Kari Layton - designer, jeweller, founder of Lott Studio
Her purpose.
In a past life, Kari Layton worked as a buyer for a large retail chain - a role which showed her all too well how ubiquitous cheap and quick design replication was. To her, this juxtaposed the nature of good design. She parted ways with the corporate world and took up freelance buying overseas, exploring quality craftsmanship across contemporary furniture, spatial and industrial design. She was drawn to makers marrying old craft and new technology, and saw value in utilising the best of both to achieve more efficient, sustainable and meaningful outcomes.
After visiting traditional shoe factories in Spain, jewellery makers in India and other artisans across Europe and Asia, she signed up for a course to learn more about the jewellery making process. Instantly, she fell in love with forming and soldering, with working by hand, and with the challenge, skill and practice required to create something soft, elegant and lasting from something raw and industrial. There was no looking back.
Kari opened Lott Studio in Melbourne’s inner north nearly ten years ago. Since then, she has been supported by a small team of equally-passionate individuals to make slow-release sculptural jewellery collections by hand. Their work has attracted national and international attention, but their personal approach leaves customers feeling like they are engaging with something much more intimate - and that’s no coincidence. This business model serves to shift the standard - in jewellery and the broader design space - from continuously producing new collections towards working more closely with individuals, and placing greater value on designs that are more considered and longer lasting.
Her process.
In reflecting on her approach, Kari says, ‘My design process minimises the amount of components needed in order to maintain simplicity to the eye, yet each piece requires complexity on the bench in its refinement. I strive to design pieces that meld seamlessly into the wearer’s daily life.’
Kari sees an opportunity in jewellery making to create something ethically that is enjoyable, meaningful and long-lasting. As lead designer, she fosters meticulous attention to detail, with as little waste as possible. Working by hand with durable materials means elements can be pulled apart, refined and reshaped so that family heirlooms, metals and stones can be repurposed and rejuvenated. It also offers support to local economies. The studio works exclusively with Melbourne trades, using closed-cycle techniques and methods that embrace the blend of traditional craft and modern innovation that Kari so highly values. This ethos permeates every stage of Lott’s work, from design conception and production through to considering the longevity of a piece.
What keeps her inspired.
In choosing to keep design and production in Melbourne, where the industry is relatively small, the Lott team has had the chance to build relationships with local suppliers, contemporaries and other designers working across different mediums. Like-minded creatives with similar ideas around sustainability, innovation, the environment, and nature itself, provide an endless source of inspiration to Kari. Recently, modern 3D printing concepts have influenced her way of thinking about how a piece comes together. As a result, she has been exploring a particular technique that joins individually-crafted components through bespoke closure clasps. Her approach endlessly evolves, unveiling new ways to design sustainably, and to distill new life into old pieces.
When Kari’s clients are taken through the entire journey of a custom piece, or learn the process behind each slow-release collection created by Lott, their understanding of design - of ‘good’ design - shifts. When this happens, and these individuals choose to support such a model, Kari is reminded that her time on the bench is worthwhile.
