STUDIO VISIT
Pilar do Rio
PILAR DO RIO
MADALENA
PILAR DO RIO
I’ve always made jewellery and accessories for myself, ever since I was a child. When Covid hit, I moved back to Portugal to my childhood home, where I had dozens of beads and little funky pieces of when I was younger. Out of boredom, I started playing around with the things I had and making accessories for myself. I posted a couple of pictures on Instagram wearing the pieces that I had made, and people started asking if I was selling them. So I started making personalised orders and soon my customer base grew significantly without me really expecting it.
It was never my intention to have my own brand. My experience working in the fashion industry quickly made me realize that the market is oversaturated. There are too many brands producing too many things, and I always felt that if I started my own business, it would inevitably be ‘just another brand’. Besides, I thought I would rather be a designer for an already established fashion house than having to worry about the logistics and financial troubles you have to deal when you own a business.
It all happened very naturally. Looking back now, I think what worked out so well for me was the fact that jewellery is easier to produce than clothing. I’m very impatient by nature, and I get much quicker results crafting personalised jewellery compared to designing and producing clothes. Besides, I can do it all on my own from the comfort of my studio. Another aspect that worked quite well was the fact that jewellery is more affordable than clothing, especially when it comes to designer pieces. I always knew that starting a business in Portugal, the market would be quite limiting. Generally, people don’t have a lot of disposable income - nor the education, nor the habit - to invest in designer pieces. So, accessories are something that is financially more accessible for the national public.
Do you see yourself exploring beyond accessories?
I don’t have any plans to do so at the moment, but I’m always open to see where my creativity takes me. I think a possible way to explore beyond designing jewellery would be perhaps through a collaboration with another brand or artist. I like to be open-minded in the way that I work and I think collaborations are a great way to be challenged.
In my opinion, jewellery and clothing are very much connected, they can mutually inspire each other. I have experimented before making garments with the materials and methods I use for accessories. For the collection I presented in 2020 for Sangue Novo (Lisbon Fashion Week’s program for upcoming designers), I made a top and a belt out of beads. I love the challenge of making an extravagant piece and turning it into something wearable for everyday life. However, what has held me back from experimenting with designing clothing again is primarily the fact that my work requires a very time-consuming manual production. Because I work mostly on my own, it doesn’t make sense for me right now to stop the production of accessories - which is my way of revenue - to have the time to design clothes.