What makes a gift from a Boticca designer extra special? The story behind it.
Instead of just handing someone a present and mumbling ‘I thought of you?!’, why not knock their socks off by giving them a gift AND telling them what inspired it? It’s like two presents in one!
In the spirit of discovering gifts with meaning, we’ve created a ‘gift guide’ with a difference. We’re playing story tellers, and have hand-picked four of our designers who create unusual gifts. But even more fascinating is the inspiration behind them – a story you’ll want to tell to whoever unwraps that present under the tree.
From an environmental activist we found on the tube, to a Polish illustrator, let us introduce you to our eclectic, but extremely talented designers…
Joanna Dahdah
This Beirut born designer is the next big thing in jewelry – her designs have been featured in Italian Vogue and acclaimed at London Jewelry Week. A jewelry maker from a young age, she’s a trained gemologist too! But what we love about her abstract, freshly modern designs is that they are inspired by works of art. The Muse collection features artistic pieces like the Klimt necklace – inspired by the famous painting ‘The Kiss’.
MANOLO
Marta Chojnacka may share the same name as the iconic shoe designer Mr Blahnik, but this Polish artist has set her sights above ground – swapping shoes for creating quirky brooches. Each of her hand painted, solid walnut brooches is engraved with an illustration – but these pictures pop out of the frame. Her Las Chicas de Manolo collection was inspired by Toulouse Lautrec’s drawings of ladies, and like the iconic artist, each girl has its own background, personality and hobbies!
Little Glass Clementine
A self-taught jeweller and environmental activist, Little Glass Clementine was discovered by the Boticca team on the London Underground, wearing one of her knockout pieces. Each necklace is made up of the designer’s treasured and found objects, intricately woven together into work of art that bursts with meaning. In just one design, a button conjures up a memory of a grandmother’s box, a ring echoes a past love affair, and an earring found in a flea market whispers of summers in Barcelona.
Watch a video of Little Glass Clementine’s products.
Helen Ruth Greensmith
Helen hails from Aberdeen, Scotland, but after winning a competition to design a scarf that represented her university, she flew off to Como, Italy to design prints for fashion houses. Her eponymous line of luxury printed scarves are truly special because each print has a personal back story. Her Sally scarf is even inspired by her long lost pet! Helen draws her inspiration from childhood stories, and memories of toys and dolls, and she scours antique shops for images to adapt into her own illustrations for finished print, which is created digitally and then hand-finished.
