In conversation with founder and creative director Laura Liles.
A celebration of the collected, the considered and the beautifully handmade. A new season of KC Sourced brings together silver jewellery from India, intricate beadwork from Indonesia and hand-embroidered Kantha vests discovered in Rajasthan.
Thoughtfully sourced throughout Laura's travels and creative research, each piece reflects a love of traditional craftsmanship, cultural storytelling and the beauty of objects made by hand.
We sat down with Laura to explore the inspiration behind this latest edit, the stories behind her discoveries and the art of collecting treasures along the way.
A new season of KC Sourced has arrived. Can you tell us a little about the inspiration behind this latest edit and how these pieces came together?
This little edit is very personal and happened completely by accident.
You'll find lots of layerable jewels in silver tones or featuring a mess of glasswork beads, all handmade and collected while researching for our own jewellery collection.
I've wanted to make jewellery for Kinga for ages, and the project is now in the works. I found these pieces while meeting with new jewellery suppliers and couldn't resist them. They layer so well and I've shot each piece on many occasions, so it felt right to offer them alongside our spring collection as an extension of my KC spring vision.
Travel and creative exploration have always been woven into the world of Kinga Csilla. How do the places you visit and the people you meet influence the pieces you're drawn to?
Sometimes it's so easy and so obvious! I'm obsessed with folk and historical textiles. I collect and archive beautiful textiles with a hand-embroidered detail or items that tell the story of the city I'm in.
Some of Kinga Csilla’s suppliers in India have been collaborating with me for years. They know me well, they’ve shopped markets and vintage with me and will often send me treasure they think I’ll like if they come across something on their travels. I’ve collected paintings, vintage, even furniture this way.
The vests in this chapter of Sourced were found in Rajasthan, and they're absolutely the type of thing I'm obsessed with collecting. They're intricately embroidered and finished by hand with traditional Indian florals and paisley.
We added the love heart buttons at our studio here in Sydney because I wanted the tops to be able to be worn on their own, like a hero piece in your outfit.
Traditional craftsmanship is such an important part of the KC story. What is it about handmade pieces and the techniques passed down through generations that you find particularly beautiful?
History fills me with awe. It has the same effect on me as outer space or a vast ocean horizon.
How can humans have had such an interesting and vast journey? How is it that cultures are so different? And what traditions can you find in border cities that marry the two cultures on either side ? I find these ideas fascinating, and often Indigenous clothing, textiles and craft hold symbolism and imagery that preserve stories and traditions and give us insight into these histories.
How do you envision these collected treasures being worn alongside Kinga Csilla pieces, and what do you hope they bring to the wardrobes of our community?
Always layered. I'm wearing five necklaces today and 12 charms collectively, and I invite you to join me in curating a neck stack.
We've even grouped some of our natural stone bracelets together to make stacking a little easier, because effortless is in the Kinga DNA.
The Sourced vests are timeless, so this spring I'll be wearing mine with a Kinga tiered skirt or jeans, and in autumn I'll be wearing the same vest over a long-sleeve maxi, like the block-printed Marrakech dress or the lace Cherry maxi.
Discover a New Season of KC Sourced
An eclectic edit of collected treasures, traditional craftsmanship and pieces to wear and cherish for seasons to come.
