Behind The Scenes With The Next Generation Aussie Jewellery Label Turning Heads
Golden girl
Hey, bling thing! Have you met the Australian jewellery label making a personalised statement?
With a passion for self-love and confidence, Avant Studio creates a signature sparkle driven by female empowerment, environmental responsibility, social justice and community support. You’re guaranteed to be the coolest chic in the office when adorning these trinkets!
Their curated collections of timeless jewels are perfect for everything from sidewalks to soirees. To get to know what’s behind the next generation jewellery, we sat down with owner Belle Maartensz to chat about all things accessories, sincere sustainability, and southern France inspirations…
Hi Belle! Thanks for chatting with us. Tell us, where did your passion for business begin?
My passion for business started when I was 19 and I founded a women’s clothing label called The A-Line. It was my enthusiasm for designing clothes that led me on this path, and even though my first business didn’t work out, fast forward 10 years and I’m still designing – I wouldn’t change a thing!
What inspires you?
Travel transforms me into my most creative state. Something about the excitement of discovering new places and cultures could have me designing an entire collection in just a few hours. Often, I find that music can be the foundation of a collection or campaign – if I hear a particular song snippet, sometimes I can instantly visualise all of the elements in a project. Also, it might sound cliche, but quiet moments in nature is a sure way to get creative juices flowing.
What has been one of your proudest moments in Avant Studio’s lifetime?
There have been so many proud moments of different scales over the last four years but one that stands out is when we launched our Tennis Bracelet Collection alongside the Australian Open in January of this year. We had a beautiful launch event at Entrecôte in Melbourne that was followed with our first feature in Harper’s Bazaar. This was a full circle moment for me as I interned at the magazine when I was just 15, and would have never dreamed that one day my brand would be featured in the magazine!
Can you tell us more about your sustainability ethos?
From the conception of Avant Studio, we wanted to be as environmentally conscious as possible. This meant zero plastic usage and a focus on recycling and repurposing both packaging and product. Currently our packaging is 100% recyclable or biodegradable. We have an incentive which encourages the return of our jewellery boxes in exchange for store credit. We also recycle the metals from returns and faulty pieces to become part of future collections.
What has been your favourite collection to produce?
That is such a hard question! I would say my favourite campaign to shoot was our first ever international shoot in July this year. We chose the seaside village of Villefranche-sur-mer in the south of France. It was quaint and colourful, and we were able to fly in my friend and talented photographer @kiraceline from London to capture it on film.
Give us your top three Christmas gifting pieces…
Can’t go wrong with the Celine Earrings in Gold Pave, Ava Necklace and Matisse Cuff (three of my all time favourites).
What’s next for Avant Studio?
2024 is a big year of brand collaborations for us, so watch this space for product and brand fusions. We’ll also be expanding internationally and have some pretty exciting campaign shoots planned in some very cool destinations!
