Attire Accessories - May/Jun 2019 (Issue 76)

68 KUNIKO MAEDA W: kuniko-maeda.com @kunicom0341 can also purchase my jewellery online. I utilise the website as a way to communicate my latest activities and advertise forthcoming events such as workshops and exhibitions. What have been the key milestones in the business? During my first year of trading, I would say that there have been three significant milestones. The first was attending New Designers Exhibition in July, which was my first large event and opportunity to project my jewellery brand and artworks to a diverse audience. Second, being awarded the Arts Council Placement, which has been a great help in my continuing development as a designer and artist. And finally, my participation at Top Drawer, which was my first trade-only exhibition, and receiving the Spotted Award. How do you view the current market, and what trends – both in business and product – do you see emerging over the coming months? Regarding the current market, there is definitely a growing appetite for products that are sustainable and ethically produced. This holds true for businesses in many other industry sectors, such as food and clothing, and in my view is a very positive and welcome trend. Specifically in London, and no doubt reflecting the cosmopolitan nature of the city, I also see many new jewellery products that display influences from all over the world, and I see this trend continuing as we progress through the year. Do you have any thoughts on how Brexit will affect your business? I am concerned about the possibility of an economic downturn as a result of Brexit. This could affect consumer spending and would not be a good thing for the jewellery sector and retail as a whole. I am also a little worried about possible trade and travel barriers in regard to EU countries. What are your future plans for the business? I will continue to experiment with different materials, focusing on producing sustainable products. I would like to move to a larger studio where I can incorporate all elements of my production process under one roof. Increasing the number of outlets that stock my jewellery, including expansion outside of London, is also an important objective for me. Is there anything else you’d like to add? First and foremost, I consider myself to be an artist. My jewellery creations are an extension of art sculptures.