SARGASSUM COLLECTION
Beauty can reveal itself in the most unexpected ways.
I glanced down at the golden plant draped over my wrist, the stems and leaves all entwined together like filigree with golden beads dotted here and there, shimmering against the clear blue ocean backdrop and imagined it recreated in metal.
INSPIRATION
Living on a small island, you start to notice a lot more of the little things, the subtle changes that take place at different times of the year.
One such change is the influx of Sargassum Seaweed to our coastline.
While this poses new environmental challenges, I wanted to spotlight the plant for its beauty and role as a protector of life when our world had a better balance.
MATERIALS
The collection begins with a small range of ornamental, high quality hair accessories. Each one a different style and with multiple styling options depending on the occasion, hair style and hair type.
I chose to use brass for the hair adornments, not only for its natural golden colour but as a more sustainable metal, something to take into consideration, particularly when creating larger scale pieces.
It has been shaped and entwined to mimic the twists and turns of the Sargassum stems as they float and entangle in the ocean. The leaves are hammered and textured to create curves and facets to capture the light. The small berries or air sacs are formed through melting brass into beads.
CARE
While I had fun doing an underwater photoshoot with my free diving friend Miriam, Brass should never be worn in the ocean, the natural oxidisation process of the metal is greatly accelerated by salt and can cause it to corrode.
With normal wear brass does tarnish, but the great news is, brass can easily be restored to its former shine with the use of a wire brush for those hard to reach areas, followed by a wipe with a soft cloth and some brass cleaner.
