The brand and the maker
-
The high-end costume and fine jewellery brand MY LITTLE WINTER FACTORY was born on an iceberg in the Far North and has since been flourishing in Paris.
I assemble various pieces of jewellery that I either create or select with great care for their properties and aesthetic qualities. These pieces come together to form earrings, bracelets, and other body ornaments. This choice affords me a profound freedom of expression and a broad spectrum of possibilities.
It's about piecing together small stories to craft a more extensive narrative. You're introduced to a universe that progresses and expands, with one piece leading to the next. When the dialogue concludes, the loop is closed, and the collection culminates with this final piece.
-
In these dialogues, the jewels, often asymmetrical earrings, whisper stories to each other. Two pieces, seemingly at odds, come together and weave their own tale through their differences and complementarity.
When you purchase a piece, you take with you a part of that story. The object continues its life elsewhere, outside the workshop. On its wearer, the jewellery takes on a slightly different appearance and truly comes to life.
-
Each piece is an intrinsic part of a whole—the entire collection—which will never be produced again.
For this reason, I don't work on custom orders.
I craft one-off pieces and, on rare occasions, produce limited or special editions for events like "Proud to Be", other noteworthy celebrations, and of course, Cat Day ^^.
The jewellery
-
The aesthetic of the jewellery revolves around combinations of colours, as seen in pearls and stones, harmonised with "Matter" like various metals, fabric, clay, and wood.
The preferred materials include:
Precious and oxidisable metals
Natural stones such as Lapis Lazuli, Amazonite, Aventurine, African Turquoise, and Pink Quartz
Miyuki Delica seed beads from Japan
Swarovski crystal and Bohemian glass beads
Enamelled and cloisonné pieces
Terracotta, ceramics, and porcelain
Intricately crafted wood and other natural elements
Coloured Jade threads, leather, and Japanese papers.
-
The style leans towards timeless, infused with a hint of bohemian-hippie-chic. It's relatively minimalistic yet possesses a free and playful essence in the designs. I engage with materials, exploring their intrinsic tactile and visual qualities.
Some pieces bridge multiple disciplines and skills. The creative journey often leads me to techniques that I must learn and perfect. It's a multi-layered adventure.
-
The jewellery I create is generally easy to wear, allowing for gesture and movement. That's why I often incorporate 'dangling' elements. When worn, you give the jewel its full meaning beyond its decorative function.
Earrings mirror the body language of the person wearing them. They provide a brief insight into the individual's way of moving, offering a glimpse of who they might be.
Jewellery, in general, brings colour to our daily lives and creates an atmosphere around us. It is an outward expression of care and undoubtedly influences our well-being.
The maker behind the brand
-
The worlds I explore are cultural influences that I have experienced or imagined and are directly linked to my own experience.
I am a French Artist and Artisan with a global artistic approach. My qualifications span from the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Nantes and Bergen Kunstakademiet in Norway during the 90s, through Art History studies in the early 2000s, to the esteemed Parisian Ecole Boulle more recently.
My Little Winter Factory is a venture that has been maturing over several years. It was born in the middle of the Norwegian forest during a profound period of introspection in 2011 and found its identity in the heart of Iceland in 2013. The hallmark of the brand could not be anything other than an iceberg.
I launched my brand in 2023!
-
I've always been fascinated by jewellery. My grandmothers, two distinct personalities, both wore theirs with pride. Their unmatchable temperament were undeniably reflected in their respective choices of jewellery.
One wore crystal-clear and intricately worked stones, delicately set in highly decorative fine gold. The other, Claudette, had a preference for solid purple or amber jewellery, complemented by the robustness of quality, stable brass.
As I look at her pendants now, I can vividly picture her wearing them. I see my grandmother once more.
Jewellery possesses this power of representation and embodiment.
-
My entire childhood in St Etienne, a culturally rich and mining-focused region, coupled with exploring the caves of the French Ardèche region, has greatly contributed to my recurring need for contact with tangible Matter.
Art History has undeniably shaped my aesthetic approach and an unbounded curiosity for different cultures allows me to make imaginative journeys through my collections: Byzantine art, the Near East and Mesopotamia art, Nordic cultures, the Orient, Africa, Italy, Pre-Columbian cultures, and so on.
Then, there was the unexpected discovery of archaeological jewellery. These fragments that bear little resemblance to anything and were once jewels and wonders. These found 'bits and pieces' allow us to reconstruct an entire treasure, and our imagination breathes life back into their former splendour.
