Woman Behind the Brand
Vera van Erp is one of our great Dutch models, in terms of stature, because physically she belongs to the smaller ones at 1.74 meters. She is also referred to as ‘little Kate Moss’ for that reason. And the resemblance is not only in height; they are both models who have something to say in the field of styling.
After checking off the highest achievable in the modeling field (her first catwalk achievement was an exclusive for Louis Vuitton, just saying), she now wants to embrace her old love (designing). Vera completed the styling course at Artemis and now has her own jewelry line: A Modern Object. Amazing design for a nice price.
Vera, first of all, I want to know how it is. Is A Modern Object a pandemic adventure? In other words: did it come about during corona?
It's going very well, I'm happy and grateful that I can still travel a lot for my work and for the beautiful spring weather these days. The name A Modern Object came to me a few years ago, and from that moment I knew I wanted to create a brand under this name with timeless design for the modern woman.
Have you always had a fascination for jewelry?
I have had a fascination for beautiful things since I was young: fashion, art, photography; basically everything related to creating. After working in the fashion industry for a few years, my interest in jewelry emerged. I quickly realized that you can really create a look with the right jewelry. I want to share this with other women, and that's how the idea of designing jewelry that gives that extra edgy feeling came about.
You have your own Parisienne, understated cool signature style. Did you want to capture that in your jewelry?
My mission with A Modern Object is to share this signature style with other women and to give them that extra feeling of power and coolness through wearing A Modern Object jewelry.
How did your model friends react to your new work?
My model friends are all super enthusiastic and supportive. The premise of A Modern Object is to design only jewelry that powerful women around me would wear, including myself.
I assume, and hope, that this is a side project, or are you preparing for a modeling retirement?
At this moment, my focus is definitely still on modeling work, but as a creative person, I love doing this on the side. I see it as a great learning process to run my own little business and hope to inspire other women around me to pursue their dreams as well.
It must have been quite an adventure to delve into the design and production process. How did you go about it?
It all starts with loose sketches and ideas in my notebook, which I take everywhere. I get most of my inspiration when I'm alone on a plane, have no distractions, and am in my own bubble. After the sketching process, I translate these into 3D models, and the production company makes the first prototypes. This is a magical moment where I see my ideas come to life.
What surprised you and what went smoothly?
The creative part comes naturally; I constantly have ideas for new designs that I would love to work on immediately. As a creative person, the business side is less in my blood, but I see this as a fun challenge and a learning experience for the future.
The first time you slid a self-designed ring onto your finger, how was that?
Exciting! It gives an enormous kick to see and wear your own designs in real life.
Who would you be really thrilled to see wearing your jewelry?
For me, every woman who wears A Modern Object is a source of inspiration. I love seeing how each person adds their own twist and style to a look.
Where can we buy your jewelry?
At the moment, I sell the jewelry through my own webshop www.amodernobject.com. In the future, they may also be available in personally selected stores.
