In Conversation with Bliss Lau…
Ever since La Maison Couture first launched in 2008 we’ve made it our mission to source new and emerging luxury brands from across the world, offering our customers a carefully curated collection of jewellery and lifestyle pieces. We love to uncover hidden gems, brands that offer a finely judged blend of creative design, strong ethics and an attention to detail.
Bliss Lau exemplifies everything that we celebrate at La Maison Couture. The Bliss Lau jewellery brand is a talented New York brand which specialises in sensual designs that play with structure, ranging from delicate body chains draped sinuously across the body to intricate hand pieces. Here, we delve further into this intriguing brand and its designer.
La Maison Couture: Hi Bliss, tell us about your brand and how it started…
Bliss Lau: I actually sold my senior thesis collection of handbags in 2003 and started from there! After five years in bags I became the first designer to launch a full collection of body chains in 2007, changing the categories perceived in jewellery. As I matured in life and business I began making pieces in sterling around 2010 and launched the full collection of Bliss Lau fine jewellery in 2014.
LMC: What about your design philosophy – how does it work?
BL: Regardless of what I am designing, be it a handbag in my early 20s or a piece of fine jewellery now, I believe in creating pieces that are experiential, and reflect a juxtaposition between hard lines and motion.
What does that mean? An example would be my Minimalist Ring. Viewed from the top it simply looks like a stone on a ring, but from the front view you can see that it is a slice of metal embellished on both front and back with diamonds. From the side you can see nothing but the centre stone. I designed this piece to have an element of surprise, as well as give you a visual experience every time you see it from a different perspective.
LMC: Where do your creative inspirations come from?
BL: Inspirations come from everywhere, I seek them out and often they find me. I like to begin a design by asking myself what I want the feeling it evokes to be, sometimes I start with a poem as the essence of the inspiration, and then I move on the visual references. Collections have been inspired by structures like the Brooklyn Bridge (I have a mild obsession with suspension) and also the poetry of Pablo Neruda and Anaïs Nin. It reflects how often the juxtaposition of soft and hard occurs within my designs.
LMC: What about the ethical dimensions to your work?
We are working on the sustainable aspect of our company, and as is true of most things it feels like a work in progress! Our model as a brand is to work with kind, thoughtful and ethical vendors. All of our jewellery makers are small businesses, mostly run by families of artisans who have been making jewellery for generations. In our domestically produced Bliss Lau Fine and Ceremony jewellery collection, we cast with either recycled gold or domestically mined gold. Our pavé diamonds are conflict-free, and most of the gemstones you see pictured are from old stock, or sourced from trusted vendors. We are in conversation to help our vendors understand the importance of these choices. You will be happy to know that we have caused a lot of vendors to look into their own process and expand upon their transparency model.
LMC: As a creative brand, what do you think your role is?
BL: I see the responsibility of creatives to be translators for today and to create imaginary worlds for what is to come in the future. That dream is something that I think becomes a respite for the people who experience the Bliss Lau jewellery Collections and hopefully it brings a little bit more joy to their day.
LMC: Finally, where do you see the brand going forward?
BL: I am an ever-evolving person and designer. I care a lot about the environment and have been working with my supply chain to help move perspectives more towards caring as well. Creatively I am very inspired to continue to design, and hope to expand the collection and circle back to more body pieces, but this time in gold and diamonds!
Inspired by sensuality and structure, the Bliss Lau jewellery brand continuously explores unique and intriguing fine jewellery.
Visit our website to discover this beautifully crafted collection.
Shop the Bliss Lau Collection in Fine Jewellery at La Maison Couture.
