe, and doing test photos before the shoot. Jen and I went back
and forth for about a month and a half as we deliberated ideas, style,
direction, lighting, makeup, and overall concept. This particular idea took
even more planning as we essentially did two separate shoots that needed to
work together for our final book. The first shoot featured Seattle model Sofia
Tveeter in a styled series of photos. We then got these printed and laid them
out along with our collection of jewelry and took our flat-lay photos that make
up the book. Each picture had to be planned and thought out beforehand to make
sure they best translated into print images for the final projects.
What kind of message do
you try to portray for each of your pieces and how do you try to translate that
into the photos for your jewelry?
We want our materials to speak for themselves. Each image we take is
an
attempt to translate the quality and individuality of the piece. In
that regard, the
jewelry really drives the photos we take and the style we portray.
What projects is
L’Avenir looking forward to in the future?
We got the taste for video in a recent project that we
did with a Minneapolis bridal company and we really want to integrate it more
into our website. It’s on the back burner for now but we are looking forward to
doing a film piece that really speaks to our collections style.
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