Andrea Seselja had been designing jewellery in Canberra based on the form of the tentacle and mythology of the Kraken, the legendary sea monster of giant proportions said to dwell off the coasts of Norway and Greenland. The notion of a terrifying creature lying unnoticed in the ocean depths is an influence.

Although beautiful, it was near impossible to produce the pieces on any production scale. Then Baxter came on board. Percival Luto’s ‘Kraken’ range was released a year later and is now set to show at FASHFEST 2014.

This is a new aesthetic in jewellery, one valuing form over ornamentation. This form conveys a type of emotion not often seen in modern accessories. We sat down and had a chat with Andrea and Baxter all about Percival Luto, goals, Fashfest and more…

Q. Thinking back on 2013, what goals have you achieved that you are most proud of?
Finally getting our act together and making Percival Luto happen. We have been working on designs for our Kraken collection for over 18 months and last year sorted out the business side of things and turned Percival Luto into a reality.

Q. What is on the agenda for Percival Luto in 2014?
Lots of exciting things are happening this year. We have just launched our online store and are excited to be showing our collection at FASHFEST. We hope to gain exposure in the industry and to stockists. We will start working on our second collection as well, so this year will be busy for us!

Q. What does it mean to you to be participating as a designer in FASHFEST 2014?
FASHFEST 2014 will be the perfect opportunity to promote our label, especially considering we’re still new and haven’t gained much exposure yet. We want to support and be part of Canberra’s fashion scene and couldn’t think of a better way to launch our label than in our hometown. We’re also excited to have the opportunity to meet and collaborate with other local designers of the caliber that Fashfest attracts.

A few just for fun:
ANDREA
Q. I would love to travel to Siberia because its remoteness is attractive to me. It would be amazing to explore.
Q. My heaven on earth is the beach (south coast of course). I think we have the most beautiful beaches in the world.
Q. If I could have one thing in the whole world it would be a (live) dinosaur because nobody has one and I could ride it to work.
Q. My favourite designer is Rick Owens because he continues to push boundaries and creates amazing collections every season, while always adhering to the same aesthetic. His pieces are timeless so you can wear them forever.
Q. The greatest risk I ever took was when I decided I wanted to be a designer. So far it’s been worth it.

BAXTER
Q. I would love to travel to the moon because I thoroughly enjoyed the film Gravity.
Q. My heaven on earth is a podium finish at Lighthouse Tuesday Trivia. I feel our team is really starting to gel and this could be a possibility in the near future.
Q. If I could have one thing in the whole world it would be a multi-story car park because I feel it’s just a foolproof business plan and everyone loves that feeling of finding a killer parking spot. I’d love to be responsible for that.
Q. My favourite designer is Daymond John because of the way he built an empire from scratch and the way his vision and aesthetic defined an era.
Q. The greatest risk I ever took was when filling my car up with petrol and I answered my phone thinking it might have been important. Apparently you’re not supposed to do that because the phone might make a spark which could ignite the petrol and cause an explosion. Luckily the attendant rushed out and told me all this. So I take this opportunity to remind everyone not to talk on their phones at the petrol station. The results could be catastrophic.

Thanks Andrea and Baxter!

Currently, Percival Luto stocks the Kraken range at http://www.bonty.com.au and are just about to launch their own online store at http://www.percivalluto.com – so keep your eyes peeled!

Fashfest 29 April to 3 May
Canberra Airport
Tickets: www.fashfest.com.au