Xanthe Ficcara is repurposing pre-loved jewellery into pieces inspired by your grandma
IMAGE VIA @milliesykess/INSTAGRAM
WORDS BY IZZY WIGHT
“A romantic narrative between the old and the new.”
When Melbourne designer Xanthe Ficcara didn’t have access to a buttonhole machine, she decided to start using secondhand jewellery to fasten her garments instead. Collecting bags of jewellery from Facebook Marketplace, Xanthe experimented with deconstructing and repurposing the preloved pieces. “I strung some brooches and chains together as a belly chain and eventually, I wore it on my neck,” she says.
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After graduating from fashion design, creating bespoke jewellery “was just a little less daunting than actually making some clothes,” Xanthe tells me. Finding her niche at the intersection of metal sculpture and your grandma’s jewellery box, Xanthe began commissioning custom pieces (“repurposed charm collars”) through Instagram DMs. Below, she speaks on her design process, influences and what’s next for the label.
Tell us about you. What’s your fashion background?
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I studied my Honours in Fashion Design at RMIT. My final year was in 2020, so the lockdown really shook things up. I guess I got into fashion because I always had ideas and could never find them in the stores. My mum would sew them for me. She eventually got sick of that and taught me how to sew myself.
How did the label get started? Talk us through the process and the challenges.
I had to complete my entire collection at home in my garage during the COVID lockdowns. We had no access to buttonhole machines, so I started using chunky brooches and necklaces to fasten my garments. I would source all the pieces from women donating bags of costume jewellery on Facebook Marketplace.
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After uni, I continued collecting from markets and op shops. I strung some brooches and chains together as a belly chain and eventually, I wore it on my neck. It was just a little less daunting than actually making some clothes.
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?
It’s always been important to me to get inspiration from what’s already out there. Embracing the beauty and memories in old things can spark a whole new idea for me; something I possibly wouldn’t have thought of on my own.
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It forces me to really think and trial [ideas] within the limitations of whatever I find that week. It’s constantly evolving, I can never get too comfortable with a certain style or pendant. I could find something even better tomorrow.
How would you describe Xanthe Ficarra to someone who’s never seen it before?
The marriage between grandma’s jewellery chest and whimsical renewal. A romantic narrative between the old and the new.
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What are you most proud of in your work on your brand?
I’m proud that it naturally evolved. I felt pressure to make clothes after studying fashion but truly, nothing was coming to me. I didn’t want to sit and force ideas out of me. Jewellery was fun and innocent and less scary.
Who is in your wardrobe right now?
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My wardrobe needs some TLC. The jewellery section of the op shops gets far more attention than the clothes. I often opt for a basic outfit with a statement necklace.
How can we buy one of your pieces?
For now, all pieces are custom-made. Just send [me] a message on Instagram. I like to let people pick their pendants. A website will be coming in the new year.
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Can you tell us about a favourite piece you’ve made and the story behind it?
I appreciate that I don’t follow a single method or structure, as it allows me to play with positioning. I’m often coming up with new sequences and ways to adorn the neck.
I’ve definitely found some of my favourite pendants, but the freedom to put things together in a new way each time means I’m finding a new favourite every week. Just when I think I’ve run the op shops dry, I seem to find something I’ve never seen before. It’s very exciting.
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Walk us through your design process. Where do you find inspiration for new pieces?
I collect trinkets and charms as I go, anything I think I’ll use in the future. I’m not necessarily shopping with a necklace in mind. You have to think outside of what you see.
Some pendants seem underwhelming and unappealing dangling from a 15-year-old chain, but in my mind, they all come together to create something special. I let people pick their pendants – sometimes it’s something I never would have chosen, but I like that.
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I’m not limiting my product to strictly my own personal preference. I start with the pendant and work my way around it. It’s a game of balance, trial and error. I don’t plan – I just make it as I go. I know when I need something big or small, solid or empty. Eventually, it comes together.
Who are some of your favourite designers?
Martin Margiela is always on every mood board. He is all time. He completely shifted the way I look at putting things together. Because of him, I can’t see construction without deconstruction. He encourages me to unpack a method and do it differently.
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I dream of owning a Chopova Lowena skirt. I love the use of recycled materials to create eccentric, clashing patterns. Charlotte Knowles’ use of print and silhouette is true beauty to me.
For more of Xanthe’s work and to order your own bespoke piece, head here.
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