Hello Pretty is Winding Down

After more than ten fulfilling, magical years beginning in the good old days of 2012, Hello Pretty is retiring and heading off to the beach with a drink with a tiny umbrella.

Read our goodbye letter

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Win with Hello Pretty and Jam Jewellery!

Jam Jewellery is giving away these two beautiful things. Can you be-leaf it? (Sorry, we couldn’t resist.)

Inspired by nature, these delicate leaves are handmade from brass. You could win either a pair of earrings, or a necklace. Here’s how:

To Enter:

  1. Like Jam Jewellery on Facebook
  2. Leave a comment on this post telling us whether you’d like to win the earrings or the necklace.
  3. Get extra votes by sharing this post and tagging us on Facebook and Twitter.

Jam Jewellery makes pretty things inspired by everything around her. Check out our interview with Jackie here here.

Winner announced on Friday 18th October.

Pretty Personal with Jackie Hahn

In a move that most business students can only dream of pulling off, Jackie Hahn dropped her BComm studies four months in and decided to answer the call of the design industry. Finding inspiration in both the everyday and the obscure, her Jam Jewellery range is a treasure trove of pieces that’ll make you wish you had more hands and ears!

Products shown:
Brass leaf dangling earrings
Silver crown cut-out earrings
Delicate folded sterling silver bracelet
Wood ring with heart cut-out
Silver crown cut out pendant
 

  1. Hello Jackie! Tell us a little about yourself.
    From an early age, I always loved doing creative things with my hands, and collected things like different shapes, sizes, and colours of leaves, or made collages of pictures or found objects that inspired me.
    When I left school I went to Stellenbosch University to study BComm (Management Sciences). However I soon realised that this wasn’t my passion and that I was meant to be in a designing and creating environment. So after just 4 months I quit my studies and took the leap of faith, and enrolled for a Bachelor of Arts in Visual Arts degree in Creative Jewellery and Metal Design at Stellenbosch University, graduating in December 2009. I have never looked back since. I am so lucky to have found my passion in jewellery design and manufacturing and that I can persue my creative talent as a career. After all, I was born to be a creative.
     
  2. And from there, how did Jam Jewellery happen?
    Soon after completing my studies I started working at a jewellery design company, but my feet soon became itchy and I wanted to stretch my wings over the waters. So in 2011 I went to Germany for an internship at a jewellery company and worked for a while at a goldsmith’s. However, I soon longed to start my own brand and so at the end of 2011 I returned to my home turf and started working on my lifelong dream of establishing my own brand.
    For the duration of 2012 I worked under my jewellery brand called “Hahn Jewellery”. I was invited together with 2 other international jewellery designers to showcase my jewellery in Berlin in October 2012. However, I decided that I needed a quirky, fun and creative brand that I can take to markets, online shops and festivals, a brand that people will remember, like, enjoy and can relate to.   
    So finally the birth of Jam Jewellery happened at the end of January 2013 and we are going full steam ahead and loving every moment! And we are here to stay…
     
  3. Your pieces have a lot of different styles - so, do you get inspiration from a lot of different sources?
    I love nature! Most of my inspiration comes from nature, I just love the organic feel of it, especially things like: shells, seed pods, underwater sea life, mushrooms, leaves, textured surfaces…but also found objects, like anything rusted or that has paint is peeling off, makes me super happy and excited ( I still want to do a range like this!). I also get a lot of my inspiration from industrial design such as lampshades, or interesting design in homeware, décor, and anything with an organic feel to it. Three of my favourite artists of all time are Gaudi, Mucha and Hundertwasser Haus. Their work is very organic and has a lot of interesting and intricate patterns and textures that puts my creative juices on a buzzzzz.
    Apart from jewellery, one of my all time favourite things that I like is to travel. I love just walking all by myself in ancient cities and exploring every church, interesting building, market and alleyway. My other favourite pastime is to walk or climb a mountain when I can, and to go scuba diving when I have the chance. However, when I can’t do those, I will settle for an Italian ice cream date with my boyfriend in Stellenbosch and pretend we are somewhere in Europe.
     
  4. And when you’re not climbing/diving/exploring/eating ice cream, you make pretty jewellery! Tell us about Jam Jewellery?
    Jam Jewellery specialises in designing and making of any kind of jewellery in various metals and materials such as: Wood, leather, and semiprecious stones. Our main focus is to custom design and manufacture engagement rings and private commissions, and also to design and produce our own unique jewellery range specially for the Jam Jewellery brand.
  5. Last question - what’s your favourite thing to put jam on?
    On a warm freshly baked scone with some cream!

Ooh, we could murder a scone with some jam right now. You can check out more from Jam Jewellery in her Hello Pretty store, and get in touch on Facebook and Twitter. Also, if you check back with us on Monday, we might just be giving away one of the stunning pieces featured in this post.

Pretty Personal with Elzanne Louw

A woman after Team HP’s heart, Elzanne Louw was drinking wine while we had this interview. She’s just wrapped up her Spring/Summer collection (look how pretty!) and took some time to spill the beans on how she came to create Lo, one of our favourite brands, which has been with us since the very beginning!

  1. Hel”Lo” Zani! Tell us a little about yourself.
    I’m a compulsive maker of things, always have been, and used to drive my mother nuts as a child with impulsive projects which often involved a big mess. But I get a lot of satisfaction from my work because fashion is ever evolving and all about self expression. I guess it was a match made in heaven.
  2. You must have had some of the best dressed Barbies in town! So, you knew you wanted to do this ever since you were a kid?
    I always knew that I wanted to build something really big, and in 2011 I realised that something big was my own small business. I have deep roots in the so-called creative industry and have always yearned for a career which would satisfy both my artistic needs and my suppressed inner geek. Lo was the inevitable result and I hope to grow this little fashion business into a viable contributor to the South African economy.
  3. That’s a philosophy we really love. And you? What sort of things do you “Lo”ve?
    I LOve my inner geek because she has taught me a lot myself and what I am capable of.
    I LOve when people use their brains to help other people.
    And I really really really LOve Hello Pretty :)
  4. Aw, shucks, you’re gonna make us blush! Speaking of Hello Pretty, tell us about the “Lo”vely things we can find in your store?
    I always say to people that I want to make that one item of clothing that has been in your cupboard for years. That go-to item, that just seems to be perfect for every occasion. You know, the one that you have worn to death…The one with the holes and stains which was demoted to home-wear two years ago but you still LOve it too much to let it go (and let’s face it you still wear it out every now and then). I hope to make clothes with longevity and clothes that women LOve to wear.
  5. Ah, going out in jammies - one of our guilty pleasures. What’s yours?
    Gettin my NAILZ DID with my friend Wendz! DUH :) The more glitter the better. Hehehe.

We also love gettin’ our nails did! (Even Scott, although he won’t admit it.) For her stunning S/S line and even more pretty things, check out Lo’s Hello Pretty store, and get in touch on Facebook and Twitter.

We Are Messengers designs

Now ladies, in this Age of Craft, who doesn’t love a good ceramic somethingsomething and a pretty piece of stationery?

On browsing around IDSWest a while back, I came across the work of We Are Messengers - Alex and Iwona run the design studio, and created a craftier side business named after themselves to go with it.  Under the Alex and Iwona brand they created stunning illustrated ceramics, stationery and jewellery to be sold at various shows and markets, which are COMPLETELY lustworthy.

Gorgeous, no?  I’m just dying over those necklaces.  You go Alex and Iwona!

Silver Spoon Clothing on SALE

Pretties, we have an amazing job.  We get to deal with some of the most talented people that this country has to offer. In the wake of Heritage Day, I have to say that we are just so darn proud of them, and of South African design in general.  It’s an exciting position to be in.

One brand that needs attention paid to it, is undoubtedly Silver Spoon.  This husband and wife team have been in the game for a while and have been invaluable mentors to us.

The interwebs would have you know that Stephanie has been awarded Best Technical Design Award for her range “Little Obsessions and Childhood Recollections”. First Prize for a Couture outfit was also handed to her and she received a R10 000 bursary. Dieter was chosen as one of South Africa’s Best Young Male Designers by Mohair South Africa; an outfit he designed for them was shown on ramp at SA’s fashion week in Johannesburg in 2005.  Can you spell Dream Team?

Not only are they brilliant and massively qualified - they are extremely generous with their time, knowledge and experience, and even equipment  - they actively champion young industry people and help where ever they can.

It was with great pride that I spent Braai Day in one of their dresses - it was just the prettiest, flowiest dress, and I felt great in it - Stephanie knows how to make a lady feel good about herself!

They are having a phenomenal sale on their Hello Pretty store page.  After proudly representing them and others at the SAFW Pop Up Shop  we can vouch for the quality of the clothing - ladies, the PU pencil skirt.  It’s like a Wonderbra for your behind - I’ve never quite seen anything like it!

Go on.  You totally deserve it.

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