1. Who Is Omphile Sibanda?
Before the brand or the product we need to know who the person behind the brand is. And of course to get to know her, we had to find out straight from the horse's mouth, what her definition of herself is. "My name is Omphile Sibanda and I'm from Rustenburg. I'm the only child and I've always been a creative child. I've always wanted to study in art but never really knew what type of artist I was going to become (I just liked drawing a lot). I stumbled upon jewellery design during a varsity visit I did with a friend at the time and I've never looked back since then. I now run my jewellery company under the name Peaccessories and it has always been my dream", those are the words she defines herself by.2. Why did you decide to venture into making jewellery?
In simple terms Omphile is a person who challenges herself, and in the process learns a thing or two about herself. And what she learned about herself is that she could do things that are foreign to her, and that is how she discovered the love for jewellery manufacturing. She further states, "I went into jewellery design & manufacturing because it was completely new to me. I had never seen anything like it before. The process for me was ridiculously fascinating. How you can transform raw materials to elaborate stunning pieces of jewellery. It was as if I needed to go into jewellery to prove it myself that I can in fact make amazing pieces of art. I simply could not believe it!" And this ladies and gentlemen is how Peaccessories came about.
3. Do you make them yourself?
Because of how incredible her work is, one has to stop and wonder. Does she really do it all by herself? We went on and asked. And to our surprise, we find out indeed its all her hard work and determination that mends every material together, to what we see today. And here we were thinking she has tinker fairies doing all the work for, but no she gets her hands dirty and makes every single piece herself. "And I treat each one of them like a masterpiece", those were her exact words. And a Masterpiece, they are!4. What goes into making jewellery?
"Jewellery for me is like any other form of expression. So I use metal as my canvas, just like a painter would. However, the process of making jewellery involves a lot of special techniques, a skill set, a flair for art/creativity and an appreciation for beautifully crafted objects. The skills and techniques can be acquired at a university or college that offers Jewellery design as a course or you can learn from a practicing jewellery designer as an apprentice for a couple of years", she says. There you have it y'all.
5. Who is your inspiration, dead or alive?
Sibanda, draws inspiration from other creatives and she says it keeps her going, to find motivation and inspiration from others. She further states, "I'm currently finding a lot of inspiration from a jewellery brand called AMBUSH. However, it hasn't always been easy for me to really draw inspiration from any other designer(s) because I just simply did not resonate with a lot of their work. I've always used the fashion scene as a source of inspiration for a number of years now. Fashion and jewellery have always informed each other after all."
6. How would you describe your style of jewellery?
Her jewellery screams, street-wear, street-wear, and more street-wear. Which is in our opinion the everyday jewellery, elegant yet out there. Allowing you to do your money moves and day-to-day tasks but looking great. "My jewellery style is street-wear. Although I also take interest in high-end jewellery. I'm still on the journey of learning more about high-end jewellery and perfecting my design as well as manufacturing skills. In the end the plan is to marry the two in an effortless beautiful way", Sibanda says.
7. If your jewellery was edible, what would it taste like?
We had to ask this weird question, because why not? Her work does look edible, so we saw it fitting. Of course she answered with a delicious response. "If my jewellery was edible it would totally taste like any one of my home made sandwiches. A dash of love and artistry infused with a lot of yumminess. And just like my jewellery, you would have to have one specially made for you to know how it tastes like", she explained. Well, there you have it everybody! And we would like our jewellery packaged with Omphile's homemade sandwich please!
8. How would you like to see your brand grow?
"I'd like to see my brand become more of a household name but with a sense of luxury and exclusivity of some sort. I'm still trying to find the balance and to polish the product more."
Omphile's work has scored her a great chance, she was honoured at the De Beers Shining Light awards and having to receive an internship at the Forevermark Design and Innovation Centre.
