Interviewe mat Sonja Iglic

My initial inspiration comes from nature‘s growth and it‘s metamorphosis into something new each day. In that sense, blossomed flowers are used as a symbol of change and development of all beings. The idea was to create multipurpose items, that can adapt to the specific needs of the wearer and their personal emotional changes throughout the day.

I wanted to achieve a feeling of lightness and flow. As stressful lives are becoming a normality nowadays, I wanted to achieve a greater sense of awareness of the feelings that emerge every day and to bring in a calmer reaction to the surface. The most important thing that I wanted to point out is that our minds should become more calm. The petals were supposed to move easily and gracefully just like the blooming of a real flower would look like. Looking at the time-lapse videos of flowers blossoming has made me want to achieve that exact grace throughout this whole collection.

I don‘t have any specific plans, but I‘d love to expand my production and incorporate more models.

Designing the eyewear alongside the whole accompanying collection of jewelry took me about 3 months. But the whole idea was in my head for quite some time, so I'm not sure how long it really took me to make all this a reality.

I just really wished to create this concept that was on my mind for a long time. I did not have any special plans related to this work. Instead, I envisioned the project just like a sculpture that I needed to make. Just a piece of art with no other intentions in mind.

I haven‘t decided on that yet. For now, I‘m still enjoying the process of doing it myself. I really wanted to give that bespoke experience to the customers, as well as the feeling of luxury with the possibility of adapting the eyewear to each of the wearer‘s head. I‘m always very open to new opportunities and proposals, but I‘d love to keep a luxury approach to this particular design, that‘s for sure.

I had this picture in my head in which the raw natural beauty of a female‘s head is surrounded by beautiful flowers that flourish. As this repeated in my head so many times, it really got me thinking about how it could be made and what kind of accessory could it be. This thinking process eventually led me to a type of folding, changing, blooming eyewear. The rest was really just figuring out how to make it all work. After the eyewear was made, I went on and made a whole collection of jewelry with the same approach. But still, these headpieces are the central piece of the whole concept.

I don‘t think there was a specific person or design. I haven‘t really seen anything like this, but I believe that everything that is designed today is somehow connected to something we‘ve seen before. That‘s anyway, how the inspiration works. One can never tell what led him/her to design something, it‘s really a collection of experiences mixed with the designers environment and feelings.

Anyone who‘s in love with fashion and is not afraid to show it. There is no age limitation nor style. It can be worn by a most minimalist person as a statement piece as well as the most crazy over the top Fashionista.

I don‘t think I‘ve seen anything like this particular concept, not just in the sense of foldable frames like these, but also in the idea of movable parts especially lenses.

With the name Blooming I really wanted to emphasize the movement of the eyewear and the fact that they could figuratively bloom. So the name is quite literal, but also, it should leave the sense of lightness, romance, and new beginnings.

This project required a really big research on the eyewear frames as well as a long thinking process behind their functionality. It was really important for me to make it user friendly and make it really easy to handle. Yet, I wanted to keep some of the complexity like for ex. 10 lenses that could be moved to different positions. I had a lot of work on the computer, making all the petals for the whole collection, making patterns for prints, cutting the plexiglass to shapes and so on. The frames and metal petals, however, were made entirely by hand, so I also used everything in the metalsmith workshop that was required for creating these parts by hand.

Definitely the possibility to change the appearance in a second. It goes from a minimal simple design with a bit of secession to a full statement piece in no time. How the petals are interconnected and how they overlap will determine the end look. In my opinion, that is the beauty of this product.

Yes, at some point I needed to double check the functionality of the eyewear and especially the ergonomic part of the design with my partner, as he is a professional industrial designer. He was really helpful, because he already knew my project and therefore really understood what I wanted to achieve. Also, after making the first prototype, the reactions of close people who were able to try them out, gave me a lot of insights for improvement.

It‘s always a great idea to consult anyone who is specialized or a possible user, as they can give the designer a different perspective that they haven‘t thought of before.

I‘ve used modern technology as much as I was able to. But my idea is going beyond what is available, so hopefully this will inspire experts to find the way to create lenses that could have full spectrum of colors. Right now, it is print on plexiglass, but I‘d love it to be real usable lenses with prints like the ones I‘ve used.

This project demanded an extensive investigation of the historical development of spectacle frames (visually and technically), in order to achieve a modern solution with a clear influence of the first types of frames. Also, I've researched many different kinds of flower petals in order to create various final looks within the whole collection.

It‘s always a challenge if I‘m creating something that I had not been previously encountered with. The challenging part was making everything work together and at the same time achieve it to be lightweight, user friendly and comfortable.

I really wanted to make the work more visible to an international audience. Nowadays, with social media it is possible to reach internationally, but I still think that design competitions are a great way to be seen, and to get an amazing amount of feedback from all over the world. Professional design feedback is the most valuable part of any competition.

I believe I‘ve read everything I could possibly find on eyewear design, history and production. The knowledge of that itself is a huge progress, but aside from that, the whole process of making by hand a completely different type of design, then I‘m used to, made me learn so much along the way.

I believe that all questions were quite informative and in depth with the whole design process behind this work, so I don‘t feel like I should add anything more to it.

I‘ve graduated from the Faculty of Applied Arts in Belgrade, Serbia. My studies were in Production design for Television, Film and Theater. The studies are a bit like the old school traditional art academy, where the students are introduced to subjects like painting, drawing, sculpting, graphic, anatomy, architecture, history of art and psychology, and in connection to all that, they are introduced to the applied art of our choice, scenography in my case. This type of studies are very rare nowadays, but they are essential for one to become a complete artist.

A year after I graduated, I started with my jewelry journey. I went to a few courses to start with, but mostly been learning on my own every day. I‘ve tried to soak in all the information I could find through books, videos, interviews, people I‘ve met along the way. Each step has contributed to the knowledge I have now, and I‘m still learning.

I‘ve always loved creating new things, I enjoyed any type of craft, manual skill and I had fun while doing it. I‘ve become a designer out of that one desire to create. I think it is just a matter of a period of my life that will determine what I‘ll be designing, but the ultimate goal is just to give, to create, to invent new things.

If I look back to my elementary school and grammar school, I remember that I was never really interested in anything in particular that other students around me have been interested in. At the time, it felt like I‘m different in a bad way. I always wondered why I, in my essence, don‘t really care about all those things. Looking back to it from this perspective, it is so clear to me. There was no source of any type of design or creation in that period.

I couldn‘t see it, no one was doing it, so I wasn‘t really aware that the things that I was interested in doing back home, were in fact special, and were worthy of a career. The things that I was making and playing with were looked at as a hobby, so I couldn‘t see it differently as a child. When I was in grammar school, I‘ve feared that in my future, I‘m going to end up in some office working in the administration to earn money and that‘s it.

I‘m so happy that didn‘t happen and that I‘ve dared to try something that is not so tangible or safe. I was never forced to do anything but do decide what I want to do. My parents were always very supportive of my intentions, especially when they saw the results of my work.

At the moment, I am designing jewelry and fashion accessories, but I‘d love to start designing home accessories in the future. My intentions are expanding each day.

They should be present at all times. Awake is the best term. Trying to see it all, hear it all and read it all. Be curious, be daring, be unstoppable creative. Most importantly, always listen to their own little voice, because that way, you‘ll always design truthfully, honestly and you might shift some boundaries of invention.

A good designer can design a product that looks good, which has good functions and whose use is well thought out. He can create a very good product that is requested by companies or users. On the other hand, a great designer's breaks all boundaries, respects no rules, creates freely and tries to make a change. A great designer has the ability to take everything in the account and to give the overall solution by telling the companies and the users what they need to use, how and why, and creates it in an eye pleasing way.

If by looking at the product and asked the question: ‚What this product gives you that no other on the market does?‘ and the answer is: Everything! Then it is a really good design.

In good design every detail counts, but on top of that, the function and the design have to be in harmony. Every part has to have a reason why it is put there, in correlation to the function. It has to be logical and easy to use.

As a jewelry designer, I can‘t really tell that everyone should invest in a good designer jewelry, because, it‘s not a necessity it is a luxury. But in a wider sense of design, the value is enormous. It is supposed to make the user's life better or easier. Everyone has at least one product that is truly meaningful for their everyday function. I say, always invest in at least that one item, as the joy it will give you is tremendous. Depending on what the products function is, it should make it much, much easier and probably more beautiful too.

I‘d love to design a whole collection of accessories for a fantasy film that could be directed by someone like Tim Burton or Peter Jackson. That would be amazing!

I‘d like to have time and funds to make the ultimate fashion interactive exhibition that includes themed photographs with my designs. Everything seen in the picture would be designed, from the scenery and objects on the set, to clothes and jewelry in correlation to the movement of the body and the spirit of the model. Every atom of the photo should be a designed as a means of communication and should communicate the same message and the same idea. All that captured with amazing photographers and exhibited alongside with all the products used in the shoot. That is a dream project.

Being aware of everything available, being respectful to it and designing beyond it.

I‘m obsessed with designs from such amazing artists like: Zaha Hadid, Issey Miyake, Gijs Bakker and Victoire De Castellane, also, thinking from the sculptural artistic fashion point, there is: Alexander McQueen, Gareth Pugh, Nick Knight. All of them give me a daily inspirational boost if I need it. There‘s an unlimited source of inspiration from their works.

One of my favorite jewelry pieces was designed by a dutch designer Gijs Bakker, and it‘s called ‚Circle in circle‘ bracelet. It is an item that answers a question, what would happen if you were to pull your hand through a flat surface? What kind of form would you make?

The design is so simple and elegant but at the same time so thought out.

I think the greatest is yet to come.

Just by trying to have the overall understanding of the world around you, and an extensive education about your interest of choice. The ability to absorb every information you encounter with, whether a conversation with someone, a book or a documentary on any subject and the ability to store it in the mind somewhere. When all of that comes together, the unique combination to every designer will improve the designs and create not just better but amazing designers.

I think I‘d have a job that has something to do with animals or nature in general.

Design is creation, development, improvement.

My family, who had to convince me to keep on going every time I didn‘t see a point anymore.

Being curious and respectful to fellow designers.

The biggest obstacle was always breaking down my idea to its components and then explain all those elements to myself firstly so that I could be able to explain them to my environment later on.

Be unique and true to yourself. Create meaningful projects.

Something that they haven‘t seen before.

Everything around us is design. Everything we see and touch someone in the world has designed. So in that sense, every new design is going a step further in improving. By trying to improve the model before, or the thought before, or the concept before, any design, good or bad, is changing the society, creating chained actions that are ultimately going to improve the way we live.

A bad design can inspire someone else to do better, the great design can inspire someone else to try to give even more, create better. So everything around us really works together in order to improve our way of living.

I never share my projects in the process, because I change them in my mind so many times, and right now, I really don‘t know what will come out of everything that I‘m thinking about ATM and developing at the same time. Maybe none of it will see the light of day, maybe everything will. I never know in advance, so I choose not to talk about it as I enjoy the process of enveloping it in my mind.

It depends on the project and my state of mind. Sometimes the project takes really long, and when you see the result you might think, well that is so simple, it‘s great, but why did it take so long if it‘s so simple? Contrary to that, some of the most complex ideas took me less time… It all comes down to the time that an idea needs to grow inside my mind. And that time can vary greatly.

I always spend the most time looking at the worlds design on a subject. I spend days on pinterest, and the moment I feel overwhelmed by the information I‘ve gathered, I shut all that down. I start thinking about how to move past all the designs I‘ve seen and make something new. That is a moment when I truly start the thinking process.

Whatever you design or do, make it meaningful.

Both. It‘s a designer‘s choice which way around will it be.

I don‘t rely only on technology, as I think that the artist hand in the project is really important, but technology is a necessity nowadays. It makes everything faster. When I‘m in the thinking and trying out phase of the project, I can use 3D models and renders to see how it could look like in the end. It gives me instant feedback on my thoughts, so it‘s very helpful. But also, some of the best ideas I‘ve had, have come through while I was manually trying to make some part. For me at least, that‘s when I had come to the quickest problem solving.

It‘s a way to communicate an idea without the words. All those elements are sending some message on an subconscious level, so people instantly recognize and respond to it. All those elements are what our senses need to feel the environment: what color is it, is it dark or light, bright or dimmed, what‘s the texture, is it soft or rough, is it light or heavy. The ambient too: it gives the most information: the color, the air, the textures, the smell, all of that is forming an ambient.

So all of those things give the information about the design and interact with the user before even thinking about it. That‘s why some people can‘t explain why they are drawn to one design and not the other. Because their senses are telling them, this is the one that suits you as a person. So those elements are really important in the success of the design.

How does it work?

I want it, I have to have it, I hope to buy it someday.

The ideal partner is the one that understands me completely, not just as a designer but as a person too. He has to come with the same intentions, but different input, different education, different field in design so that our information and thoughts can come together and can influence each other. Co-design is the best way to design, but only with the right partner. I was lucky enough to have found mine, with whom I will co-design in the future. He is an industrial designer, so our experiences really affect the other, and can make great results. Two right minds put together are always better then one.

Interestingly, any book that has nothing to do with design. I get moved by the novels, poems or books about the way the human life works. Sometimes, even books about great inventors of all times.

Constantin Brancusi and Tesla.

I don‘t really think I‘m famous, so it‘s not hard at all! But maybe in 10 years I revise this question and answer differently.

My favorite color I think would be sea green, favorite place would be any place on Earth with a lot of nature, so a forest for example. I love seafood, especially Calamari. My favorite season is definitely spring! Favorite thing would be any music player and designer is really hard one, but let‘s say Gijs Bakker.

My day is great just because I get to do what I love. I get to do it when I want, the way I want and how long I want. So I don‘t have to motivate myself, I get motivated out of everyday experiences.

The world will be one big design machine working towards the better tomorrow.

I have always been interested in doing things on my own. Since I was really little, I enjoyed creating something new from the things I had. I wanted to make things that are unique for myself or as a gift to someone. I really loved learning how to make and create anything and also using that knowledge to improve the things I already had. Not that those things needed an improvement, sometimes it was debatable if I made things better or worse, but I loved the process. I also loved jewelry, it was like magic to me. I dreamed to be able to make jewelry, but at the time it didn‘t really look as a possibility for a serious career. Once I had to decide on what to study, I had somehow seen myself as a scenographer for Theater. I loved watching operas and ballets, so it looked like a great job for me. I enjoyed those studies very much, I loved working in Theater and for Films, but I always felt like I needed something more. So in between two scenography projects I started learning how to manipulate metal. I made a lot of jewelry in efforts to improve my knowledge by using the „trial and error“ method. I ended up wanting more, learning more and researching more. Soon enough, I started creating more freely, which has led me to decide to switch to jewelry design completely.

My design studio is focused on creating collections that are moved by a certain idea or thought. Behind every project there‘s always a story that inspired it, something that I wanted to communicate further and to leave people thinking about. I want my work to leave an inspiration for development.

Design is anything that with its specific elements, manages to improve the quality of any sphere of our lives.

I love making accessories that are exciting, daring and new. Most of the time, those accessories are not necessarily wearable for the everyday look, they are just an expression of an idea, thought, concept. I enjoy working with my photographer and the whole editorial team to create outstanding images that are sending a certain message. To communicate ideas through jewelry pieces and to round it all up with photography is a dream come true to me.

I love all my projects, but if I had to choose, I‘d say my favorite one is a collection of jewelry named „Flowers of evil“. It was inspired by lyric poetry from a French poet Charles Baudelaire ( Les Fleurs du mal). The symbols I used were impressions of the most weird flowers I could find. Some of them I transformed into almost not recognizable flowers and some look quite ordinary. To emphasize the sense of darkness and evil, I used only black and red color in the contrast of the golden metal (brass) base. All the pieces are very big and heavy, leaving the sense of burden to the wearer.

I‘m open to new materials and love mix and match to achieve different visuals, but I always get back to metal. Metal is a material that excites me, as it gives so many possibilities with its ability to be manipulated in thousands of different ways. That‘s the beauty of it.

The best creative ideas I get in those rare moments when I manage to shut down my brain. Those seconds when I‘m not thinking are the most valuable.

I always feel like I‘m late to a deadline that I don‘t really have. I don‘t know why, but I always push myself in a way that is really exhausting, but pleasant at the same time. If I have to solve some design problem, it really takes on my whole life, as it is constantly on my mind, there‘s no rest from it. It can be overwhelming, but I love the excitement of it, of never knowing when it‘ll be done, when the solution will come, it‘s really a roller coaster.

A huge sense of relief.

A design is successful if the idea is clear and understandable to a wide audience. Most of the time complex ideas have to go through a series of filters to be understandable. The end idea has to be simple and easy to understand, so reduction is necessary. For a design to carry a powerful message, it has to be simple. That‘s the most difficult part.

To me, the idea behind the project is most important. If the idea is amazing, then there‘s always space for improvement in the physical appearance. But if the idea itself is nothing new or special, then nothing else matters.

Making people‘s everyday life easier, healthier and most importantly, more beautiful.

I believe that we‘re approaching the era where all humans are going to embrace design and incorporate it into a normal part of their life. People are exploring the design more and more each year. The technology is developing so fast and it is giving every human being the choice to create something unique. I do believe that we are entering a very creative period and might I say a Design era.

I don‘t know where the inspiration comes from, it just comes. Every experience of every day is forming my thoughts, and from those thoughts, the inspiration comes. I don‘t think the inspiration is tangible, it just finds a way to show itself in a moment when all needed elements overlap. It can be a pleasant breeze, a flower, a look from someone, a word, a book, anything really. But it truly comes from a culmination of all our experiences and feelings.

It‘s interesting that my personal design style is very minimalist, but somehow, my projects end up having a more narrative approach. I‘d definitely want to go towards a more refined design in the future, but still keep my characteristic approach. The most characteristic thing in my design is meaning. That‘s the biggest reason why it‘s really difficult to reduce the form to a minimum, and at the same time retain a clear idea. I’ll keep on exploring the possibilities of this approach in the future, as improvement is what excites me the most.

I always start my day with a cup of coffee and a calm talk with my partner. Each of us resume the obligations of the day, and we create a possible schedule. We sometimes listen to some inspirational talk, or we watch a show. We both enjoy watching „How it‘s made“, where we always find out something new. After that, we do yoga or some other exercise, have breakfast and go to the studio where each of us go to their own designs. Depending on our deadlines and inspirations, we might stay there all day, or we sometimes go to meet some friends, family or we go for a walk. I‘d probably read a book at some point of the day, and have a few tea or coffee breaks during the day.

Create everyday, dream big and design truthfully. Don‘t give up after your first obstacle, or second, or 100th, there‘s always a solution to every problem, you just haven‘t thought of it yet.

The most positive thing I‘d have to say is being able to create objects that people would use on the daily basis. It is the most beautiful feeling seeing the joy of your customers, seeing that the object, maybe changed the way we do things, or just if it made someone‘s task easier to handle. Negatives must be the constant exposure to criticism of literally anyone. It can be really tiring, and can have an impact on our mood. A good designer has to put his soul into every project, so it‘s really difficult not to take the reactions of people personally. At least it is difficult for me.

The ultimate goal is simplicity.

The designer has to be able to visualize an object and to see that object from every angle with all details before it hits the paper. This ensures that countless editing and problem solving are being done while the project is still inside of the designer‘s imagination. The problem solving is a must for every good designer. No manual skill can take that place.

Since I work for myself, and there's no one to push me, I really need to discipline myself in order to get things done. I have lists of tasks that I need to complete to a certain deadline, I journal everything, and I even have to schedule my free time (time for friends, hobbies, training and so on). Now, this might sound really strict, but in reality, it is a very liberating feeling because this way of working actually ensures more free time because all obligations are done without prolonging too much or procrastinating.

It really depends on a project. For me, the most time consuming part is transforming complex thoughts to simple ones, to their essence and putting them to paper. After I have the general shape, the rest can depend on the complexity of the design, the usage (whether it is needed an extensive research regarding the ergonomic and technical details), the functionality and the way it should be made. It can vary from just a month to up to a year. Each project requires a different approach from the designer, so the time needed can really stretch.

It would have to be the famous question that I believe all designers get asked all the time, and that is: „Where do you get your inspiration from?“

I love making things with my hands. So definitely prototyping is the most pleasant time in any project, as I get to experiment in the workshop, create a lot of things which include mostly metalsmithing.

I think think that now is the right time for me to make a ready to wear collection of jewelry, but I‘d also love to have the opportunity to create pieces for catwalks as that would bring me the most joy.

Until now, all of my designs were made by myself, but I am thinking about developing a few projects with a design team in the near future. I will still have projects that I‘d want to create on my own, with no compromises and no alterations from the design team, but I have some projects in mind that I would really love to make a reality with some really talented artists.

The best way to contact me is by sending me an email, I try my best to answer to all emails as fast as possible. The email that should be used for this purpose is: iglicsonja@gmail.com