The Bite Magazine - Autumn/Winter 2021 - Issue 30

biteaccessories from my environment, mood-boarding and of course, creative expression.” She was frustrated by the lack of interesting jewel- lery and upon following a friend’s advice, decided to formulate her collection. Using businesswoman, socialite, model and fashion designer, Nicky Hilton’s words, “Fashion is what you buy. Style is what you do with it” on the meaning of fashion, Monique believes it is important to express yourself creatively and is a great way to celebrate what makes you special and tell your story. The free- dom to express yourself is also important. “You feel empow- ered when you’re free to do what makes you happy, so I want my designs to encourage creativity and to celebrate a person’s individual style.” When describing London city’s fashion, the jewellery designer says it’s “diverse in design, style and innovation, and has been influencing trends around the world.” Having her own label, she gets to create what she feels looks interesting, unique and special to her. “I also love working with my creative jewellery maker, who is open to pushing the boundaries, and it gives me immense pleasure and pride to see my customers expressing their individuality with my designs.“ The first jewellery piece Monique created was the Belonging brooch from her debut Uncommon collection that directs the rest of her designs. As the caption says, “Belonging doesn’t re- quire you to change who you are: it requires you to be who you are.” The brooch is made from 100% handcrafted bronze or 925 sterling silver with a light satin-brushed finish and designed to empower the wearer to establish their style with confidence, whilst upgrading any outfit and accessory. Also from the Uncommon collection and available in 100% handcrafted bronze or 925 sterling silver, the Freedom brooch enthuses conversation and wonder. “This solid piece will add value to your outerwear, style up your favourite outfit and revamp your wardrobe.” The Embrace brooch which was featured in the Absolutely London Holiday Hot List is said to be the perfect statement jewellery to take your holiday outfit to the next level. “Go with the flow and force nothing. Embrace all that is you.” To create these wonderfully designed geometric pieces, Monique’s design process is dependent on the space that she is in at the time and her inspirations. “Some designs come to me within minutes and others may take weeks; even at that point I’m still refining the designs.” She believes a mixture of aesthet- ics, how a product feels, durability, added value and solving a problem are the recipes for making a quality product. Launching her debut collection this year was a huge milestone accomplishment for the designer. “As a creative, it’s never easy putting your work out in the world, but it was most definitely a moment I was proud of.” Monique loves the work of Bel- gian jewellery designer Lore Langendries who specialises in contemporary jewellery and object design. “Her collection of wearable art is such an inspiration, and I love to see how she pushes the boundaries of creativity and innovation.” The jewellery designer says she would love to design a piece for American actress Tracee Ellis Ross. “She has a classic style that is influenced by modern trends,” she explained. “It’s so exciting to see her confidence in being unapologetic and styling so effortlessly. She clearly knows how to express herself through her creativity, and has a love for being different.” Monique prefers to sketch as it allows her to express herself creatively and put her ideas on paper with the intention to bring them to life which is both exciting and empowering. Once she is happy with a design, she sometimes uses clay to get a better idea of the size, perspective and how well it sits on the body. She doesn’t have a favourite colour to work with but from a brand perspective, it would be pastel, neutral and mut- ed hues. In terms of materials, she regards pencil and paper as an essential part of the process. Be The Other’s recent photoshoot projected the vision to show the limitless beauty of its brooches. “To establish this, I wanted to show stylish and imaginative ways to wear a brooch, all whilst leaving enough room for customers to take control and get creative,” she said. “In preparation for the shoot, I used Pinterest to create a mood-board of ideas, as well as personally wearing the brooches in different ways for inspiration. This then prepared the direction of the shoot.” The advice Monique would give to aspiring jewellery designers is: “Don’t stop doing what you love, and even when you reach the stage where fear kicks in and you don’t know which way to go, just keep going and trust the process! What you design should be special to you, so it’s important to believe in your work.” For the future, the designer would like Be The Other to be known for bringing the brooch back. “Brooches have been around for centuries, but in recent years, they are common- ly known as jewellery pieces that your grandmother would traditionally wear,” she said. “I would love to inspire people to embrace this special jewellery piece for its endless possibilities and stylish capabilities. It would also be a great achievement to have my pieces available in Selfridges, Harrods, Net-a-Porter or any high-end retailer.” Be The Other brooches are available online on their website. https://www.betheother.com “I want wearers to express themselves authentically and creati vely with brooches that enthuse inspec- tion, conversation or wonder” - Monique Thomas