Two Designer Makers

Following on from my comments regarding naked Barbies in charity shops I’ve decided to compare 2 designer makers who make use of these dolls in a creative way.

Margaux Lange – www.margauxlange.com (All images are from her website)

A jewellery designer I’ve been watching for some time, partly because of my love of Babies and partly for my love of silver jewellery.

Her jewellery, well, it speaks for itself…

Hand crafted sterling silver bezel with parts of Barbie and Ken inlaid and a resin heart.

I look at her work and am amazed how she comes up with the concept. How do you see Barbie breasts and see a love heart?

Margaux says

Whether you love her or hate her, there are few who feel neutral about the plastic princess. I’m fascinated with who she is as a pop culture icon, her distinguished celebrity status, and the enormous impact she has had on our society.

I enjoy the funny juxtaposition of wearing the body, on the body. Barbie has become the accessory instead of being accessorized. I take pleasure in the contrast and contradiction of transforming something mass-produced into unique, handmade, wearable pieces of art.

Lange, M. (2015). Artist statement. Retrieved from http://www.margauxlange.com/.

G Jarvis – www.etsy.com/uk/shop/gjarvisjewelryetc – Images from the website

Jarvis also uses thrown away dolls as jewellery inspiration and at first glance you might be mistaken for taking both designers as one person.

The above ‘Island girl’ necklace is made using a Barbie face using a bottle cap as a bezel and resin, glitter and metal flowers.

Her Barbie and Ken compositions are also made from plastic bezels and resin. Barbie has long been criticised for her unrealistic body shape but both Barbie and Ken would be in need of surgery to get into these positions.

Jarvis calls her work bottle cap art and hopes it makes people laugh.

When comparing the two designers there is quite a lot to learn about the business of a designer maker.

Both Jarvis and Lange have an Etsy shop, but Lange also has a website with artist statements and a press page. She has a professional look and calls her work as the Plastic body art series.

Jarvis jewellery is very similar, but there is little information about Jarvis as a designer, what her inspiration was, how she came to use dolls.

The materials used by each designer is different with one using sterling silver and one using recycled plastic bottle tops.

The final difference is in the price.

Both designers have a similar earring product.

Langes simple hand earrings use hand crafted sterling silver settings. I can’t find a current price for the earrings but her jewellery average £50-£150.

Jarvis has similar earrings, Barbie hands with plastic caps and surgical steel ear wires. They cost £7.48

Two designers both with similar ideas but it’s the finish of the product, the materials used, the story of the item and artist that makes one worth 5 times more than the other.