Jane. Designer, Artist.

Jane Sutherland’s early years were spent circling her father’s ankles in his workshop. On tiptoe, transfixed, she watched her father transform raw metal into remarkable sculptures and uplifting jewellery with his hands. This period informed what would become Jane’s lifelong passion – fashioning metal into captivating and wearable art.

Almost entirely self-taught, Jane’s foray into metalwork began with humble handmade nuts & bolts. Creative exploration turned respected label after an inspired union of sterling silver and fabric; metal designs screwed onto black t-shirts. These pieces were sought-after in boutique clothing stores Plume (Dunedin) and Angel Divine (Queenstown) and became the paradigm of Jane’s brand.

Her compositions consider the uncommon and iconoclastic, sewn with a continuous thread of metal detailing. An affection for music is pervasive, with favourite lyrics often stamped into the metalwork. This whimsy is captured within the bounds of the Industrial Architecture principals the work extols. 

Jane’s Studio and home can be found at the remote end of Lake Wakatipu. A town of 400 people, Kingston allows the mind to wander and the pencil to sketch freely. A place where the drillings and clangings of the workshop peal with no audience. Where conviction ricochets off stony peaks and the light insists we are all photographers.