Jewellery designer Anoushka Van Rijn. Image by Maegan McDowell.
Anoushka Van Rijn launched her eponymous jewellery label in 2017, after a decade of working in the fashion industry. Anoushka inherited her love of creativity from her parents and grew up around design and style which in turn inspired her love of fashion and sartorial-minded ambitions from a young age, leading to the designer studying fashion design at AUT. Her gorgeous jewellery is inspired by New Zealand’s natural landscape and beauty, and features a modern take on beautiful vintage-inspired design. Anoushka Van Rijn jewellery is created by hand in New Zealand with materials sourced locally from NZ, Bali and the US.
We caught up with Anoushka to find out more about her brand, what inspires her and what you would never catch her wearing!
Tell us about your latest collection?
My latest collection “Goddess of love” is about connecting inwards with your inner Goddess. All women have a Goddess inside them, it’s about connecting to ourselves on a deeper level, understanding that part of ourselves, how we can bring that to the world around us and what that looks like. My core brand value is about loving ourselves for our unique authentic self. Unapologetically embracing our whole self. We are all unique and different in our own authentic way, so embrace your true self and celebrate you. That is why the Goddess of love collection consists of one off designs, to represent our individuality and how rare and special we all are. My hope is that women wear my designs and feel their authentic, confident, beautiful, empowered selves.
This has been a part of my self-love journey, especially shifting into my early 30s, connecting to my inner Goddess and learning to embrace all aspects of myself. One of my favourite ways to centre myself and connect to my inner Goddess is going for walks on the beach amongst the shells looking out at the water while listing to meditations. This grounds me. Alongside all the beautiful Goddesses around me in my daily life, the Goddess Venus has been a big inspiration for this collection. She is the Goddess of love, beauty, desire, sex, fertility, prosperity and victory.
What made you become a designer?
I have always wanted to be a designer. Ever since I was a little girl I felt this intensely strong pull towards fashion, design, beauty, art. My parents are very creative people, my Mother is an artist and interior designer and my Father has a visual merchandising company. So I have been surrounded by art and style my whole life and my creativity has always been supported and encouraged. I remember saying to my parents at 8 years old “I am going to be a fashion designer when I grow up”. My Father suggested, on the back of every photo of myself why don’t I write my age and what I want to do when I am older. So on the back of all the photos of myself as a little girl I have my age and “I am going to be a fashion designer” haha, its quite sweet really.
For me, designing and creating is something I have to do, I can feel it in my gut. But It has to have meaning behind it, a purpose. Otherwise it’s not worth it for me.
What inspires you?
The beauty in my everyday surroundings. Friends and family. My garden (I loveeeeeee gardening). The beach and shells, I am obsessed with shells. VINTAGE, I am also obsessed with vintage. Traveling. Art. Fantasy, I’m BIG on fantasy. Astrology, and of course, connecting to my inner goddess.
Jewellery from Anoushka Van Rijn’s Goddess of love collection.
Describe your personal style and how it influences your designs?
I would say my personal style is very inspired by vintage, which I then mix with designer. I love a good bargain hunt also, haha. Most of my clothes are vintage and pre-loved goods, I love the thrill of rummaging through those random racks and hunting for a gem. I just love finding different things that I haven’t seen before, you never know what you are going to find, it’s exciting, it’s like a surprise, I love surprises. Most of the time when I get dressed I’m usually channelling a different era or a certain story from a past era that I am inspired by. I love telling a story with what I wear. At the moment I’m really into the 30’s and 40’s, feminine and soft, yet strong and powerful. The 70’s is a big inspiration for me also, love me a long flowy number.
I use a lot of vintage jewellery pieces in my designs, I take them apart, refurbish and upcycle them and then mix them with shells, pearls, crystals etc. I love creating new stories with something that already has a history. I want my customer to feel as though they are a part of the story as well, they create their own story once they wear their chosen piece and breathe new life into it.
What is your all-time favourite purchase?
My wedding dress. Its vintage Italian couture. I had my eye on it 2 years prior to getting engaged. I used to work for Rue de Seine and at the time they were also selling vintage wedding dresses. As soon as it came in I said “that’s my wedding dress”. Two years later I got engaged and the first thing I did was stride into work and say “I’m engaged, you know what dress I want” haha. Surprisingly no one had purchased it, because it was meant to be.
What wardrobe item should everyone invest in?
A go to versatile outfit in their best colour. For example mine is a red dress. I can dress it up or down and it works for whatever occasion. What’s yours?
Do you have a style rule you always obey?
Be my authentic self and wear whatever I want to wear. I usually dress how I feel that day, that is how I express myself. Who cares what anyone else thinks, if you’re happy in what you are wearing that’s all that matters.
Jewellery from Anoushka Van Rijn’s Goddess of love collection.
What has been the highlight of your career so far?
Having my brand feature in British Vogue. Dream come true, pinch me.
What can’t you live without?
My friends, family and my cat Lilly.
Finish this sentence – You would never catch me wearing…
Crocs, not even Balenciaga crocs, haha.
Images supplied.