MEET NATXA , DESIGNER OF SUSTAINABLE JEWELLERY
– When and why did you decide to specialize in sustainable jewellery?
I think it’s been more a matter of evolution, since I started doing “something” commercially oriented in 2012, though it wasn’t until 2016 that Nathnit, my brand project, started to take shape and become something more serious.
Little by little I began learning about methods of production and different disciplines, and to realize the impact we produce with our work and choices in one or another production material or packaging type, which not only has to be beautiful but also honest in its design, production and impact. And I always try to improve in order to create a more permanent design, with a more sustainable process and material, creating something a bit more useful.
Jewellery is a discipline where I feel comfortable expressing myself, but one that also fascinates me, with its connection with the human body and because how keeping the body’s movement in mind when designing can, even if at first it may go unnoticed, be decisive, offering a variety of possibilities and potential. It also allows me to learn and experiment with new materials and techniques, mixing traditional workshop techniques with the most modern design and prototyping.
– Can you tell us in which way traditional and sustainable jewellery differ?
In jewellery, as in other crafts, the closer you get to what is traditional, to the artisan or author’s creation, the greater the step towards achieving sustainability.
The main point to consider is the choice of materials. Fortunately, most metals are highly recyclable and reusable, and also quite easy to produce in a well-equipped workshop when one has the right suppliers. And when it comes to purchasing new materials, it’s becoming easier to find silver -my favourite material- with the EcoSilver label -recycled silver from production waste, discarded jewellery, circuit soldering, and so on.
There is also new technology that permits a non-mass production, allowing us to create our products without having to produce large quantities. It’s this combination of tradition and technology that helps us with our work.
– What are the challenges you face as a designer of sustainable jewellery?
I think that for all sustainable designers one of the main challenges is to find the materials, documentation and suppliers that meet the expectations you have when designing, not only in terms of sustainability, but also of quality and functionality.
And the other challenge in sustainable design is to be able to communicate that, for a design to be sustainable, it has to be part of the whole process, beginning with the first conceptual and visual design, through each of the steps of the process until we chose its final form, in order for it to be easy to produce without wasting too much material, while also fulfilling its function in an effective and lasting way. And once this has been achieved, the product can be recycled or reused, thus being part of a circular economy. And all this requires time and planning, and cannot be done hurriedly.
– What inspired you to create the Canussa reversible belt buckle?
To design the Canussa buckle I had two main things in mind, as happens with every order I receive, be they custom-made for a particular person or designed for another brand.
Firstly, I considered the function it was to fulfil and how the buckle was to be manufactured, and of course Canussa’s own taste and style, and the energy that Maria transmitted to me when we first spoke about the idea. When I design something, for an individual customer or for a brand, I want to show the general visual style of that brand or the energy of that customer; So the belt buckle is, so to speak, “my version”, which combines my style with that of Canussa. I want the essence of both to be present.