Crushing on Albertine Lello of Pigment Studios

Albertine Lello's work is one of the most celebrated in our Karangahape Store. Her nude earrings were so popular that we sold out many times, as well as her Tabitha earrings.

She was gracious enough to let me in to her home studio and, in the words of MTV Cribs, 'see where the magic happens'. Camera shy, we shared many laughs while pushing a camera or two in her face.

Her space is pinterest worthy, with many trinkets I wanted to explore. Fragrant candles (mostly of the Crushes variety) were burning and throwing ambient amber licks of colour over large visual mood boards that were home to a collection of both striking but minimalist photography, and both rich and subdued colour palettes. 

There are a lot of things that I love about Albertine. Namely, she has great taste. Also, I was inspired by her creative process; she mentioned that she always thinks of art first, and then her product design would then follow. A process, I realised, that I definitely didn't have and want to challenge myself to change. And lastly, she is a humble, talented, young, local, highly-prolific and creative woman. A fantastic candidate for our first 'Crushing On' series.

IS ALBERTINE LELLO A REAL NAME?
It is! I’m named after the Albertine Rose.

WHAT FILLS UP YOUR WEEK?
Mostly uni these days, but I graduate very soon, so I hope to be spending more time making jewellery and new work!

WHEN DID YOU KNOW YOU WANTED TO BE AN ARTIST?
I’ve always been interested in creating things, so as soon as I found out that being an artist was a thing, I was like “I wanna do that too!”

IS YOUR FAMILY CREATIVE, TOO? 
My little brother is very talented at visual arts and music, and my grandpa is an architect, but other than that, my parents and my older brother all work within more ‘academic’ fields.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE WHAT YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO MAKE?
I like to create things that people can fall in love with and things that brighten their day. Pieces that people are able to wear or decorate their surroundings with.

WHAT DREAMS DO YOU HAVE FOR THE FUTURE OF PIGMENT STUDIOS?
The ultimate dream would be to have a physical store that people can come to, to try on and look at pieces irl and generally have a good chat. While this is probably not going to happen anytime soon, it’s definitely something I am working towards! 

WHAT AND WHO ARE YOU CRUSHING ON RIGHT NOW?
Honestly, SO many people are on my radar at the moment! A few people in particular are Ryan of @rylopes who is an insanely talented creative director. He is actually going to be shooting some of my pieces shortly, so I’m SUPER excited for that!
I’m also loving @palomawool at the moment. I recently ordered a few of their pieces and I am in love with everything! Super gorgeous colours and beautiful photography. To end this list of people/things I’m crushing on, it would be rude not to mention my 4pm tea break that has been getting me through the tough end of year uni grind! Shout out to Kenya Bold! You rule!

Follow Albertines instagram, and explore a selection of Pigment Studios work here