V135 starring Billie Eilish is now available for purchase!

When it comes to style, Billie Eilish certainly has got an effortlessly cool approach to dressing. And with the help of Amanda Merten, Billie‘s personal stylist who helps her find and source some of the coolest pieces on the market, our latest cover story for V135, our new spring/summer issue starring the global pop superstar, sees an introduction of new power players in the realm of rising designers. From the futuristic chrome butterfly seen on Billie’s pout on the cover to the daringly shaped hat and intricate rings featured within the story, get to know three of the designers featured with V’s Kevin Ponce as we go behind the makings of each brand and find out what fuels their creativity.

 

Xiaoyu and Min of YVMIN (Beijing, China | 49K Followers)

V Magazine: How did you get your brand started? Can you detail what the start process was like and any obstacles you overcame?

YVMIN: YVMIN was founded in 2015. Before that, Xiaoyu and I (Min) jointly operated yümin studio (we both graduated from the Central Academy of Fine Arts, majoring in art jewelry and fashion respectively, and we established yümin studio after graduating from uni) for personal creation of works and collaboration on projects. In the process of changing from a design studio to a brand, we encountered difficulties. In the early stage of brand establishment, we still retained the way of creating our personal works to make each series. We will use each to express some of our current ideas and make some new attempts, resulting in a lot of our early collections didn’t look very cohesive. Now, we only keep three of these series as the current product line.

V: What is your creative process like? What gets you excited to create new pieces for the brand?

Y: Our creative inspiration comes from many different sources, but they all come from personal experience. For example, the discovery of some new materials and craftsmanship, or some moments that deeply impressed us, such as the ripple necklace with the shape of liquid metal that came from a blurred antique necklace in a friend’s photo. I think this comes from our positioning of jewelry—we think jewelry is our spiritual label and symbol, and we hope to use it to record some of our momentary feelings.

V: Could you tell us a little bit about the ‘Yvmin x Didu’ collaboration and how it came to fruition, seen on the cover of V135? What was the inspiration behind the pieces?

Y: We are friends with DIDU and I really appreciate her feminine strength in her designs, aggressive yet sexy and confident. Initially, we saw a photo of a butterfly spreading its wings and rushing towards the fire, brave and beautiful [as it] coexists, [and] we decided to use [that] as the element of the collaborative series. We used the visual technique of liquid metal in the Ripple series to make the butterfly abstract and full of a futuristic sense. It begins to look like a “future creature” and exudes charm.

V: What do you think helps your brand stick out amongst others?

Y: Brands, sometimes like people, need to be curious and adventurous. Not all attempts will pay off, but we love and enjoy exploring, even if we fail. Jewelry is just the carrier of our ideas. It does not limit the jewelry itself—we try more new and interesting creation methods and keep innovating.

V: Where do you hope to see your brand go in the next 5/10 years?

Y: We hope that YVMIN will become a clothing & jewelry brand, with more product lines in 5 years because [creating] only jewelry cannot fully express our aesthetics.

Jiro of Poche Studio (Los Angeles, California | 13k Followers)

V Magazine: How did you get your brand started? Can you detail what the start process was like and any obstacles you overcame?

PS: As we all are, Poche is defined by obstacles. Existing outside of systems and ignoring expectations were the hardest in terms of building a business (still constantly forgetting we are a “business”). Persistence has usually worked on most obstacles.

V: What is your creative process like? What gets you excited to create new pieces for the brand?

PS: I constantly forget this is a “business”. To make sure the excitement is always there, I create for myself first—half the time it doesn’t even fit or have anything to do with the “brand”!

V: What do you think helps your brand stand out amongst others?

PS: Paying attention to our own world and intimate surroundings and community, and creating from the inside out. Poche does not subscribe to a “Global Takeover Mindset”. The Little Tokyo Table Tennis (LTTT) community program has been a very meaningful addition to our body of work this past year. Creating something equitable and accessible for all like LTTT is just as—maybe more—important than our next collection of hats.

Lizz Jardim of L. JARDIM JEWELRY (New York, New York | 5K Followers)

V Magazine: How did you get your brand started? Can you detail what the start process was like and any obstacles you overcame?

Lizz Jardim: It initially started when I was creating chain harnesses throughout college. As intrigue grew, I took a greater interest in the jewelry-making process. After learning how to silversmith, I focused on pieces with similar aesthetics in new applications. Creating a brand has slowly happened on its own, with the current obstacle to overcome [being] time management. Balancing the many aspects of developing a brand or small business can be challenging, but I’m figuring it out as I go along.

V: What is your creative process like? What gets you excited to create new pieces for the brand?

LJ: I have a tendency to think in every direction, which often leads to many variations of a style. Being that my work is handmade personally, it gives me a lot of freedom to explore the limits and multiple applications of a concept in the creative process. I try to edit where I feel the need to, then move forward with whatever styles I think best embody the original idea. Much of the excitement to create new pieces stems from the materials themselves, but often the shapes they take are relative to other influences.

V: What do you think helps your brand stand out amongst others?

LJ: I hope to create work that instills a sense of boldness or empowerment, but I think it’s whatever connection is drawn between the wearer and the piece that signifies something personal.

V: Where do you hope to see your brand go in the next 5/10 years?

LJ: I’d love to take my brand into larger format work, more involved sculptural pieces,  accessories, and housewares.

V135 starring Billie Eilish is now available for purchase!