What Women Make

From Japan, living in Berlin, Naoko Ogawa, creator of “gathering jewelry”

A different kind of jewelry designer, Naoko makes jewelry for your clothing. She decorates by changing the shape of shirts, shoes and shins – some of the more overlooked sculptural materials of our day to day selves. What drew me to her was her work with soft metals where the wearer can change the shape of a garments with a simple squeeze. Naoko’s “gathering” pieces create new draping, a new visual focal point.

She is from Japan and lives and works in Berlin.

Here’s the interview which I’ve edited for the language but only slightly.

Where were you born?

In a small town. Odawara, in Kanagawa prefecture near Tokyo. I lived there until I was 18. Then I left to go to Tama Art University and Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music both in Tokyo.

Where do you work now?

Berlin.

How did the place you grew up influence your design?

the view from Naoko's studio

As a child, I was surrounded by woods and I spent a lot of time playing alone in nature. My favorite game was to play ‘treasure hunt.’ I’d gather small shiny things, a fragment of broken glass, a part of a broken buckle or vivid colored leaves and nuts, and show them to my family. It brought me great pleasure that my found treasures surprised them and made them happy. I wanted to expand on that experience and make something as beautiful as those found treasures. When I was five years old, I created my first piece of jewelry with acorns and thread. I’ve been making jewelry ever since.

Another way my town was an influence was that it inspired me to be different. My hometown was small and the people were conservative. They were not accepting of strangers or heterogeneity. Our family moved there from another town and it took time to acclimate. I liked the place, but didn’t like the group mentality. My reaction to this was to embrace being unique.

Talk about the materials you use. How did you come to use moldable metals in your “Gathering Jewelry” the pieces in particular that drew me to your work?

I majored in traditional Japanese metal crafts (metal hammer and curving works) in art school. I studied the properties of various metals. When you expose metals to too much heat, they become soft enough to manipulate into shapes. You have to watch out for metal fatigue though. Too much heat can break your material but I use aluminum plate for the Gathering Jewelry. Aluminum is soft and light, has strong plasticity, and can tolerate being manipulated over and over again.

What is your design philosophy?

I look for an element of surprise and to create joy, the jewel of life. I consider jewelry to be indispensable for a happy life – it’s like spices are to food.

Do you participate in any other art form? If so, what? (writing, fine arts, dance, etc)

No.

Any other female designers that you’d like our readers to check out?

Yuka Oyama & Susan Pietzsch (2). They are Artists, and their art is also jewelry. They have own unique opinions about jewelry, and are trying to create the “next” context for jewelry, evolve the meaning of jewelry.

Any comments on being a female designer? Is it tough for a woman or do you find it to be quite neutral?

Thank you for your interests in my work. I don’t think that it’s tough being a female designer at all. Men have their own angle. Women have their own angle.

Naoko Naoko Ogawa

You can see the rest of her work here.

Monday • August 17, 2009 • by Chauncey Zalkin

Category: Berlin, Blog, Interviews, Japan, Jewelry, Naoko Ogawa, Tama Art University, Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, Yuka Oyama

2 Comments

Share|

Winner: Sustainable Bags from Ethiopia

Before What Women Make, I had a Webby nominated site called girlonthestreet.com. There was no blog software back in 1999 when I started it and I hand coded the entire site in HTML myself every time I wanted to update it. I thought I’d resurrect that site after going to work in advertising from 2004-2006 but I realized I’d changed a lot since then and Girl on the street gave way to What Women Make. In the interim before I discovered that, I rebuilt Girl on the street in 2007 for $3,000, an all flash site which was a complete waste (but very pretty). When it launched, I was asked to do a trend report for a jewelry site where I could give away a pair of earrings. I decided to look for the most creative entrepreneurial, high-quality ideas in design. It was hard to find people at first, I must admit but Makeda’s bags were a blend of two cultures – Ethiopian textiles (supporting craftsmanship in her native country) and fine Italian leather. Not only were they beautiful, but it was a business close to her heart. Unfortunately, she had to stop the project and go back to work but I’m confident she’ll find a way to have a creative business again one day. Here she is in her own words:

I was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in the 70s to a mother who was a flight attendant for Ethiopian Airlines and a father who was a record producer and entrepreneur. I emigrated to the United States in the 80′s and lived in Washington, DC, where there’s a thriving Ethiopian community, before moving to NYC in late 1998.

I worked in corporate media for a number of years, where I enjoyed my role and responsibility as web producer, writer, and television field producer. But I was eager and itching to find a new creative outlet, away from my Midtown office. So I started sketching and a lot of ideas emerged for a handbag line. Coincidentally, my mother has a wonderful sense of style and her closet happened to be full of vintage bags from the 70′s and 80′s.

I went to Ethiopia a year ago to visit my father and I was blown away by the textiles that I saw in the market and knew that I wanted to someday incorporate these textiles into a handbag.

In the fall of 2007, I finalized the four samples that I wanted to debut and began the process of launching Makeda Collection NYC in Brooklyn – a unique line combining colorful, patterned textiles from Ethiopia with leather. My inspiration was iconic, beautiful Africa. The creative process was unlike anything I had experienced in the corporate world and knew that I wanted to pursue it as a business venture. Interestingly, during my research into the leather industry, I discovered the environmental impacts of the leather tanning process, so I decided that my line would only use vegetable tanned leather and organic cotton. As a treehugger and a longtime pescetarian, it’s important for me to be environmentally-responsible. So I have made a commitment to use a green supply chain and services to reduce the company’s carbon footprint.

Additionally, I want consumers to be aware of the social and environmental challenges facing Africa. One of these challenges is access to clean water. In Ethiopia, 76 percent of the population doesn’t have access to clean water. In order to support the numerous charities that operate in Africa, I am planning to launch an e-commerce store where a percentage of the bag’s proceeds will go to various charities like Charity: Water and The Ethiopian Children’s Fund. I believe that consumers can have a direct role in helping to improve the lives of many with their purchasing power.

I debuted my Fall 2008 collection in February at Platform 2 New York, a ready-to-wear and accessories trade show. At this time, the bags are not sold in stores yet. My goal is to start manufacturing a limited quantity in Ethiopia. I’m fortunate to make it this far, especially with the support of family and friends. And I welcome the challenges in the future.

Tuesday • February 19, 2008 • by Chauncey Zalkin

Category: Africa, Blog, Competitions, Fashion, New York, Sustainable

3 Comments

Share|