COLLECTION: VANDEROHE CURIO
CURIO IS A LONDON-BASED HAND-BLOWN GLASS WORKSHOP, FOUNDED BY OLIVIA THORPE. OLIVIA STARTED WITH A SMALL COLLECTION OF COLORFUL, HAND-BLOWN CHRISTMAS BALLS, WHICH SHE DISPLAYED AT A POP-UP FOR HER SKINCARE BRAND, VANDEROHE. THEY SOLD OUT INSTANTLY, LEADING HER TO RECEIVE A REQUEST TO DESIGN A COLLECTION OF COLORFUL GLASSWARE FOR NET-A-PORTER.
OLIVIA'S INTERESTS IN FASHION, ART AND CRAFTS, AS WELL AS HER BACKGROUND IN BOTANY AND ALCHEMY, HAVE LED TO A CORE COLLECTION OF COLORED, EXPERTISE-BLOWN GLASSWARE: JEWELRY-LIKE GLASSES, PIECES IMPRESSIVE MISTRESSES AND SPARKLING OBJECTS, ALL IN A RANGE OF SPECKLED AND GRADIENT COLORS REFLECTING ELEMENTS OF THE NATURAL WORLD.
OLIVIA'S FIRST COLLECTION WAS QUICKLY FOLLOWED BY INVITATIONS TO BE DISTRIBUTED AT SELFRIDGE'S, LIBERTY LONDON, HARROD'S AND THE CONRAN SHOP. AT THE SAME TIME, OLIVIA WAS INVITED TO REVITALIZE THE RIVER CAFÉ BOUTIQUE AND EXHIBIT A MASTER COLLECTION OF PIECES IN THEIR ICONIC TRIO OF COLORS. AT THE END OF CURIO'S FIRST YEAR, CLARIDGE'S ASKED FOR A COLLABORATION AND OLIVIA DESIGNED A COLLECTION IN ELEGANT OPALINE COLORS REFLECTING LONDON'S ICONIC ART-DECO HOTEL, WHICH CONTINUES TO BE THE FOCAL POINT OF THEIR BEAUTIFUL SHOP MAYFAIR. MORE RECENTLY, OLIVIA CONTINUED THEIR PARTNERSHIP, DEVELOPING PIECES FOR THE NEW MAYBOURNE SPA IN KNIGHTSBRIDGE, SURRENNE.
OLIVIA DRAWS HER MAIN INSPIRATION FROM HER BACKGROUND IN ALCHEMY, FASCINATED BY THE WAY COLORS MIX AND TRANSFORM DURING THE CREATIVE PROCESS AND IN THE FINAL PIECE, EVOKING A FEELING OF MOVEMENT AND METAMORPHOSIS IN THE INANIMATE. INFLUENTIAL DESIGNERS FOR OLIVIA INCLUDE ELSA PERETTI, LOUIS COMFORT TIFFANY, BARBARA HEPWORTH, ARNE JACOBSEN AND, MOST RECENTLY, JONATHAN ANDERSON.