PARTS by Heather: How it All Began

Unique Jewelry Design from Vancouver

Feb 9, 2009 Andrea Beca

A spotlight on PARTS by Heather, a one-of-a-kind and custom jewelry line, created and run by designer Heather Mandin.

Since starting her own line just over two years ago, Heather Mandin has had great success as an independent designer. She has started up a website, has had her jewelry for sale at 8 different retails locations in North American, and she’s even designed a custom piece for actress Linda Hamilton. Now her gorgeous, one-of-a-kind jewelry is on its way to New York’s fashion week with a Vancouver style representative; it’s only up from here. Suite101 caught up with Heather Mandin, the founder, designer, and director of the one-woman show that is PARTS by Heather.

Suite101: How and why did you start PARTS by Heather?

Heather Mandin: I had dedicated all my working life to using art to connect people in need to the resources they lacked, be it as simple as strength to get out of a bad situation or as complex as adjusting to a new community. Working with iHuman in Edmonton changed me: it was the first time I worked for a space that used art literally for life – helping to take kids off the street, teach them to believe in themselves and turn their lives around. After working with street kids and then immigrant families, after curating provocative art shows and showcasing radio documentaries about the life of a street kid, I felt ready to do something artistic that was just for me.

I had been playing around with jewelry as a medium and just doing it for fun until people starting noticing and requesting designs. At this point I was ready to leave Edmonton and chose Vancouver’s vibrant independent art scene as the place to launch my own jewelry line. I truly threw myself into it with the only knowledge that I wanted to create designs that would make a woman feel stunning and sexy and confident.

Suite101: Where do you get the inspiration for your pieces?

Heather Mandin: I am inspired greatly by wabi sabi (the imperfections found in nature). I see the beauty in imperfection: the unevenness of a rock’s surface, the asymmetrical beauty of a flower losing its petals, the enchanting juxtaposition of different shaped shards on a beach.

Suite101: What makes PARTS different from other jewelry?

Heather Mandin: No two women have the identical curve of a lobe, size wrist, angle of neck, shape of collarbone, shade of skin. No two women have the same parts - this was my inspiration and as a result, no two of my designs are exactly the same. All of the materials are hand selected or inherited from a close friend of my grandmother’s who was also a designer. Her partner travelled the world and collected antique components at each stop for her to add to her designs. I feel like the design legacy and the untold story behind each piece lends a magical quality to the designs.

The way in which I mix materials and structure the design concept sets PARTS aside from other jewelry. I'm not afraid of strange pairings and experimenting with new mediums. PARTS by Heather is also eco-friendly right down to the printing - I used many salvaged and reworked materials right down to pieces of wire. On top of everything, I hand design every single piece myself.

The beauty of PARTS speaks for itself. PARTS by Heather is available online – check the website for retail locations and studio information. Learn more about PARTS in the second half of Suite101's interview with Heather.

The copyright of the article PARTS by Heather: How it All Began in Jewelry is owned by Andrea Beca. Permission to republish PARTS by Heather: How it All Began in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Paragon, PARTS by Heather