Discover Benelux | Dutch Design | Made in the Netherlands
The bedazzling jewellery of GJecharro TEXT: ELLA PUT | PHOTOS: GJECHARRO
Once you wear the exclusive, hand-made jewellery of Dutch brand GJecharro you will leave a colourful sparkle wherever you go. Once she found her creative drive, it never stopped. When Roliene Steinbach, owner of GJecharro, worked for juvenile probation she was given an assignment to design a toolkit that would help youngsters better understand the process. Whilst creating the images, she discovered a new passion: being creative. Nowadays Roliene designs magnificent pieces in golden colours with colourful feathers, as well as bright and beautiful natural stones and leather. She started her jewellery brand, GJecharro, in 2013. The label effortlessly combines the best of both worlds: the uniqueness of an individual piece with a twist of modern-day fashion trends. The brand is a reflection of Roliene’s personal style and creative passion as well as a moodboard for her everyday inspiration. “It’s
basically an echo from wherever I go. It could be a certain space, nature, but also the colours of clothing and, of course, my loved ones.” She keeps the latter very close to her: the name GJecharro derives from the names of both her sons, her partner’s and her own. Because GJecharro’s jewellery is all handmade it is unlikely you will see anyone else wearing the same item as you. “It’s all about celebrating diversity, making a real statement and showing off your identity by the jewellery you wear. But it also needs to be wearable: the jewels I design are easy to put on and take off.” Having pursued her creative passion, this is just the beginning for Roliene and her brand GJecharro: “I think you can learn from others and you stand stronger together. It would be wonderful to work together with other creative designers and brands. A big dream come true would be to be featured on the catwalk during fashion week.”
Web: www.gjecharro.com
Breathing new life into second-hand scarves TEXT: BAS VAN DUREN | PHOTOS: ER LOLAH
Most of us are familiar with thrift shops, rife with clothes that have outlasted the purpose for their first owners. Not happy with ‘just buying’ second-hand items, Ingrid Mulder and Nancy Buskoop decided to breathe new life into used luxury scarves by creating new ones out of them. It turned out to be a hit and under the monikor ‘Er Lolah’, the duo created a brand solely dedicated to their unique men’s scarves as ‘Heeren van Lolah’ (Lolah’s gents), and women’s scarves as ‘Madame Lolah’ (Lolah’s madams). Just seeing the expensive prices of good scarves is what pushed the two to the idea of combining second-hand luxury scarves to make new ones. Mulder: “It’s an adventure; travelling all over the world in search of suitable scarves.” Buskoop explains the process: “We’re not looking for specific scarves, instead, we put them next to each other and re-design the beautiful scarves. 36 | Issue 51 | March 2018
Once picked, we have them thoroughly cleaned, stitch them together, have them cleaned again and do a quality check. The scarf is then ready for a new adventure: online, in shops or during a luxury event.” With Er Lolah, the two are not only capable of creating new scarves, they are just as versed in adjusting existing ones. Mulder: “We have seen our share of scarves that belonged to somebody close, like a grandmother. We can put those together with our vintage scarves for a fantastic new design.” Buskoop: “Custom made, on request and our collection: we can do it all and our scarves are classy and timeless, meaning we make them for no specific age group, but for those who want a nifty accessory for their whole outfit. Generations may pass but the love for vintage will stay.” Web: www.erlolah.nl