"My roots influence me in many ways. But most and for all because we Argentinians live spontaneously and do not wait for the perfect conditions to create something."
Could you introduce yourself and your passion project?
My name is Josefina Anglada and I'm an Argentinian product designer. Since the past year my project is to create and design jewelry.
When was the turning point that you decided you were gonna make a living out of your passion?
I don't know if there was a turning point I think I stopped ignoring my heart's goal, I always knew that I wanted to live from my passion what I liked doing, and moving to Berlin was somehow betting into that wish. When moving to Berlin I knew that I was going to try really hard to make it happen.
Was it always going to be jewelry?
I studied integrated design here in Berlin, so let's say that I was trained to design products. However, during my masters, I learned a lot of graphical knowledge which is important because when you build your own brand you'll have to build your own identity, do your own graphics which is different then crafts but I needed to be coherent between my identity and my designs. But my passion was always jewelry and somehow my life has driven me into it I was working for fashion brands in Argentina, designing jewelry for them. It was nice and challenging but I knew I wanted to work for myself, I wanted to be my own boss.
How did you come up with the name Necklace Therapy?
When I came to do my masters in Berlin, it was just in time to start my thesis, so I had to look for an apartment and work on the project which was crazy exhausting. I pushed myself so much to the limits that one day I fainted in the subway and I told myself "Jose stop, this cannot continue". I had stopped listening to the signs of my body which was a mistake. I decided to go into a very personal project: every day I was going to do something I love, jewelry. There were 30 days left until my thesis presentation so a crazy and stressful months ahead of me but I decided to dedicate 60 minutes every day to create one necklace. It was spontaneous and experimental. Some designs were finished (surprisingly!) some were not. But my goal was to do something I loved for 60 minutes a day. That was my own therapy. After I graduated, I decided to continue with this project and keep the name, it just made sense in my head. And actually, the most spontaneous and experimental pieces from that time were the input for my first collection.
" My passion was always jewelry and somehow my life has driven me into it I was working for fashion brands in Argentina, designing jewelry for them. It was nice and challenging but I knew I wanted to work for myself, I wanted to be my own boss"
How do your Argentinian roots influence your designs?
My roots influence me in many ways. But most and for all because we Argentinians live spontaneously and do not wait for the perfect conditions to create something. There is a Spanish saying that goes " attado con alambres" (which means wired), it designated something that is not put together the way it should, but it ended being done in a creative way with the resources available. Sometimes the results are surprising! In Argentina, do not wait for perfect conditions to create because it might never happen.
What is your routine before getting into the creative process?
I like to associate the creative process with enjoyment. I love to eat so usually I'm going to prepare a nice breakfast to start the day and if it is sunny, I will go out. But food is definitely something that goes together with my creative process because I need to keep myself in peace and happy in order to be creative. For example sweets or ice cream, I am a sweet tooth (laughs).
What was the city that inspired you the most in terms of jewelry creation?
I tend to say Berlin because it created the best version of myself. This city gives you a great feeling of freedom but also of contradiction that I much need when it comes to finding my voice in my designs. Berlin inspired me in some of my collections because it is eclectic, but at the same time coherent.
What are your traveling plans for the future?
I'm going to go to Asia in a month I am traveling to Bangkok and there are so many things related to jewelry: the suppliers, great materials in other words, inspiration! I also want to learn how to surf so I will probably go to Canggu, it will be my own jewelry and surf retreat. I am really excited about the next collection because I don't really know where it is going, I have a few mismatched pieces but I don't have a concept as a whole yet which is very exciting.
Interview made on a sunny day the 13th of April in Berlin
Made by Annalena - beautiful pictures by Kama