Sydney label Aephotika creates gooey jewellery for your inner child
IMAGE VIA @aephotika/INSTAGRAM
WORDS BY IZZY WIGHT
“Beauty can be found anywhere, more people need to spend their time searching… my work exists to embrace that and the childlike joy of exploration.”
At just 19, Sydney designer Katya Brierley-Jones has created an independent jewellery label nestled inside its own imaginary world. Made from Katya’s unique medium, a kind of colourful resin ‘goo’, Aephotika pieces are inspired by fungus, insects and the deep sea. “I want to create a world people can delve into and find themselves lost in childlike creativity,” they explain.
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“I remember the exact moment I was no longer able to fall into my imaginary world, and I’ve spent every day since then trying to get it back.” Stocked at local retailers like Ap0cene, Bizarre Bazaar and Jolie Laide, Katya’s otherworldly designs feature gnarled chainmail, dripping love hearts and slimy stars. Below, Katya speaks on their creative process, the Apothic Zone and the Australian fashion scene.
Tell us about you. What’s your fashion background?
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As a child, I spent most of my time drawing and making clothing for my dolls out of scrap fabric and rubbish. My mum and I would make jewellery together, I even sold the pieces I made to my classmates when I was In primary school. My little business was called Incantation Jewels.
As far as education goes, I’ve got a few TAFE certificates under my belt but I don’t intend on pursuing university. I’m autistic and haven’t had a good experience with school. University will only cause me creative blocks and too many restless nights… maybe even hives, who knows? I’m a creature of leisure.
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Fashion university is also a huge luxury. Most people go into it with a lot of design knowledge… the biggest thing to gain is industry connections. You can get those exact same connections from the queer community. I’m happy to learn and grow in my own way and at my own pace. So far I’ve learnt the most through trial and error, patience, the internet and help from incredibly smart friends.
How did the label get started? Talk us through the process and the challenges.
Aephotika was born in 2020. Everyone found isolation difficult, but I found it to be the perfect time for testing ideas, leading to the creation of [my resin] goo. It felt so freeing to make things without any purpose, just for the sake of my own enjoyment…
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I go backwards when I create. When you’re learning how to set up a project, you’re taught to pick a message or storyline before you make the physical idea. For me, when I get an image in my head, I have to make it over and over again until it’s perfect. During this process, I’m analysing and figuring out where the idea came from. I get a little bit more context with each piece until the final product is perfect…
What were you trying to achieve from the project at the time? How has this evolved and what are you trying to communicate through the brand now?
The main goal of my work has always been to help people connect with a part of their lives they don’t normally get in touch with. Everyone has a piece of themselves that wishes to be free from expectations and adulthood. We all have moments where we want to return to being an amoeba, just because of how unburdened being a microbe must be.
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I want to create a world people can delve into and find themselves lost in childlike creativity. I remember the exact moment I was no longer able to fall into my imaginary world, and I’ve spent every day since then trying to get it back.
In the beginning, I just wanted to let loose, [and] try out some ideas… now I’ve begun to weave a storyline for my work, which is one of the most enjoyable parts of all of this. I love goo as a medium. I never know how a piece will turn out, it’s beauty by chance. I imagine them as creatures from the past, preserved by time and turned into precious artefacts.
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I want the wearer to hold their piece and fabricate a storyline based on what they see. My plan is the same for the clothing I’ll be releasing next year. I want people to adorn themselves with these garments and play with them to create the character they want to be, just as we played as children.
Where did the name come from?
From the ages of eight to 14, I lived aboard a little sailboat with my mother and father. I spent those five years hanging off the sides of docks looking at the sea anemones, limpets starfish and prawns that had made their homes there.
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As I got older, I began dreaming of the brand I’d have and started thinking of names. That’s when I found Aephotika. The Aphotic Zone is the deepest level in the ocean and is mostly unexplored due to its inhospitable conditions… countless undiscovered life resides in these depths.
I love to imagine these creatures, somehow living in one of the most uninhabitable places on earth. Beauty can be found anywhere, more people need to spend their time searching for it than focusing on the ugly. My work exists to embrace that and the childlike joy of exploration.
How would you describe Aephotika to someone who’s never seen it before?
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Imagine this: it’s the Devonian Period, 350 million years ago. Fungus is the most common form of life on land and the sea is teeming with all kinds of trilobites, tetrapods and tetrapodomorphs. Fast forward a few million years and these strange creatures, from a time now forgotten, have been preserved as a strange gooey form. Now fashion girlies and gays are wearing them all across the world and Aephotika is the most popular brand ever in human history. The end.
What do you wish you knew when you started?
Never panic when the orders aren’t rolling in. Unless you’re a nepo baby or you know the right people, chances are you’re gonna start really small and you’re not going to have the long order list you first envisioned. Things can slow down sometimes and that’s totally normal. Running a business takes time and it’s different for everyone.
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Another thing I’ve learnt the hard way is not to put all your money into an idea unless you know it’s going to be successful. I’ve bought so many supplies for projects that have just never taken off, or I ended up moving beyond them. Save the money you make from your business to get the equipment you need to make the really crazy ideas and don’t hold back once you have everything you need to go buck wild.
Lastly, if you have a stylist wanting to borrow some pieces, check their background and make sure you don’t loan anything without a contract.
Who do you think is most exciting in the Australian/NZ creatives scene right now?
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Catholic Guilt Clothing, Oliver Thomas, Diaspora, Georgia Harper, Eat Yrself, Faze One, Garage Bands, Flux 2.0, Kurt Johnson, Ramp Tramp Tramp Stamp, Burnished Jewellery… the list goes on and on but these are the creatives I think about most often!
What about the Australian/NZ creative scene needs to change?
There aren’t many events happening, which makes it so hard to meet people and become part of the scene. Out of everywhere, Melbourne has the most going on but compared to Europe and the US, it’s pretty much non-existent.
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A lot of the events that do happen are also usually not very accessible. Fashion has always been hugely tied to the queer club scene no matter where you are, but if you’re someone like me who can’t be around huge groups of people and loud noise, clubbing isn’t really an option. I want to see more markets, more DIY runways pulled together by the community, pop-up shops from the emerging designers in the area, that kind of thing.
I’m moving to Melbourne around July time and as soon as I get there, I’m going to make it my mission to organise more events that are available to everyone. All I’ve ever wanted was a strong creative community so I never have to speak to boring people again… whenever I want something, I make it.
Go-to dinner party playlist?
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In order from beginning to end of the evening: Tsegue-Maryam Guebrou, Moondog, Angelo Badalamenti, Dick Dale and His Del-Tones, Ariel Pink, Tr/st and Aphex Twin.
How can we buy one of your pieces?
Currently, I’m stocked with a few different stores. I have a larger collection online with Ap0cene
and another with Bizarre Bazaar in Wellington! And I just released an end-of-the-year collection with Jolie Laide in Melbourne for Valentine’s Day. I’ll be stocking some exclusive pieces with them so keep your eyes peeled. I also have an Etsy for custom pieces until I finally manage to get my website up and running, which will hopefully happen soon.
For more Aephotika and to browse the collection, head here.
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