We sat down with our friend and collaborator Estée Lalonde to talk about the new collection we designed together, our inspiration and what jewellery means to us. Put the kettle on and pull up a chair while we give you the lowdown…
Estée Lalonde | The Interview
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Hi Estée! Shall we start at the beginning of our love affair? When did you first discover Daisy?
I’ve been wearing Daisy for so long now. I was instantly drawn to your Chakra collection; they all have different meanings and energies so you can choose the one that resonates with you most. That was the beginning of the Daisy obsession. I feel like we’ve always wanted to work on something together and this felt like the right time to do it.
The day before your team emailed us, we were talking about who our dream collaboration would be and it was you…
It was meant to be! I remember sitting down with my old assistant and saying, “I really want to do a jewellery collection but I just wouldn’t know how” and she was the one who suggested doing it with Daisy, and I was like “yeah but would they even want to do that with me?” and she said “why don’t we just email and see?”. So, we did and then I later found out that you guys were thinking about doing a collaboration with me!
What does jewellery mean to you?
Jewellery is one of those things that I’ve always loved. It can be so expressive and meaningful. Layering up necklaces has really become part of my style. When I was 19, the night before I moved to England, my mum gave me a necklace. I wore it every day for four years until it started to get so worn because I would always hold it whenever I was homesick or thinking of my mum. I found it really comforting when I was going through a tough time; it’s always nice to have things that remind you of who you are, where you’ve come from, your roots. That’s the first time I really felt super connected to a piece. Since then, I’ve always worn jewellery and I feel like it’s a part of me.
Tell us what you think about the collection…
My collection is everything I’ve ever wanted and more from a jewellery line! I’m so in love with it. We really wanted the collection to have a vintage feel to it but feel modern at the same time. Holding onto my jewellery and touching it always makes me feel a little more calm and I really wanted this collection to be like that. There’s something for everybody, we have delicate pieces and pieces that have a bit more of a statement to them.
How did you find the design process?
The design process was one of the most interesting things I’ve ever worked on. When I first had the idea of doing this jewellery collection, I think that the biggest thing that stopped me was that I didn’t know where to begin. I had a vision of what I wanted the collection to be like but I didn’t know how to execute the plan, which is why it was so awesome to work with Daisy because you are such experts in all things jewellery.
I wanted the pieces we designed to feel like something that I would naturally wear. When I went into the first design meeting, I wanted to avoid anything overly dainty as that’s not my style. Something that felt strong, classic and timeless but really modern. It was really important for me to be heavily involved in the design process. I love the creative side of it all. Most of the Daisy team are women, which I love. I typically work on my own so working with a group of awesome girls was just so fun for me.
What’s been the most exciting part of this experience?
It is so incredible to see a vision come to life. I’m going to wear every piece of jewellery all the time.
Why the 70s?
When we started talking about areas of inspiration, I instantly knew that I wanted the 70s to be a big part of the design inspiration. I love the sunburst we’ve got and at the time I designed this I was going through, and am still going through, some changes.
I love sunshine and have a tattoo of a sun on my arm and it’s all for the same reason. It’s that notion of coming back to yourself. I think that’s really special, that’s what I wanted this particular necklace to symbolise and we’ve carried this design throughout the entire collection which is important because I wanted it to feel really whole.
What’s your favourite piece?
I love every single piece of my collection so I can’t really choose a favourite but I will say that I’m always drawn to the rising sun frame necklace and the flat snake chain earrings. They are just perfect with any outfit and the earrings look super cute with short hair.
How do you style this collection?
You can wear the collection with a plain t-shirt or with a beautiful dress; that’s what I love about these pieces, you can really dress them up or you can wear them in a casual way. Finally, can you sum up the collection in one word? It would have to be radiance because there are so many sunbursts. I love to feel radiant and I really wanted this collection to be a reminder of all that radiance you have within you.
We couldn’t agree more.