Underground Sundae is a wonderfully quirky Melbourne jewellery label specialising in handcrafted treasures that hit the bullseye between delicate and dirrrty. Their latest collection, Lobster II, revisits some of the label’s signature motifs — like tiny lobster claws, safety pins and adorable charms — but this time there’s a layer of new, more precious elements added to the mix. It’s a cool exploration of the value of jewellery, nodding at items we’d typically consider trash. Each piece is full of character and imagination, beautiful despite not taking itself too seriously.
We sat down with designer Anne-Mieke to discuss her approach and catch a look at the new imagery shot by New Zealand’s Imogen Wilson.
We’re loving your new collection at i-D. What’s changed over at Underground Sundae HQ since we last spoke in 2015?
Woah, 2015! Well, the price of gold has changed for the better, so this season we’re going pretty heavy on gold and gemstones. We’re getting pretty fancy at Underground Sundae.
We were hoping to ask what was behind the shift towards more opulent materials, with all those diamantés and pearls.
It’s a coming-of-age-process I guess. I’ve always been inspired by those growing pains. Using more precious stuff reflects our growth. I’ve also always loved the contrast between man-made and found detritus amongst precious materials like gold and pearls.
You capture that so well with your new pieces. And you’ve worked with i-D pal Imogen Wilson on your new imagery. How did that come about?
I think we’d been doing some mutual fan-girling and she contacted me a few years ago to work together. So, we started this portrait series which will continue to evolve. We’ve had a bit of a You’ve Got Mail email relationship, we’ve never actually met IRL!
The power of the internet! Given the trash-and-treasure sprinkled through this collection – bottle tops and safety pins for instance – we’re curious to know, what do you collect?
Ex-boyfriends and phone bills.
