Fashion / jewellery
Sassy perspex designs by Mango Tango Jewellery
Designer and maker Naomi Gennery creates bright and fun jewellery made from laser cut perspex and acrylics under the name Mango Tango Jewellery.
Fresh from graduating from her graphic design course at UWE last summer, Naomi has set up a studio in the Old Malthouse in St Jude’s as a member of Bristol Hackspace, a volunteer-led space in Bedminster for makers creating anything from woodwork to robotics.
Mango Tango Jewellery’s Red Acrylic Sweethearts look good enough to eat (£9)
Naomi’s super fun jewellery pieces come in bold, eye-catching designs and shapes, from the signature Mango Tango Wobbly design to hearts, flowers and geometric shapes decorated with tiny pom-poms in lollipop colourways.
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Chokers in the signature Mango Tango Jewellery Wobbly design (£10)
The range consists of big statement earrings (the only way to wear your earrings at the moment), sassy chokers and single pendant pieces. There are also options to create your own choker or necklace, with prices ranging from a very reasonable £4 for a pendant shape to £10 for a handmade choker.
With perspex and acrylic jewellery becoming a big thing in fashion again, following the boom of acrylic jewellery in the late 90s, with brands like Tatty Devine reigning supreme for nearly 20 years, young designers are again inspired by fun statement jewellery pieces and are putting their own stamp on it.
Summery flower Wobble earrings by Mango Tango Jewellery (£8)
Fun filled Marble triangle pom-pom earrings by Mango Tango Jewellery (£8)
“I have always been interested in crafts and making,” says Naomi. “I think it stems from my love of outrageously big earrings and DIY! It came from me thinking I want some earrings that look like this and if I can’t buy them anywhere I should make them myself!”
Fried eggs on hoops by Mango Tango Jewellery (£7)
Wobbly Bob yellow earrings by Mango Tango Jewellery (£7)
“I sketch out the designs, then I use a laser cutting machine to cut out my designs from acrylic. I have always been interested in the way technology is used within design, fashion and art, so it’s really fun for me to use machinery to create them.”
The bright, bold designs mix 80s styling with a nod to Mary Quant’s plastic flowers, with both eras being heavily involved with using plastics in design. The fun Mango Tango designs are also reminiscent of Henri Matisse’s cut-outs and Keith Haring’s graphics, both influenced by bold shapes and bright colours.
Black acrylic with wiggles by Mango Tango Jewellery (£10)
Pop art snakes by Mango Tango Jewellery (£8)
“I’m like a magpie, I love anything colourful and shiny,” Naomi says. “I take a lot of inspiration from 80s fashion and the Memphis design group. I really like their style: it’s a bit brash and kitsch.”
Memphis might be the designer’s ‘go to’ style at the moment, how does Bristol fit in with inspiring Naomi’s creativity? “I love how in Bristol it’s a big mish-mash of styles and everyone seems to take influences from everywhere and bring their own personality to it,” she says. “I think Bristol fashion designers Neat Frontage’s clothes are always amazing and I would happily wear every single thing in their collection. Another creative I love is Zoe Power: I walk past a mural of hers every day and it always makes me smile.”
‘How are you today’ orange smiley earrings by Mango Tango Jewellery (£7)
“I share my studio at Hackspace with three designers and illustrators,” Naomi says. “We have collaborated and create work together as Groove collective. There’s so many creative things going on in Bristol and I would really love to collaborate with other makers in the city. I’m really looking forward to learning a bit more about the material I use and seeing how far I can push it by doing new things and experimenting with designs.”
With an online Depop shop and a collection of items available in Stokes Croft’s independent designers’ emporium, The Little Shop, Mango Tango Jewellery is starting to get recognised as a designer to watch in 2019.
Buy Mango Tangle Jewellery from www.depop.com/naomi94 and follow Mango Tango on Instagram.
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