Also Journal

Silva. is a collaborative jewellery project between Greta Nani & Kendall Blair, inspired by our love of organic design with an irregular finish. We encourage imperfections in our designs, knowing that the more they’re worn and lived in, the more beautiful they will become.

Each piece is individually hand carved using traditional techniques and heat manipulation – creating a unique story that the wearer will continue to add to. We take a responsible approach to our business and do what we can to help the environment at each stage of our process. We design, craft and finish our pieces in our home studio in South London and we collect any silver off-cuts, which are remelted and cast into the next batch of designs. We use a Hatton Garden caster who specialises in casting recycled silver.

Silva. is inspired by our home cities; Greta was raised in Milan and I am from outside Glasgow. Both cities have a romantic charm and an equally rough edge – something we both feel encapsulates our taste and personal style. We are committed to individuality and the idiosyncrasies that make us and each piece we design, unique.

This theme runs through my work in fashion styling; a love of androgynous style and hardening up a look with a more masculine component. There’s always a fluidity between delicate and harsh; the driving force for Silva’s signature style. Greta’s background in documentary film-making encouraged her to research her home city and the people in it over long periods of time. This eventually inspired her to create with these characters in mind, and invest in her craft and hone in on her personal style of jewellery making.

It was being immersed in the design and making of Silva. that inspired me to create a fashion story celebrating hand made processes. This kind of work is laborious and all consuming – but incredibly special because of that. The brands styled in this story sit well with Silva. jewellery as they also have unique imperfections and specific pieces can’t be replicated – they are each singular.

This story showcases garments from young designers that take a slower approach to their brands. My interest and excitement lies in brands that do not conform to trends and remain true to their unique identity – something I find exists almost exclusively where there’s an element of hand process. It’s important to celebrate young designers who usually don’t have the means to mass produce their collections; making it hard to keep up with an oversaturated, ever changing industry. For me, this is much more significant and endearing.

This story is the beginning of a research project into handmade processes and creating pieces from beginning to end. Shot by Holly Whittaker and styled by Kendall Blair in the first of many collaborations; this story focuses on using garments from young designers with very differing tastes but with the handmade process based approach in common. All jewellery is also individually designed and handcraft by new jewellery brand SILVA; co-owned by Kendall Blair and Greta Nani.

Holly shot the majority on film and hand developed images, aligning to the brief and research.

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