OC London's Dot and I recently went on a little excursion to East London's Rochelle School of the arts, where the lovely Hillier jewelry designer Katie Hillier has her studio. There, we sat in the glorious sunshine with Katie (yes, we had a sunny day in England) over a cup of coffee and caught up with our favorite bunny-obsessed jewelry designer.
Shop all Hillier here
Eloise Moran: OC last interviewed you a year ago, in your studio. How have you been?
Katie Hillier: It's been a long old year! Obviously having our jewelry in Opening Ceremony has been a highlight, and launching our paper clip letters was very exciting for us. Otherwise, seeing my boyfriend on television is quite amusing—he's on the BBC's Great British Sewing Bee! I've also been on lots and lots of trips, which has also been fun.
We've seen all of your travel snaps on Instagram. Your bunnies always come along with you!
Yes, I am always traveling. And yes, our bunnies always come with us, it's a thing in the office that we like to do! It's not always me in all of those places pictured on our Instagram. One of our girls hangs the bunnies from trees and bridges, it's amazing. I really enjoy Instagramming. You want people to see the product, but in a fun, light-hearted way.
What's your favorite place that you've recently visited?
Lamu, Kenya. We stayed in this treehouse in Nairobi the first evening, then the next day we took a beautiful old sailboat to Lamu Island in the Indian Ocean. All the streets are made of sand––it's like the labyrinth from The Minotaur. It was crazy hot, about 45 degrees [Celcius]. And the people make incredible crafts with the most random things. One guy made pieces from driftwood and Havaianas, it was insane! It was such a culture shock––which I like to feel when I travel. For example, I love going to Tokyo because the cleanliness is a culture shock too!
Where would be your bunnies' favorite place they've visited?
Probably Japan. The girls there just get it. You might have a 65-year-old woman with a Chanel bag and a fancy barrette in her hair, and then you have the younger Comme lady. Their attention to detail is amazing. Even if someone looks completely nutty, they're still perfectly put together!
What are you working on at the moment?
A lot! Nancy, my Hillier partner in crime, is pregnant—which actually has been another big highlight of the year! Consequently, we're trying to do two collections before she leaves, SS14 and FW14, and even a little bit of SS15. It's quite nice at the moment; the prototypes have started to come in, and we get to see the results of our designs.
What's your creative process when designing a new collection?
We try to stay true to what we want and what we want the brand to be about. Sometimes it's tricky as that's not always what the stores or the customer want and expect. We just design what we want to wear at that moment in time, and then we'll approach our clients for feedback. The most important thing is to make our offering fun or cool.
Can you describe your current collection in three words?
Pretty, potty, and dotty.
Obviously the Rochelle School is a very special place to work. Any favorite memories?
I l
Shop all Hillier here
Eloise Moran: OC last interviewed you a year ago, in your studio. How have you been?
Katie Hillier: It's been a long old year! Obviously having our jewelry in Opening Ceremony has been a highlight, and launching our paper clip letters was very exciting for us. Otherwise, seeing my boyfriend on television is quite amusing—he's on the BBC's Great British Sewing Bee! I've also been on lots and lots of trips, which has also been fun.
We've seen all of your travel snaps on Instagram. Your bunnies always come along with you!
Yes, I am always traveling. And yes, our bunnies always come with us, it's a thing in the office that we like to do! It's not always me in all of those places pictured on our Instagram. One of our girls hangs the bunnies from trees and bridges, it's amazing. I really enjoy Instagramming. You want people to see the product, but in a fun, light-hearted way.
What's your favorite place that you've recently visited?
Lamu, Kenya. We stayed in this treehouse in Nairobi the first evening, then the next day we took a beautiful old sailboat to Lamu Island in the Indian Ocean. All the streets are made of sand––it's like the labyrinth from The Minotaur. It was crazy hot, about 45 degrees [Celcius]. And the people make incredible crafts with the most random things. One guy made pieces from driftwood and Havaianas, it was insane! It was such a culture shock––which I like to feel when I travel. For example, I love going to Tokyo because the cleanliness is a culture shock too!
Where would be your bunnies' favorite place they've visited?
Probably Japan. The girls there just get it. You might have a 65-year-old woman with a Chanel bag and a fancy barrette in her hair, and then you have the younger Comme lady. Their attention to detail is amazing. Even if someone looks completely nutty, they're still perfectly put together!
What are you working on at the moment?
A lot! Nancy, my Hillier partner in crime, is pregnant—which actually has been another big highlight of the year! Consequently, we're trying to do two collections before she leaves, SS14 and FW14, and even a little bit of SS15. It's quite nice at the moment; the prototypes have started to come in, and we get to see the results of our designs.
What's your creative process when designing a new collection?
We try to stay true to what we want and what we want the brand to be about. Sometimes it's tricky as that's not always what the stores or the customer want and expect. We just design what we want to wear at that moment in time, and then we'll approach our clients for feedback. The most important thing is to make our offering fun or cool.
Can you describe your current collection in three words?
Pretty, potty, and dotty.
Obviously the Rochelle School is a very special place to work. Any favorite memories?
I l