An artist like no other, we asked Joyce Makitalo about her jewelry brand, inspirations, and more.
While Joyce Makitalo started with no background in jewelry design, her eponymous label is now one of society’s go-to for eye-catching and high-quality pieces. Originally a painter, Makitalo joined a jewelry design competition in 2008, where she was awarded the non-traditional category award. Through this, she worked with third-generation goldsmiths from Bulacan, and thus, J Makitalo was born.
As someone who have always loved wearing jewelry, Makitalo shares that going from painting to designing jewellery was a “natural transition.” “My inspiration archive is vast, but symbolism and sacred signs have been recurring themes. I grew up wearing religious and talismanic jewelry and they have always fascinated me.” Makitalo shares about her inspirations. With their goldsmiths familiar with working on detailed metalwork on religious jewelry, her pieces gives off an elegance only J Makitalo jewelry can bring.
An artist like no other, Makitalo says her process of designing jewelry, as well as choosing the elements to use, is “another way of painting what’s on my mind.” She does not base her designs on the elements she wants to use; instead, it’s the design and the palette that set out direction of the piece, and in turn, dictating which elements to use.
Asked about what we can expect from her brand, Makitalo shares that her brand will be launched in Tokyo by H30 Fashion Bureau, in partnership with CITEM and PHx, later this year. As they are constantly reinventing and creating new designs, Joyce Makitalo hopes for a broader audience to enjoy her pieces. And, just like us, she looks forward to the day when things are back to normal, and her and her brand can further expand its horizon.
You can check out more of her designs on J Makitalo’s Instagram.
