Turning grand theatre inspiration into jewellery

GENTLE nods to architecture and features akin to old theatres are the building blocks for jewellery business Middle Child’s unique pieces.

Led by designer Lauren Hassett, the jewellery company’s vintage aesthetic and colourful accessories are the essence of the brand.

Middle Child was born in 2017, but the business is the product of the Hassett’s 20-year journey in the Australian accessories industry and has been fuelled by her unique industrial design background.

“A lot of people look at our work and see the art deco influence. I think a lot of that just comes back to surrounding myself with vintage things – that’s just my style in my home,” Hassett said.

“I’ve got a mid-century vibe in our house and I think being drawn to those types of linear designs and textural moments, it carries through to what I create with the jewellery.”

 

Middle Child’s work can be divided into two categories: the hand-assembled range, built with various materials, and the Signature Enamel Collection, which is manufactured offshore.

The brand’s signature collection is all designed by Hassett, allowing her to sketch in between the chaos of running a business with her small children in tow.

Referring to herself as a product designer, not a jeweller, her inspiration isn’t drawn from the pieces of others, but from the world around her.

“I’ll see maybe a beautiful photograph of the front of an old theatre and then I can see lines and things coming together in a microscopic kind of way compared to the grandeur of a theatre,” she said.

 

“It’s bringing those little moments and those little intersections of style in together. That is what ties all our work together, the common thread through all the different pieces that we do.”

Trends are not industry aspects Middle Child participates in, with Hassett steering the business towards people who are looking for pieces to add to their collection for the long haul.

“I think it’s really important to just stay true to what you love and what you would see yourself wearing,” she said.

“I certainly steer clear of any trends because I don’t like the idea that things come and go from your life. I much prefer for people to connect with it on a deeper level and appreciate it long-term.”

The product designer’s foray into the jewellery world began as a side hustle in 2001, while she was studying at university.

 

Over the past two decades, her style and techniques have evolved, from the materials she uses right through to the construction methods she employs.

This change in style has allowed Hassett’s pieces to continue to stand out in a crowded industry, success she in part credits to her relationship with her suppliers.

“Over the breadth of time that I’ve been doing it, I’ve been able to make these really wonderful connections with great suppliers, so then I can craft things differently because I’ve got access to things that are a bit harder to find,” she said.

Jewellery means different things to different people. For Hassett, it’s about self-expression. She strives to create pieces that help people feel confident and comfortable in their own skin.

She draws the comparison of people wearing her jewellery to finding a treasure in an op shop.

“There’s something about that excitement you get when you find something at the bottom of a dusty shelf in the back of an op shop that might have been sitting there for a really long time and it’s almost like it’s just calling out to you and it’s been waiting for you,” she said.

“I like to think my jewellery is that moment for people when they find it in store or online, wherever they come across our work, is that little heart skips a beat moment.”

 

Hassett’s designs begin as sketches in a notepad. Seeing these vision come to life, and bringing colour into her work, are the aspects of the craft that Hassett enjoys the most.

“Putting combinations of colour together is something that I absolutely adore to do and then putting together unexpected materials,” she said.

“And when I’m doing that hand-assembled range, letting the components and things play together without much thought.

“Sometimes they just come together almost by themselves. Guiding that process is really fun and very intuitive.”

Looking ahead, she plans to expand her range with a stronger emphasis on her Signature Enamel Collection, further cementing its unique place in the market.

“Even though our aesthetics’ very different, the construction method of building things, layering things is something that you can see from a handful of brands in the marketplace, whereas our Signature Enamel isn’t usually associated with the style of work we’re putting out into the world,” Hassett said.

Middle Child’s is located within the Federal Mills precinct in North Geelong, where the team has recently opened a small shop space that trades from Monday through Friday from 9.30am to 2.30pm.

For more information, head to middlechild.com.au or follow @hi_middle_child on Instagram.