Bliss-ful body jewelry
Fashion trends come and go without regard for the norm, so it follows that incredible and innovative designs are usually created out of play. One perfect example is the work of New York-based Chinese-American accessory designer, Bliss Lau.
Simple chains and bliss (the potent meaning of her name), plus unchained creative imagination have driven her to create extraordinary body jewelry.
No longer confined to just necklaces, earrings, bracelets and rings, Bliss recognizes other parts of the human body such as the torso and shoulders that can be adorned and enhanced with jewelry.
Bliss’ accessories are three-dimensionally crafted using traditional garment draping techniques. In every collection, she focuses on a particular body part to enhance and to decorate.
On The Radar: Tell us how you got into body jewelry.
Bliss Lau: I studied apparel design at Parsons School of Design, New York and never quite felt comfortable creating garments. I launched my first collection as a handbag line. I created a Brooklyn Bridge-inspired handbag with cross-chains draping over the face of the bag. I love visual-mathematical references and I have a huge weakness for suspension bridges.
One evening while I was hanging out in my design studio looking at a roll of chain, I decided to drape it on my old college model form. That day I created the Bolero Chain.
What was your first collection like?
The first body jewelry collection I created was what I now call the ‘’Original Collection.” I think growing up in Honolulu, Hawaii actually had a huge influence on that first group.
When I was younger I used to be an acrobat, I remember practicing and being taught to isolate different parts of the body to hold a pose. In many ways, that has been my perspective.
In my first collection I thought about the shoulders and torso mostly, creating the sleeves and hug-me-tight styles. I wanted to create a visual illusion on the body by tracing the lines of clothing yet suggesting almost the exterior bone structure of a garment.
Was the collection an immediate hit?
It’s funny now to think about my first collection because it was such a hard sell. I could hardly get anyone to believe something like this could sell. One of the only stores that bought it was Curve in Soho, New York. All of the other stores said: “I get it but my customers won’t!”
I ended up selling personal orders to all of the buyers that season. I was so heartbroken over my first season. I think that the concept was exciting for people but scary at that time because it was so new.
What are your sources of inspiration and how long does it take you to create a piece of body jewelry?
I find tremendous amount of inspiration from architecture. I always think structurally. The design challenge that the body jewelry creates is a balance of weight and line.
My design process is actually really slow and long, I usually begin researching in the library about a year before I create a design, the shapes of each collection are inspired by different motifs from America-Indian to Hawaiian, while the structure is from architecture.
I believe design should happen organically. I start each season with a fresh new sketchbook. Oddly I keep that sketchbook for a while before ever drawing on it, then a combination of sketching, draping on the model form and playing with my new materials brings me to a final product.
What are your favorite materials?
I would say leather; it is really a superior material. Leather can be dyed, stretched, glued, painted, then washed and still look amazing. The combination of metals and skins is always a favorite.
I have recently transitioned into fine jewelry and it’s just hard not to fall in love with diamonds, gemstones and silver.
What are your bestsellers?
“Bestsellers” is a funny term to me because I was taught to believe that you must simplify the product to make it sell well. However, my best-selling pieces tend to be the crazy pieces that, after I created, I swore nobody would buy. The Cage Dress is a great seller, as well as the Riot Bracelet and the Templar.
Where can we find your collection?
Barneys New York has a great representation of the line in stores and online, as well as Curve.
What’s next for Bliss Lau?
Designing is such an introverted process for me, I have been working on the fall/winter 2010 collection and I can say I am finding it hard not to make handbags.
I am not sure what will come out of my hands this season but the jewelry collection will surely continue and is likely to become increasingly eccentric and heavy.
Just to give you a hint: I’m thinking about hands, heads and ears this season.
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