Saya Hibino
Saya Hibino is a young jewellery designer from Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan. She was born into a very traditional family, that has been in the Kimono bussiness for many generations. Saya Hibino gained appreciation for the artistic world from an early age. She agknowledged the unique one of a kind designs and creations produced by her family in the form of rooms full of patterned silk. As a teenager she started develope her passion for art through photographing and drawing the life she observed. In Kyoto she was surrounded by Geishas, tea houses,temples and people. Those images still remain in her head and translates into the imperial elegance of her jewellery.
After school she went off to New York where she graduated from the Fashion Institute of technology. Her time studying was when she really discovered her artistic side and spent her time refining her jewellery making skills and paying careful attention to textures and materials.
She gets inspirations from textile designs such as antique laces and silks. She then transfers the patterns and textures of the lace into metal and creates pieces that would complement the female body’s natural elegance.As you can see in the neckpiece and rings above, she really mastered the art or recreating lace in metal. A soft elegant feel with a very constrickting material.
Growing up in an artistic family inspired Saya to express her creativity as well as draw from daily life to become inspired. Her design philosophy is based on her traditional up brining in Japan. It is minimalistic, soft and flowing, almost silk like. She designs jewellery that will highlight the elegance of a women’s figure to its full potential and beauty. The principle concerns around Saya’s designs it to create a flowing and soft designs. She attempts to bridge the gap between metal end silk. To Saya the combination of lace and metal is a direct comparison of the modern women: strong and delicate. She doesn't confide to trends, she twists them to suit her. Like these pearl earrings. She took the punk trend and made it her own.
Even though her business is based in New York she still lives in Japan and is still influenced by her childhood. She is close to mother nature Saya carries the memories of her home with her and uses it to inspire her life as a jewellery designer.
Saya uses 18K gold and silver to design jewellery items, including gorgeous crown rings, elegant necklaces and stunning mesh earrings. Before launching her collection, she perfected the art of wax carving. Most of her designs are hand carved and then cast. The result is exquisitely executed jewellery pieces. She tends to fuss over small details which makes her pieces perfectly manufactured.
She markets herself through her website and also through her stockists. The long list of stores in New York And Tokyo that stock her beautiful designs market her through their websites and blogs. All of her jewellery can be puchused online through her stockist blogs. She is also very well marketed through some of the most famous fashion magazines. She is featured on a regular basis in trendy magazines such as Vogue, Lucky, Marie Claire and sleek. She is also involved in charity work. She is part of on organisation called Rings of love for Japan.
Saya’s work is inspiring to me. I love the way she turns fashion trends into her personal style by softing it. For example her spike pearl earrings. It brings me back to how i like to take vintage designs and make it modern. Saya’s unique range is meant for the modern woman of today, who is delicate, sensible, independent and strong, and thus fits with her lifestyle and this is what I’m wanting to achive with my pieces this year.
