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Jewelry icon pushes boundaries
Print Edition
SHAUN Leane’s entrance into the world of jewelry at age 15 was a conscious decision; yet it was the late Alexander McQueen who pushed Leane’s creative boundaries to dazzling, daring effect.
The British designer was recently in Shanghai to present his latest collection. He talked to Shanghai Daily about his training as a goldsmith, his relationship with McQueen and the creativity he discovered in himself.
He took part in a seven-year apprenticeship in fine jewelry crafting at a Hatton Garden goldsmith. He credits that experience as significant in the perfection of his craftsmanship and techniques.
“I was a fast learner. By the age of 18, I was able to make a diamond tiara for a fine jewelry house. That was my world at the time: a goldsmith making and crafting traditional, classic, high-end jewelry,” Leane said. “I had the urge and hunger to design and twist the style, but I was not allowed to.”
Meeting McQueen was a turning point in Leane’s design career. He met the design genius through a common friend while McQueen was completing his Central Saint Martins MA. “He was an East London boy and I was a North London boy so we had similar upbringings. We were good friends for about two years but he didn’t really know what I did. He knew I was a jeweler but he never saw my works. It was only when he came to the workshop and saw me working on tiaras, he was blown away.”
“He said: ‘I didn’t know you did this!,’’’ Leane continued. “McQueen didn’t realize to what standard jewelry I was making and he respected my attention to details. He soon asked me to make pieces for his shows. My mind was closed at the time and I was conditioned, so I felt daunted. I never had used brass, aluminium, feathers that McQueen requested,” Leane said.
McQueen’s passion, vision, and belief in Leane encouraged the “traditional goldsmith” to step out of his comfort zone. “It was then my world has changed. He opened my mind, gave me a creative platform where I could truly express, going from one extreme to another, from classical pieces to statement, strong items without boundaries. He rejuvenated the energy in me that I’ve always had.”
Working with McQueen for 17 years starting in 1994, Leane made several statement pieces we still remember today: including the Tusk earring from 1996.
“It was the second show with McQueen. It was when I designed the Tusk earring that I started to find my identity. Behind the very sleek fine line of the earring, there is a very strong statement showing strength and fearlessness,” he said. The Tusk earring is now Leane’s signature creation.
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