A New Muse: Elke Kramer

1. Describe yourself in a sentence.

Dedicated lover of all things wondrous, self employed jewelery designer, illustrator, art-director and experimental baker.

2. Tell us what you do.

I run a small design and jewelery studio where I design, produce and wholesale jewelery and other accessories including silk scarves, belts, bags and purses. I also collaborate with other fashion designers designing custom jewelery collections for them, as well as yardages and identity. I also do freelance design work, like branding, website art-direction and magazine illustration. As well as this I am just about to launch a small zine & blog with my friend Kate Hurst, it will be a left of centre approach to food & lifestyle – recipes, gardening, interiors etc - a bit like Martha Stewart on acid.

3. How did you get to where you are now?

My mother was a graphic designer and an artist. She reared me on a pile of Letraset catalogues, Indian inks and gouaches, quilt pieces, cross stitch patterns and a general love of all things creative and crafty. I inherited her creative confidence and passion. I never considered jewelery design till I selected it as an elective at university and realized I could combine my love of craft and fashion in one outlet.

4. What inspires you?

Many things inspire me… I love peculiar flowers, like lady slipper orchids and passionfruit blooms. I love the approach of filmmakers like Michel Gondry and Spike Jonze, trying to express ideas in back-to-front, inside-out ways. I am currently fascinated with the patterns, vivid colours and abstract spectacle of minerals like agate and opal.

5. What is your aesthetic?

Maximal, eclectic, irreverent

6. What is the best thing about what you do?

Being able to be my own boss is great. On those mornings when I just need to take it slow and go to the beach and wander around book shops, I have no-one to tell me to get back to work. I also get the opportunity to work collaboratively with so many amazing people, Mala Brajkovic, Jessie Hill and Mad Cortes and past collaborators who’s work I was a fan of before hand

7. What are you working on right now?

I have just finished delivering my summer collections: TROMPE LOEIL by Elke Kramer, and the collaborative collection ARTIFICIAL VS REAL by Elke for Jessie Hill. I have also done a capsule collection for the Australian chain store SPORTSGIRL, due in store in February. My European Summer 09 deliveries are pending and I am frantically tying up the production for my new AW 09 collection MIRACLES & WONDER, due in Australian stores in March 09. At the same time I am also beginning to excitedly design my next summer collection – possibly called THINK TWICE – I head to Indonesia in a few days to begin development.

8. Where do you see yourself in the future?

I would love to continue to grow, build up my team and expand into more and more products – homewares, footwear, wallpaper – would be amazing to open a store as well, that would be a real triumph.

9. Where can we see your illustrations?

Recent illustrative projects have been… a window mural for the Incu store artist residency. Back cover illustrations for Japanese Nylon and Dazed & Confused Japan, my digitally printed scarves for Winter 09, next issue of Oyster magazine, handbags by Garcia-Marquez Gauche.

10. Where can we purchase your lovely jewelry?

Very very soon online at www.elkekramer.com
See attached stockist list…..