Australian jeweller makes Paris Fashion Week debut

19.6 k views | Posted March 21, 2017 | By Talia Paz • Staff Journalist

A recent Queensland jewellery university graduate has received international exposure following the unveiling of her collection at Paris Fashion Week.

Jessica McMaster showcased her jewellery range at an exhibition held during the renowned fashion event in early March.

Organised by Paris-based business Cube, the N°10 Showroom is described as an ‘exhibition with a direct entry to the global market’. It is said to support up-and-coming designers and is attended by buyers from independent fashion and accessories stores as well as department stores.

McMaster told Jeweller that Cube staff invited her to attend the event after finding her business, AON.Objects, on Instagram.

“Cube contacted me in early November 2016. It was a couple of days before my last assessment piece was due [which was] a great motivator,” McMaster said.

“I was invited to exhibit on the curated showroom as they were attracted to my aesthetic and believed it matched the style and aesthetic of their buyers network,” she added.

Invaluable opportunity

McMaster, who completed a Bachelor of Fine Art – Jewellery and Small Objects at Griffith University’s Queensland College of Art, said she designed 60 new pieces for the event in less than two months.

The collection predominately comprised sterling silver pendants, rings and cuffs. Some pieces also featured 18-carat gold and four bronze items were incorporated to “break up the palette”.

While McMaster received no external funding to attend the exhibition, she said agreeing to participate in the Cube N°10 Showroom provided a valuable opportunity for her business.

“The exposure to suppliers internationally has provided interest in my business that I would not have achieved through other means,” she said, adding, “It is still very early days for AON.Objects, as I only established the brand late last year upon graduation from university. I am just enjoying this amazing experience and trying to soak it all up.”

Exhibitions organised by Cube are held during the biannual women’s and men’s Paris Fashion Week events.