One man’s waste is another woman’s treasure

It’s not very often you meet a jewellery designer who once made fetish shoes. Enter Melodie Telliez, a former shoemaker who retains the materials from her former profession and uses them to make jewellery.[caption id="attachment_1778" align="aligncenter" width="2000"]

Photo credit: Jonny Lee[/caption]

“I couldn’t believe the amount of perfectly usable leather which was being thrown away like that, so my boss allowed me to use the excess to make Christmas gifts for friends and family,” explained Telliez. “Everyone loved it so I kept taking all the extra scraps and began making jewellery.”

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Photo credit: Jonny Lee[/caption]Based in her studio in south London, Melodie, originally from France, turned the gifts she made into a business last year under the name Slinky Links. Using a combination of reclaimed leather from her old studio, clasps and closures from UK and European factories, and other pieces she picks up from local suppliers, she crafts individual pieces for clients with a thirst for the unique.[caption id="attachment_1782" align="aligncenter" width="2000"]

Photo credit: Jonny Lee[/caption]“Metals that are free from allergens are very important to me. Everything is stainless steel and there are options to purchase things in 14K filled gold on my site.” All of Melodie’s metals are sourced from Turkey, UK, and the US. “I hope for there to be more of a community of makers and designers who can trade and look out for one another in supplying the best local materials in the UK or at least within Europe.”The result is an ethos that prizes the unusual and unique. One man’s waste is another woman’s treasure.

By Estefania Hageman