My love of Deer Arrow is no secret. I have adored their pieces since my very first brooch collecting days. I’ve always been particularly drawn to their portraits. I love their expressions, their accessories, and not to forget their (often) bright and colourful hair!
I was so excited when Phoebe and Lauren announced that they were going to do another collaboration with the talented Gemini H. You may recall that she was the designer of the first Deer Arrow portrait range a couple of years ago. One of my all-time most favourite brooches, Valentine, is a result of that first magical collaboration.
Valentine. Image from the Deer Arrow website.
As the sneak peeks of the new range of portraits began to be released, I was ecstatic! Such amazing pieces were coming and if I was lucky, I might just manage to grab a few of them. The first pieces to really catch my eye were the Sailors – Eleanor and Freddie. Such perfect old Hollywood glamour in their features and the hints of their clothing. And add to that my love of anything nautical - I knew that they were on my “I’ll just die if I don’t own them” want list.
Freddie (top) and Eleanor (bottom). Images from the Deer Arrow website.
As usual, they are both a nice size. They make a great statement on their own, or if you can find an outfit with a big enough collar, they make a bold statement as a pair.
Now, if you’re anything like me, you have often wanted to know a bit more about Gemini H. From reading about her on her website and Instagram, I knew that she was French and now lives in Korea, but I wanted to know more! How is it that she can design such beautiful pieces? How did she come to collaborate with Deer Arrow? Where does she get her inspiration from? I figured that the best way to find these things out, was to be brave and contact her to find out. I can honestly say that she is absolutely lovely and when I asked if she would mind answering a few questions for my blog she said yes!!
So here is my virtual interview with the delightful Gemini H. J
How long have you been an illustrator and designer? Have you had any training, or are you self-taught? It sounds a bit cliche but I’ve always drawn, I graduated as a fashion designer (even if it’s not what I wanted to do) so I learnt to sew and about costume history but not to draw, that came with time, effort and perseverance. I started doing illustrations full time I should say 5 years ago when I came to Korea, that sounded like a new start for me. I first fell in love with your designs a few years ago when you collaborated with Deer Arrow in their first portrait range. How did that initial collaboration come about? I found Deer Arrow on Instagram via the page of a pinup instagrammer and I sent them a quick and simple sketch asking if they would be interested to use it and develop a brooch from it and they actually loved it and asked me to design our first collection. That tiny sketch was Carmen. Moral? Don’t be afraid to ask, they might say no (and that’s not the end of the world) but they also might accept....and that’s what happened.