Blackburn + Sweetzer Has Moved

It took me about two seconds to fall in love with designer Emma Carroll’s fantastically modern jewelry—fans of punchy leather, hardware and crisp ribbon. Ranging from $54 for earrings to $75 for bracelets and $106-$175 for necklaces, the collection is extremely reasonable for the high quality and upscale, tactile appeal. I wore the black feathers necklace, shown above, last weekend to rave reviews from a fashionable cast I would trust with my closet and my jewelry box. Exciting news of an in-the-works bag collection—along with gems of behind-the-label info—is below. Clockwise from top left: black feathers necklace, $172;disk earrings; gold chips necklace, $106; leather and brass pendant; click to expand

Occupation: Accessories Designer

Location: Chicago—we just moved from London back to the US a couple months ago.

Fabrications, materials, inspiration. Your three-word response: Simplicity, attention to detail, vibrant colors (does that count as 3 words?)

If you could bestow one of your current creations on the world, which would it be and why? The Long Disk necklaces are my favorite at the moment; you can wear them with a vest and jeans. Just one on its own or a couple layered and it looks like you’ve made an effort!

The long disk necklaces, how it all began, obsessions and more…

The long disk necklaces, $185; click to expand

How did it all begin? When I was a kid I always wanted to be ‘an artist’. At 18, I studied art foundation at Central Saint Martins in London and my eyes were opened up. My time there helped me identify my abilities in the more detail-oriented aspects of design and I liked the idea of creating a tangible product.

I did my degree in Fashion Accessory Design at the London College of Fashion, which gave me a really comprehensive knowledge of traditional leather-crafting techniques and materials and I found that I really loved working with leather. It handles so nicely and ages beautifully—it’s like a living material, the longer you use it the better it looks! I spent time interning for print designer Neisha Crossland and, when I graduated, worked for cult London accessories designer Ally Capellino, which only served to further my love of leather and help hone my design skills.

But in the evenings I worked on my own designs, playing around with different leathers and shapes. The byproducts of the bags and accessories produced some interesting pieces and I started to create small pieces of leather jewelry and I liked the way it looked and so did other people!

Cut out earrings, $54; white feathers necklace; click to expand

An average day consists of… It usually starts with coffee, checking emails and a bit of Google-ing. Depending on the day, I’ll either be at the studio of my friend Meg McGuinness, helping her with her new bag range, or working on my own new bag range.

I spend a lot of time doing research; we visit lots of antiques markets and malls around Chicago and up around Milwaukee. We recently went to the Hamilton Museum of Wood Type in Wisconsin, which is such a great place! [Sig other and biz partner] Matt and I also spend a lot of time wandering around the city, it can be very inspiring, and Chicago in the summer is amazing.

Cut out leather necklace, $120; rivet necklace, $110; click to expand

I want! I want! Where can I find your offerings? You can buy directly from our website, emmacarrolletc.com! We’re selling to a couple of boutiques in the Chicago area and we’re just starting to reach out to boutiques around the country so look out for us in a store near you!

A smattering of Carroll’s obsessions, clockwise from top left: Mad Men; Popsicles; Bill Withers; Minnetonka moccasins; click to expand

Current obsessions: Listening: CSS, a bit of Bill Withers, Andrew Bird, MGMT, also we just went to see Amadou and Mariam last week, it was really great! Reading: I just started reading Old Filth by Jane Gardam, but never really have much time to pick it up! Watching: Old seasons of Mad Men and The Wire Wearing: Minnetonka moccasins, and a black rivet necklace… pretty much everyday Eating: Popsicles Sipping: Margaritas