January 31, 2017 Meet the Maker - Foe & Dear

Meet Katherine, the maker behind our latest collaboration, Truvelle x Foe & Dear. We have been fans of Katherine’s one-of-a-kind jewels since she first opened up shop, so the choice seemed obvious for a jewelry collaboration to complement the Truvelle 2017 and Social Attire collections. We stopped by her Gastown studio for a little visit and to gain some insight as to where and how our collaboration pieces get made. Greeted by her goldendoodle, Meli, Katherine invited us into her shared studio space (with fellow Vancouver creative, Fox & Flourish) and shared with us her story, process, and favourite Gastown hangs.

The best thing about Katherine’s journey is that it was unplanned. With a passion for jewelry making from a young age, Katherine learned design techniques as she studied fashion design at Ryerson University. With no intention to pursue jewelry - a few years after graduating and a move from Toronto to New York - Katherine found herself working for an inspiring jewelry designer/shop owner. It was while working in the Brooklyn studio one day that the path became clear to her — jewelry making was what she wanted to do forever. 

Now, she’s moved back to the west coast and has a beautiful, light-filled studio in Gastown where every piece is dreamed up, designed and hand crafted from start to finish — “everything is so, so great!”

"An average studio day: Coffee first thing, emails, work on wholesale / online / custom orders / design time, quick lunch at a tasty Gastown spot, work on wholesale / online / custom orders / design time, afternoon coffee, work on wholesale / online / custom orders / design time, emails at the end of the day. If the pup is with me, intermittent play time with her throughout the day."

"It’s pretty tough to turn your brain off at the end of the day, and I’m such a workaholic that I could probably work all day and all night.. but I’ve got such a great support system at home. My husband always makes sure we take time for quiet getaways, movie/food/beach dates, and just general relaxation and ‘take care of us’ time."

"Being able to wake up everyday and call this business my own is a dream come true. I get to experience new things everyday - connecting with great people, discover beautiful shops, learn about new techniques, stones, materials and tools.. etc. My pup can come to work with me too, even though she is a huge distraction. As for lows, honestly, there aren’t many - maybe prepping for taxes.”

“The biggest achievement so far was transitioning the business from part time to full time. Since then, we’ve been able to focus on growing the brand."

 Meli, the Goldendoodle.

“Foe & Dear brings an importance to handcrafted objects as a vital part of our culture and way of life. We want to focus on the timelessness of the products, its longevity to be current today and seen as classic or with greater value in the future. Jewelry is something one can pass on to the next generation, and then to the generation after that."

"Nature provides us with great resources. However, raw materials only become practical and appealing after a craftsman makes something beautiful out of it. Foe & Dear utilizes raw materials and creates dream-like masterpieces for the body. Our pieces are both aesthetic and functional, and always ties back to the raw beauty of nature, where it came from.”

Look out for the launch of the Truvelle x Foe & Dear collaboration launching February 1st!
To learn more about Foe & Dear, visit them online.