Statement Necklaces: The Troubadour Edit
Apart from being firm friends of Alice Made This, Troubadour Goods creates modern, functional and beautifully handcrafted leather accessories. Its Creative Director, Samantha Jacob, is committed to a refined, streamlined aesthetic - something that she has brought to the next in our collection of Women’s Edits. We talk to Sam about her work before Troubadour, her move into menswear and how she selected the pendants for The Troubadour Edit.
“Before Troubadour, I designed bags for Anya Hindmarch,” Sam tells me. “I thoroughly enjoyed my job there and learnt a lot about pattern cutting, construction and leathers. I’ve also worked as Head of Design for Reiss and had great experience doing consultancy work at other UK brands. While I learnt a great deal during my time at these companies, my passion was always for designing men’s bags. I was always looking forward to my inevitable move into the men’s space, where I apply learnings from previous experiences to my work at Troubadour. It’s really compelling designing products that men want to invest and believe in. The idea is that 30 years from now they will continue to look and feel relevant and will perform perfectly.”
“I design bags that combine incredible craftsmanship, performance and modern aesthetics”, she continues. “Every detail, every seam, every stitch is considered, so our bags have a streamline look. I love clean lines, minimal seaming, hardware and top stitching so the bags have a contemporary feel. It’s important the bags are functional and timeless. We spend a lot of time sourcing new technologies in manufacturing, fabrics and techniques to create highly complex, functional pieces that feel simple & modern. When I designed the collection, we only had men in mind. However women do buy some of our pieces, especially the Tote, Wash bag and Portfolio case. The boundaries between men and women do merge and our modern aesthetics do appeal to a lot of women.”
This blurring between men’s and women’s accessories is something that runs to the core of Alice Made This. Our hardware is designed based on industrial processes, material properties and geometric structures, not for a certain gender or a particular trend. Like Troubadour, we let the pieces stand for themselves – an approach that is captured in The Troubadour Edit.
Combining the circular steel token of the Mia with the reversible brass ring of the Eden, The Troubadour Edit offers a refined material mix that can be worn together or separately, by day or by night. I ask Sam why she chose this pairing of pendants and which other Alice Made This pieces are on her wish list this Christmas.
“I'm obsessed with geometry and love straight lines with circles in particular,” she says. “The two circles sit perfectly together even when they spin around and you see the second sides. A clean, modern piece. I also mixed the finishes to combine steel and brass. I love this playful mix. It adds personality and humour. I really enjoy breaking rules & mixing it up.”
“For Christmas I am going for the Juno Necklace in abundance - for all my friends in all finishes! I love this piece! It’s so elegant and easy to wear. The Morris key rings are also beautiful - sophisticated, unique and masculine. I also adore the Bancroft tie bar as a gift - it totally finishes a look for a guy!”
