The setting is the era of high fashion. The ramps are being set ablaze by revolutionary designers. Rodrigo Otazu had forever changed the way we would perceive jewelry.
People are looking to create a new fashion statement, make their own personal style. To feed this market, jewel shops were opening up all over the country. Design shops, where you’re the designer and the craftsman. Every piece of jewelry made was unique, un-reproduced and wonderfully reflective of the creator’s personality.
It was one such shop which Aline Quettier took over about three years ago – ‘Beads and Bangles’. Having been to fashion school in Amsterdam and later having taught there, Aline’s passion for creation is palpable, almost right away as you enter her wonderful shop. A small and cosy setting, it’s inspired by the interior style from the 1700s. The shop is filled with a warm, sweet scent and a sense of comfort pervades. A colour coding scheme makes deliciously bright splashes of shiny beads. The walls are lined with shelves backed by pink squares. Some shelves hold pots of silver beads. Others display Aline’s designer bracelets, necklaces, and chains. But the scene is dominated by table upon table of glittering beads, beads in every imaginable shape, size and texture. Shimmering red ones, sparkly blue ones, burnished brass ones, gleaming white ones, big, bold silver ones! It feels like a candy shop! Aline goes bead shopping during all her travels. The shop has beads from Morroco, the Far East, Afghanistan, Italy, and, of course, the quintessential beads in Delft Blauw. What Aline’s ‘Beads and Bangles’ store does is essentially designer jewelry. Aline and her assistants make their own brand of chic jewelry by hand. Apart from this unique brand of Quettier jewelry, the shop also holds two other designers’ brands. Parisian designer, Phillipe Audibert’s creations need no introduction. Fiva is a Dutch brand of jewelry also stocked at ‘Beads and Bangles’.
Aline regularly conducts workshops where she teaches people how to make their own jewelry. With this article, comes a coupon for a free workshop; you only just have to pay for the beads. The workshop at ‘Beads and Bangles’ sees women coming in for group activities, just to bond with each other. They make trinkets for themselves, gifts for their moms and friends. What could be more relaxing than an afternoon spent with friends, sipping tea, playing with pretty beads and designing cute bracelets?
Aline conducts workshops for small groups and large groups. Companies organizing fun activities for female employees often hire her. It’s interesting that not only women, but men also love participating in her workshops; apparently to make gifts for their girlfriends and wives. Girls love handmade gifts, which is not exactly the best kept secret in the world.
Aline also gives more intensive jewelry making courses. These require signing up well in advance. Her shop also has another branch, designed around children. Here, activities are organized for children; the beads are cheaper and suited to kids’ tastes.
Rem (Civiele Techniek en Geowetenschappen) kreeg de eerste prijs ter waarde van 40 duizend euro en een sculptuur voor zijn innovatieve recyclingtechnologie. De manier waarop hij koper van staal weet te scheiden, mondde uit in de technostarter ReSteel.
De Delft Entrepreneurial Awards werden dit jaar voor het eerst uitgereikt aan wetenschappers die zich verdienstelijk hebben gemaakt voor ondernemerschap en het gebruik van kennis voor het bedrijfsleven (kennisvalorisatie). Uit de voorrondes kwamen twaalf genomineerden naar voren. De jury, bestaande uit rector Fokkema, Paul Althuis, directeur van het Valorisation Centre, en 3mE-decaan Marco Waas, had veel waardering voor de impact van Rems patenten die, volgens het juryrapport, bijdragen aan de doelstelling van de TU.Prof.dr.ir. Michel van Tooren, hoofd van de L&R-afdeling aerospace design, integration and operations, kreeg de tweede prijs (20 duizend euro) voor zijn inspirerende begeleiding van studenten en promovendi bij ondermeer Delfly, Roboswift en de Formula Student racewagen.De derde prijs (10 duizend euro) ging naar prof.dr.ir. Pieter Kruit (Technische Natuurwetenschappen) voor zijn werk op het gebied van de elektronenoptiek voor het maken van chipmaskers. Met dertig patenten en een eigen bedrijf (Mapper Lithography) is hij een ondernemende man.Op de feestelijke bijeenkomst in de hal van Industrieel Ontwerpen presenteerde prof.dipl.ing. Jan Vambersky het grote witte boek ‘A room with a view’ over de interfacultaire Delftse ontwerpschool.
De onderscheidingen zijn een initiatief van prof.ir. Adriaan Beukers (L&R, composietmaterialen). Hij wordt gezien als founding father van het ondernemende hoogleraarschap. Het Valorisation Center en YES!Delft namen de organisatie ter hand.
Verdere informatie op de site: www.yesdelft.nl/award
Comments are closed.