Brittany Weiss is a talented up-and-coming jewelry designer. She founded W. Britt, a contemporary luxury jewelry line not so long ago and is doing wonders with her creations.
So how did her passion for jewelry get going in the first place? She said: “My love of jewelry goes back to as far as I can remember! I was always playing with my grandmother’s jewelry and my love of crafting goes back to before high school. I had a desire to put my heart and soul into discovering the opulence of sparkling metals. You will be surprised to know that I constantly have my hands in some sort of designing.”
In fact, she went on to study the art of jewelry design taking classes throughout her time in college, in New York at FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology).
When asked what she always dreamed of becoming in life, she pointed out, “Nothing but a designer someday and it came true when I finally made my debut with ‘Assembly Line’ in fall last year. The response I got was amazing.”
With it, she shed light on the process of creating jewelry in both a physical and conceptual sense. It emphasized on showcasing a perfect balance between urban elements and the beauty of classical design. The mechanical aspect of her designs is what really makes her pieces unique and different. “I tend to be very detail and quality-oriented and precise with my designs.”
Talking about the things that inspire her, she said, “There are plenty. Nonetheless, I’ve always been fascinated with how things work and fit together and the manufacturing process in general. The shapes and silhouettes that I draw from the urban landscape and incorporate into my designs are very thought-out, geometric and reductive.”
Her major inspiration emanates from travel. She is constantly inspired by architecture, the pace of city life, and all the unique contrasting elements in the cityscape that come together to create urban harmony. “I also enjoy studying art, photography, and industrial design. Taking all of the inspiration that surrounds me and refining it helps me to add my own perspective, especially after many, many rounds of revisions for the designs,” she says.
She is good at one more thing, i.e. developing a symbiotic relationship between the wearer and the jewelry itself. “The reason I work on creating this affiliation is to make each woman who wears W. Britt feel confident, powerful and individual,” explains Weiss.
Moreover, she takes inspiration from the woman she envisions wearing her pieces and what her personal complexities might be.
Asked what type of women her beautiful designs are aimed at, she said, “The W. Britt girl is full of passion. She loves fashion and is constantly in touch with the trends, but isn’t ruled by them. She likes to give them her own flair and isn’t afraid to experiment.”
According to Weiss, they are confident, savvy and driven, taking risks with a sense of adventure and there is a chic air of ease that defines them too.
And her spring ‘14 collection titled “Raising the Bar” which is a progression and further development of her first two collections within Assembly Line actually captures that spirit all the way. It makes a bold statement while still being refined. “Through this collection, I have tried to analyze and study the technique of scaffolding, an idea that I first explored in the Hinge Cuff. I’m fascinated by the utilitarian support in scaffolding that holds the bars of the construction together,” she said. “I played with this idea while interpreting it in different shapes and designs.”
While developing Raising the Bar, the architectural inspiration that she referenced for it was born out of the design philosophy of Le Corbusier. “He was the one who redefined architecture in urban environments by using highly constructed systematic elements while remaining aware of his surroundings and how his work would relate to nature.”
Based on this, she incorporated strong lines in Raising the Bar that enhance the beauty and softness of the feminine form when worn. “I love the play of hard and soft and mixed materials, and I plan on developing that concept further in future collections,” she said. “It was a sublime effort of mine as part of my design to focus on more overtly feminine and delicate designs especially in color, choice and shape.”
She added that it aligned well with her sentiments about spring and summer where she is drawn to ease as well as wearability factor in jewelry whereas all of the pieces in Assembly Line are seasonless and can be worn together to create a new effect
She makes her designs using a wide range of materials. “I utilize 18k yellow gold, rhodium, rose gold, and ruthenium plate on bronze, with semi-precious stones like black onyx, lapis, turquoise, howlite, carnelian, amazonite, and rose quartz. I also have branched out into more natural elements like bone.”
Asked who she follows as her role models, she said, “I have many, but Miuccia Prada is probably the person I look up to the most.”
Pretty clear about where she wants to see her brand in the years ahead, she said, “My main goal at the moment is to continue to develop my collections. I aim to expand and grow, branching out into other fashion accessories as well as industrial objects. I love the creative process and would love to delve into it as much as possible.”
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