Born-and-raised Toronto girl Corrine Anestopoulos, 28, has been making Biko Jewellery for five years. From whimsical trinkets to ever-bolder statement pieces, now sold all over Canada and in New York and Japan, Biko has effloresced like whoa. But although she uses stones and materials from all over the world, and has two sets of intern-hands to help, the pieces never lose that homemade feeling. We visited her attic studio to see how Anestopoulos does it all.
Lately, she's been experimenting with mixed materials. Here's a semi-raw assortment.
"If it looks good on Wolfie," says Anestopoulos, calling her dress form by its pet name, "it looks good on anyone."
A studio with a view. Watching the well-treed street below is her favourite thing about working here.
Neat drawings of future adornment.
The first things she ever made—friendship bracelets—are back in a great big reassuring way.
Most of these books she's had since university, but she loves work-inspirational stuff like Making Ideas Happen—and really needs to read The History of Love.
A mini-stall of her long, layerable, mixed-metal necklaces.
Materials and inspiration for the SS12 season.
A collection of Barnum & Bailey photos she bought on eBay, and adores.
Oh, just toiling away while looking really charming and perfect.
Photographs by Raylene Knutson
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