CLAIRELY ‘Funktional’
Internationally acclaimed Jamaican furniture and jewellery designer Claire Requa was back on The Rock from Denmark – where she resides – to present her award-winning ACCENT décor furniture and CLAIRELY upcycled jewellery at a trunk show in Karen Booker’s DeZign Diva Constant Spring road showroom. With numerous A’ Design Award wins under her belt, Requa shows how much a little goes a long way by taking Lucite off-cuts from her chandelier designs to make eccentric jewellery. AW Fashion zeroes in on Requa’s vision.
AW Fashion (AWF): Who is Claire Requa?
Claire Requa (CR): I am a mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, and aunt. Eternally curious, I love a good challenge. My design comes from wanting to create simple, beautiful, practical designs for living with, and for wearing.
AWF: When did you launch the jewellery line?
CR: The CLAIRELY upcycled jewellery line was launched in May 2008 in New York, at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair, and then later in Chicago, USA in March 2009.
AWF: What does your jewellery line consist of?
CR: Necklaces, rings, bracelets and earrings made primarily of transparent acrylic, mirror acrylic, and a few limited-edition pieces in transparent colours.
AWF: What are the products used to create your pieces?
I use Lucite or acrylic; some may know it as fibreglass and for CLAIRELY upcycled jewellery I use the off-cuts from Lucite.
AWF: What inspires your CLAIRELY upcycled designs?
CR: Inspiration for the line of jewellery came from a deep, long-time, personal commitment to the environment regarding the reduction/use of waste material. I’m also inspired by my retrospective look at my childhood and the pleasant memories there. I am strongly inspired by the influences that were present in the ’60s and ’70s. Acrylic is a wonderful material to work with, very rewarding. Although this is just a plastic, the value comes in the designs and the finished product.
AWF: Can you explain the process, please?
CR: It is like a puzzle. Lamp production is carefully and meticulously planned in conjunction with the line of jewellery. Hence, when I sit at my PC and design the chandeliers, I do so ensuring that very little material/resource is wasted. I start by sketching the design; I then map out the arms, and find spaces between the arms, where, for example I could produce a few rings. I then etch the adinkra symbols onto the acrylic, after which the pieces are cut out. Lastly, I laser-cut the acrylic then file the edges to smooth.
On the relationship between her designs and DeZign Diva…
“This space belongs to DeZign Diva; she is an interior decorator and her pieces are sold here. This trunk show is meant to inform the public that CLAIRELY upcycled jewellery and ACCENT will be available here for sale.”
Claire Requa, the creative mind behind the winning design CLAIRELY upcycled jewellery demonstrates “Beautiful, clear, upcycled jewellery, designed out of a need to use the waste material from the production of Claire de Lune chandelier. This line has developed into a considerable number of collections – all telling stories, all representing very personal glimpses into the philosophies of the designer…” – Julie Thomas, www.prweb.com
Much of my work starts with observing nature, window shopping and seeing what is NOT there, and then to my computer. After three years of doing just decor, I went into upcycling the acrylic from the production of chandeliers and CLAIRELY upcycled jewellery was born. ACCENT has participated in trade shows in Denmark, Germany, England, France and New York, USA, My products have been sold in over 20 countries, Illums Bolighus, Denmark; Normann Copenhagen, Denmark; Chateau Versailles Museum shop, France; ABC Home, USA to name a few. – blog.blackwomenineurope.com
CLAIRELY upcycled jewellery by Claire Requa won the notable Silver A’ Design Award at Jewellery, Eyewear and Watch Design Competition. The pieces are designed and produced in Denmark. Not only are these funky light pieces ornamental, but they also act as colourful reflectors casting wonderful shadows on the skin of the wearer. ACCENT products are sold in over 19 countries worldwide and are on sale at DeZign Diva, 123 Constant Spring Road, Kingston 10.
