Who is behind the label LUKA?
Pairing design with ecology and craftsmanship, the designers behind Australian label LUKA weave quality semiprecious stones and unique findings into eclectic, feel-good jewellery. The two-person team behind the brand works closely with small-batch suppliers and artisans to source their sustainable materials from all over the world, allowing for wide experimentation with materials and techniques. This artful combination of design and innovative use of materials results in unique on-off pieces with modernist appeal. Kirsten Michalek-Wagner and Andreas Wagner, the Lennox Head (Australia)-based jewellery designer duo behind the label LUKA bring very different ideas and skills to their creative partnership.
Ecology meets Creativity
Kirsten is an active marine biologist and a chemist with over 20 years of research experience. She holds a PhD in coral ecology and chemistry, a Masters in Marine Toxicology, Honours in Organic Chemistry and a Bachelor of Science and thus it is not surprising that she gets a lot of her inspirations from the ocean. As a commercial diver and dive master she has spend thousands of hours under water and often she will come back from a snorkel and walk straight into her studio to do sketch some design ideas. Having been a business partner in Andreas’ award-winning design and multimedia companies from 1995-2007 has shaped her acute sense, understanding and love for good design.
Exotic semi-precious stones are the backbone of all pieces
Kirsten is positively colour-hungry for semi-precious stones, such as agates, turquoise, onyx, carnelian, lapis lazuli, unakite, but also works with raw precious stones such as opals, emeralds and sapphires. Spines of sea-urchins, pearls, fossilized crinoids, back bones of tiny sharks may find their way into her necklaces just as the calcified remains of single cell foraminifera. Owing to the fact that she is a passionate coral reef biologist, she uses only sustainably sourced materials and will never use corals – no matter how much the designer in her can appreciate the look and feel of corals. She has extensively written about how unsustainable the use of corals in jewellery making is (www.squidoo.com/dont-buy-unsustainable-red-coral-bead-jewellery-) and her label LUKA, just like Tiffany’s in Paris, is part of the Too precious to wear campaign www.tooprecioustowear.org
Global collection of beads
During her travels of the last 30 years, she has collected unique beads from Greece, Slovenia, Dubai, Oman, USA, Indonesia, Kurdistan, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Madeira, UK, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Poland, Czech Republic, Italy, Solomon Islands, Hong Kong, Singapore, Cuba and many more places which have now found a new life in her necklaces. She loves the idea of a ‘global narrative’ that each of the one-off statement pieces represent. Travelling to new places and sourcing small batches of unusual materials from artisans or toothless old ladies on markets remains one of her greatest thrills and ensures that her designs stay fresh and experimental.
Design and Art Direction
With over 20 year of industry experience in the design industry in Germany, France and Australia, Andreas brings to the partnership an impressive design track record and an unashamedly strong commitment to quality design (those German genes coming though?). After being the CEO of his own companies and working for large companies as a graphic designer, he not only joined LUKA in 2010 but recently returned to his creative roots by starting to work as a freelance designer again (www.coolplanetdesign.com.au). His peers think that his work can be very good, and thus the web and interface designs for which he was directly responsible or through his art direction have been awarded a number of prestigious industry awards.
