SAY X A-S - Meet the Designer

Introducing Say x A-S

At the heart of Say is a love for craft, detail, and storytelling - values we instantly recognised in multidisciplinary designer Annabelle Strover. From Melbourne to her studio in Mexico City, Annabelle brings a spirit of play and curiosity to everything she creates.

Together, we’ve reimagined some of Say’s most loved motifs into a limited collection of handcrafted jewellery. To celebrate the launch, we sat down with Annabelle to talk about her journey, her inspirations, and the process of bringing this collaboration to life.

Can you share a little about your creative journey, how did you first start working with jewellery?

A-S - "From a young age I had an inkling that I would one day be making jewellery, as I would rummage through pieces my Omi had made; she was a jeweller herself. She passed away when I was very young, but somehow, creatively I feel I am able to reconnect with her and this feels very special and important to me.

At my core I am an Interior Designer, or at least that is where my design career found its beginnings. When I first actually set on making jewellery, it came from a deep need to be making with my hands; creating something physical, in real-time, that required complete focus and patience, unlike that of working behind a computer. 

When I design, whether that be interiors, objects or jewellery, I become obsessive over the details and always explore elements of play; creating a sense of fun. For me, and how I like to wear (or make) jewellery, I think it's exactly like that - being playful with it; making a boring outfit suddenly fun."

SAY: How did you approach translating our signature motifs (like the daisy and ditsy florals) into silver?

A-S - "I think this is the beauty of making jewellery and other hand crafts; the best approach is through play. I chose a bunch of signature SAY motifs that I felt could best be translated into a more 3-dimensional form and then began exploring these materially. 

I created a whole range of flowers using multiple techniques, wax and forming silver laminate, intuitively experimenting until I was content with the final form you see today.

SAY: If you had to describe the collection in three words, what would they be? 

A-S "Summer, Whimsy, Fun"

SAY: What role does hand-crafting play in your work, especially in a world moving towards mass-production?

A-S - "The whole reason I began making jewellery was because of the joy in hand-crafting. I love being the one to take a piece from a scrappy idea in my mind, spending hours working out the best way to bring it into reality, taking many wrong turns and failed attempts along the way.

When I finally polish and am left with the finished piece, there's a huge sense of love that has grown for it.

I actually really struggle to move beyond being the sole-maker of my jewellery; although I know outsourcing and 3D printing production is an extremely normal and savvy way to create jewellery; I guess I just have these deep ceded needs to keep making with my hands - and perhaps I enjoy the challenge?"

SAY: Do you have any special rituals or habits when you create? 

A-S - "I wouldn't say this is a ritual or habit, but I am always bopping along to music. I am mostly always having a fun time while I make."

SAY: What inspires you outside of design?

A-S - "I find inspiration everywhere. I would say I am a very alert/sensitive person to the world, hence my camera roll is full of content I have spotted throughout the day, unexpected patterns, architectural details, accidental assemblages of objects, so many nature close-ups, plants, insects etc. 

A lot of my jewellery is very nature inspired; I often make flowers that I have personally found. I also often head into second-hand book shops, spending hours digesting a huge range of amazing, outdated magazines on plants, geology and craft.

Moving to Mexico City has also brought me an enormous amount of inspiration and motivation creatively. This country, let alone the City, is full to the brim of amazing artisans and craftsmanship. This alongside the very vibrant and spontaneous nature of life here constantly has my brain ticking with new ideas."