The Koollook is a brand that combines the ancient with the future. A retro-futuristic vision of its creator, Ana Magalhães, which is reflected in jewlery with mechanical gears very unique.
I noticed that in your collections is inspired by retro, the gothic, cyberpunk and the Victorian style, why these names?
Ana Magalhaes: All have a common bond, are revival styles. Intend to associate the past with the future. The proposal to create a retro-futuristic look. Like a plane running on steam. It is inspired by the Victorian era in the eighteenth century, these gears that we transport to our days. In other words, instead of computer chips would be using mechanical devices. The vintage collection seeks to enhance the revival look, it has a lot to do with the spirit of bygone days.
I noticed that these mechanisms are parts of watches, also aims to recycle these mechanisms?
AM: Yes, exactly. I do not use only clock mechanisms, but also keys of old typewriters. I do a search on the internet because in Portugal you cannot get those parts. I try to buy old engines that no longer work without any kind of utility, nor even the one that they were created. So I can integrate them into jewelry. Get, for example, the keys, they are removed from the machines and are recycled, thus creating a new fashion accessory.
How long has Kollook?
AM: Koollook is recent. It is about one year. Although I had other pieces, there was no such differentiation. From the moment I registered the mark, I started creating these jewels, because I like it and because I understood that at the national level, there was a niche market for this type of accessories. Hence the bet in this differentiation.
And what has been the public acceptance for these jewels?
AM: In terms of public acceptance has been good. I have the jewelry on sale in some stores in Porto, Coimbra, Figueira da Foz and Marco de Canavezes. They have gone very well, because they are so different from the rest, in my view, this is what captivated people. So much so that some stores contacted me just to expose my work.
What is your background and how did you come out with this project?
AM: I have a degree in economics. This is not my job. It started as a hobby. How I loved fashion, I began creating accessories for me. My colleagues liked it so much of my creations, I had to extend the range of jewels and create another kind of articles already in order to sell them. I wanted to differentiate the market, so I decided to invest in this kind of accessories with pieces of watches and keys of typewriters.
Where did you get that inspiration?
AM: First, because I always liked the mechanisms of clocks and antiques. Then I performed a search and came to the conclusion that the punk cover a number of areas, fashion accessories, clothing, music and movies. The literature was also important, Jules Verne and one of its publications, "the two thousand leagues under the sea." They have all been sources of inspiration. So I ally these two sides, the mechanisms of clocks and the oldest objects. The research on the Internet is key in this creative process, because the acquisition of materials in copper or nickel, is all done that way. Mostly they are from the U.S., because here the little that exists is for sale only to collectors.
Which is the average of time you spent to produce a jewel?
AM: As I mentioned earlier, much time is spent in search of mechanisms for buying and collecting material. The development of the jewelry is not as time consuming, even so it is necessary to clean the clocks, then only imagine the best way to apply the mechanism and assembly. This last phase takes me a maximum of one hour of time.
http://koollook.pt.vu/
