All Blues is launching a revolutionary three-dimensional scanning service that allows for almost anything to be turned into a piece of jewellery
- Who is it? All Blues is a Swedish jewellery brand designing hand-crafted, contemporary pieces for men and women
- Why do I want it? The brand is soon to launch a revolutionary three-dimensional scanning service, allowing customers to cast almost anything – from scars and pregnant bellies to childhood relics – in silver
- Where can I find it? At NK Stockholm and Alex Eagle
Who is it? When Jacob Skragge and Frederik Nathorst founded Stockholm-based jewellery brand All Blues, they had little knowledge of building a fashion label and almost no design experience whatsoever. But this didn’t deter the two young friends. “We started All Blues around seven years ago as more of a hobby after high school,” says Skragge. “Frederik and I shared the same interests in music and fashion and we wanted to do something together. We were really fascinated by the fact that we couldn’t find any men’s jewellery brands that we could relate to. So we decided to just do our own thing.” Evidently, a little self-governance and a whole lot of risk-taking paid off; after seeing their early designs Skragge and Nathorst were approached by Johnny Johanssen (the creative director and co-founder of Acne Studios) in early 2014 to produce a collection for the label. “We were just 23!” laughs Skragge. “So when were offered to come in for a meeting, we jumped at the chance.”
After receiving their big break with Acne Studios, the All Blues founders expanded the product categories into women’s jewellery in 2015. “From a branding perspective we felt that the men’s side was a bit restricting,” continues Skragge. “Men – in general – want quite simple objects and there aren’t as many product categories. So, we felt that with women’s jewellery we could produce more creative items and more creative campaigns and that was necessary to kind of evolve into the brand we felt we wanted to become.” Fast forward to 2018, and All Blues are selling both men’s and women’s jewellery that resonates with all genders; from silver earrings in the shape cracked eggshells, to gold rings appearing as though they have been carved from rock. Each All Blues piece is thoroughly contemporary, whilst possessing just enough of a whimsical edge. And, reassuringly, everything is handmade in a third-generation goldsmith studio in Stockholm, using recycled materials.
Why do I want it? All Blues may be keeping the very Nordic tradition of silversmithing alive and well in its home country, following in the footsteps of the likes of Georg Jensen and Vivianna Torun Bülow-Hübe, but Skragge and Nathorst are by no means stuck in the past. Next month, its revolutionary new customisation service will launch, utilising the technology of a three-dimensional scanner. “When we create a jewellery collection, we always have some kind of personal story or idea attached to it, from either Frederik or I,” says Skragge. “For our Rauk collection, for example, it was based on the rocks near my summer house at Gotland, which I have been going to since I was a child. We wanted to translate these shapes into rings, but it was difficult to find a way to mass produce them in different sizes. So the way for us to solve that problem was to find a guy who could help us scan that ring with a three-dimensional scanner, turning it into a CAD file which we could scale it up or down, into all the different ring sizes we have. Then, with a 3D printer we made a new sample in plastic, which could be used to make a mould to cast the shape in metal.”
This newfound technique led the co-founders to ask themselves what other objects they could scan and turn into a piece of wearable jewellery. As it turns out, the answer was almost anything; from scars, to pregnant bellies and a brother and sister embracing, to teddy bears and a battered old football, the possibilities were – almost – endless. “We thought about what this could mean for the industry as a whole,” says Skragge excitedly. “This technique is not ours, we won’t have a patent for it. However, we’ve kind of created a product, and what I believe to be a completely new endeavour.” Soon, All Blues will launch this rather revolutionary service in-store at NK in Stockholm and Alex Eagle in London, encouraging customers to bring along a beloved childhood relic (or even a person), to have transformed into a necklace, keychain or paperweight; a memory cast in silver that Skragge hopes will be given as gifts and kept in family lineage for years to come.
Where can I find it? At NK Stockholm and Alex Eagle (as of October, 2018).