I actually can’t believe that I don’t own a Katherine-Mary Pichulik piece! For a good few years now, I’ve been eyeing out her collections, often using her pieces in fashion shoots. I think the time has come for me to invest.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the brand, here’s how Katherine sums it up:
“If the Pichulik brand were a person, she would have a wicked sense of humour and a strong yet inspired presence. She’d have kind, wise eyes that speak of many journeys through exotic lands. She would smell the way jasmine smells in Johannesburg at the end of winter, when the promise of spring lingers in the air. She would taste of pomegranates from Granada and rose syrup from Morocco.”
Katherine-Mary Pichulik
The SS/2015 collection is my favourite collection thus far. The name of the new range, says Pichulik, is derived from barakah, Arabic for “blessing”, and the strong architectural lines of the bangles and neckpieces have been informed by the architecture of North Africa and the Middle East. The colours and designs evoke the religious talismans of the Berber of Morocco and prayer satchels used throughout the region.
In a departure from her previous multicoloured collections, Pichulik worked with a limited colour palette when designing Baraka. Green and gold are sacred in Islam as they represent paradise while the blue, the colour of protection, is reminiscent of the indigo robes worn by the Tuareg and the colours found in the 400-year-old Sultan Ahmet Camii, Istanbul’s Blue Mosque. These are offset by white, the colour of purity, and black.
These simple colours have been masterfully combined and no two pieces are alike – yet, they were made to be worn together in perfect harmony. Of her affinity for the range, Pichulik, whose grandmother was born in Algeria, says, “What draws me to jewellery design is not merely the making of beautiful adornments but the incredible purpose that it has served throughout history. Jewellery has always been linked to spirituality and important rites of passage. Pieces were crafted with a purpose and imbued with powers such as protection and healing. Baraka excites me as it offers the opportunity to restore this.”
View the PICHULIK Baraka collection at www.pichulik.com or email pichulik@pichulik.com for commissions or appointments. Follow Pichulik of Facebook to stay up to date with the latest collections.
