Ara the altar - Earth Aware Adornment
Inspired by the constellation after which it was named, Ara the altar is the beautiful earth-aware brand from designer and creator, Lauren King. I recently had the pleasure to speak with Lauren about her beautiful and considered jewellery line. Taking inspiration from astronomy, nature and the ancient world, we discuss Lauren’s influences and sustainability values, which are deeply rooted in her brand and everyday life.
Ara the altar - branding (all photography by Ara the altar)
Ara the altar is a beautiful and unique brand name, can you share a little about it and the journey that led you to Ara the altar?
Thank you so much, Lesley. A few years before the conception of Ara the altar as a brand, I was working as a shoot producer, co-ordinating shoots in the fashion industry from season to season. For a while I’d had a niggling feeling about a few aspects of the industry that didn’t sit quite right with me. Having found myself in quite a logistical role, I was also craving a creative outlet – something to get my teeth into, so I took a one day silversmithing class in the London Jewellery Quarter and was instantly captivated with the process.
Moving back up north and away from the industry to introduce some of that infamous work-life balance, I slowly built up a little workshop of tools to continue my practice from home. Around the same time I began taking steps in my everyday life to help minimise my own impact on the environment. I began to think more about the journey a product goes through before it reaches us as the consumer, learning about and paying more attention to the human and environmental strain associated with overconsumption and in particular the fast fashion industry. Discovering the notion of slow living and slow fashion, I resonated with the concept of considered design, production and consumption, all of which made perfect sense to me.
Looking back, I think the dissatisfaction I was experiencing as a consumer -with limited assurances from retailers concerning where and how their products were made- alongside the development in my own jewellery practice, grew to a point where I felt in a position to contribute to a slower approach to consumption myself; to design and create something for longevity, not trend, with respect for people and the planet along the way. Aware of the destructive environmental practices associated with precious metal mining, from the offset I committed to working with only recycled precious metal, reducing waste, environmental impact, and using existing material to produce something beautiful, with a conscience.
Being increasingly aware of the need to protect our only planet, nature and astronomy felt like natural foundations for the brand’s influence, and my fascination with the ancient world’s relationship with each of these phenomena tied all three areas of influence together. Latin in name, ‘Ara’ is a small constellation which translates as ‘the altar’. I was drawn to the way Ara had been depicted in historical imagery – essentially as an altar with burning incense, rising smoke or sacrificial offerings. My interpretation of this saw the perfect fit for a project concerned with considered design and production; a conceptual altar upon which to offer responsibly sourced and created objects, for earth-aware individuals.
I’m fascinated by the astronomical influences behind your pieces, can you share more about your creative process?
Astronomy was the first area of influence I focused on with Ara, I think likely because, for me, that’s where everything begins. Ara’s current offering is the Celestial collection, constructed of three main families, each drawing inspiration from some form of celestial being: Halo (the formation of lightly scattered stars that collectively form a galactic halo), Phase (each of the four principle moon phases), and Bar (the bar shaped formation found at the centre of some spiral galaxies).
From the offset I wanted Ara adornment to give the wearer a conscious connection with the beauty of our earth. So when it comes to the creative process, I like to weave some meaning throughout each piece. For me, the design process always begins with research, often not intentional and rarely formal; the science, beauty and mystery of astronomy is a subject that I love learning and reading about. Allowing a little time for my mind to wander usually develops into a design concept, which may change direction when I begin to have a play on the bench and develop the design in practice. My design development is also led by Ara’s values as a responsible brand. For example, at the moment I don’t incorporate stones into Ara’s work, due to the negative environmental and societal impacts associated with the mineral mining industry. There’s always a little compromise along the way but this can often lead me somewhere unintended.
Ara the altar - halo and bar earrings
Ara the altar - purposeful packaging
Each piece is made to order, how long does that take and why do you work this way? Do you find that this helps you minimise your environmental footprint?
Traditionally, fashion retailers produce collections seasonally, creating goods in batches and at the end of each season, pushing any remaining items into sale (with anything left unsold becoming waste). Having worked in the fashion industry, and familiar with the existing consumption model, I knew this was not the right fit for Ara. I adopted a slow approach: designing, creating, and consuming for longevity. Mindful to minimise waste from the offset, I made the decision to make each piece to order, producing only what was required and creating less waste.
This operation is also mindful of the small scale at which I operate. I typically work on a 1-2 week turnaround (longer for custom orders and recycled gold pieces). This permits time to ensure that I have the materials in stock, time to create the order and give it the attention it deserves: measuring, sawing, filing, sanding, soldering, polishing and packaging it thoughtfully with one of Ara’s low-waste linen and GOTS certified organic cotton bags –also made in-house- and a handwritten note.
Managing the remaining aspects of the business myself -creating and editing imagery, marketing, accounts etc.- a made to order approach allows me to manage my time carefully. I do try to remain fluid and consider the least impactful approach overall; for pieces that require casting I get a small batch cast, rather than casting one at a time, to collectively reduce transport from the casting house, and as a result, minimise CO2 emissions.
This slow approach also allows for me to make each piece with the recipient in mind. I love recognising a customer’s name for a repeat order, or if the customer mentions the order is a gift for someone else. That human connection is something that has become so disconnected from the end product with the rise of fast fashion, and why our perception of a product’s value has become so distorted.
You show a strong consideration for the earth and the materials that you use in your work. Why is that important for you and how do you incorporate that into your personal life?
Originally, my own personal values concerning ethics and the environment were the driver for Ara. Now, as I’m so actively engaged in trying to lessen impact on both business and personal fronts, I find that one fuels the other and vice versa. On a personal level this means minimising waste and plastic, reusing, composting in our garden, growing what we can. I think having respect for the earth’s resources in mind naturally encourages a slower way of life which I have found to be a healthier outlook to adopt. I think it’s important to recognise that for many of us, the freedom to make these choices comes largely down to privilege and accessibility. As I am in a position to make changes, I do what I can, but I’m always learning, figuring things out and finding my way, mindful that there was a time at which I didn’t have the same awareness or information as I do now. At this time, we are witness to an undeniable increase in awareness of the climate crisis amongst our society. The irreversible damage our species has inflicted on our earth is evident; large-scale political accountability is urgently required to limit the effects of the damage already done and to slow down the rate of our planet’s demise. In the meantime, the more we as individuals can do to inform ourselves and share our understanding the better. The effort we make on an individual scale, within our own means, really does have a collective, positive impact.
Ara the altar - rose gold phase fine
Ara the altar - gold full moon pendant
By choosing not to use mined precious metals or gemstones, it is clear that Ara the altar is a responsible brand that cares about the earths resources. You have recently launched a stunning recycled gold collection. Do you find that there are challenges sourcing or working with recycled materials?
Absolutely - this is such a good question. Taking recycled silver as an example; whilst recycled silver wire and sheet (suitable for making rings and pendants) is now readily available, recycled silver chains and ready-made findings (earring scrolls, posts, jump rings etc.) are not so easy to come by. Often, products are marked as ‘recycled silver’ without any acknowledgement from the brand that the accompanying chains, findings, and solder used to create or accompany these pieces are made from virgin silver, with no information concerning where or how it was mined. This shows a lack of awareness from both suppliers and retailers about the transparency of sourcing. Whilst the precious metal industry relies to a certain degree on recycled material -so there will often be a percentage of recycled metal used- many companies do not provide information concerning the origin of any freshly mined metal. This lack of information speaks volumes. Fair trade is often seen as an ethical alternative to traditional precious metal mining, and whilst this offers a more stable working environment for the miners, the operation still has a damaging impact on the earth.
For Ara, I use only recycled materials (including solder, chains and findings), to help limit the strain on the earth’s resources. If I can’t source what I need recycled, rather than compromise Ara’s values, I simply won’t incorporate it into Ara’s offering; for the first sixteen months, unable to source recycled chain or findings, I offered only rings. Only when I had sourced suitable recycled accompaniments, or had taught myself the skills needed to make them myself, did I release the full Celestial collection. In prep for launching Ara’s recycled gold collection, Phase | Fine, recycled gold was not readily available. I managed to find a supplier in Derbyshire to supply what I required. Since, recycled gold has become much more widely accessible, showing an encouraging sign of a shift in response to the demand.
I like to think about the full journey of every Ara the altar piece and so use recycled materials more widely than the product itself, including recycled cardboard postal boxes and recycled card stock for Ara’s blind-debossed comment, earring and necklace cards. Generally though, I weigh up the options to enable me to make an informed decision: Ara’s postcards are made from carbon neutral FSC accredited paper, printed with vegetable ink, and rather than packaging with recycled paper filler, I use hemp fibre grown locally in Yorkshire. As a regenerative crop that grows much faster than trees and does an incredible job at locking CO2 out of the air, the farming of industrial hemp is something I am keen for Ara to support.
Ethical products and living mindfully is clearly important to you and it’s evident from your product photography that so is diversity and inclusivity. Do you feel that there is a lack of representation within the fashion industry?
To date, the two women who have featured in Ara’s imagery have been very good friends of mine, both incredibly interesting women and neither models by trade. When it comes to the imagery used to communicate Ara’s offering, I hope to be reflective of society, and for the imagery to feel inclusive.
I can only speak from my own perspective –with an awareness of my own social privilege- but what I see is a clear lack of representation within the fashion industry, this applies not just to body shape (a topic seemingly more openly explored), but very much to race and ethnicity, to gender and disability. The fashion industry has a lot of work to do to dismantle what has become ‘the norm’.
Ara the altar - rose gold stacking set
Ara the altar - bar ring