Episode six: interview with Marion Labbez

 Welcome back the Mr Jones design podcast!

This week we sit down with Marion Labbez, designer of the watches Nuage, The Ascendent, Chinoiserie and Ka. We discuss everything from Marion’s career, how she ended up designing for Mr Jones Watches and why she enjoys working with gold and silver. 

With a unique career, Marion creates surfaces by gilding with gold and silver on glass, the technique is called Verre Églomisé. 

Marion explains how she began working for Mr Jones Watches as a print technician alongside having her own studio making and selling gilded hand-crafted glass surfaces.

Crispin (Mr Jones Watches director and founder) was interested in making a watch using Marion’s method of work. Chinoiserie was then created as a result of wanting to use Marion’s technique in a design, and combining different textures. 

With an interesting background, Marion discusses her training as a textile designer in France and her past experience in printmaking.

Originally interested in wallpaper and textiles, when Marion came to London she found her unique creative style when working for a surface design studio.

This studio is where Marion learnt how to create different textures on various surfaces using gold and silver.

Marion discusses her favourite projects to work on, sharing that she prefers a series of pieces rather than individual works because they have a bigger impact on a space.

Marion tells us how she found the difference from working on huge panels to designing watches. Marion explains her design process and the importance of trial and error when designing a watch, creating samples of various ideas help to see what works visually.

Marion tells us her inspiration for her watch series, embodying all the natural elements - fire, earth, water and air. Marion’s designs were made to be an abstract representation of each element.

Marion speaks about her inspiration, telling us she creativity influenced by everything she enjoys, such as going out and travelling.

Growing up in France, Marion explains how her life in Paris and studying in Léon influenced her work culturally by having visited lots of museums and different buildings.

Marion speaks about how she nearly went into a different career in print design for fashion or art history but loves her work because she gets to do different things every day and have the freedom to be creative independently. 

You can find Marion’s work on her website and Instagram. 

Have any questions for Marion or any of the other artists that we work with? Please leave them below. 

Next week we are interviewing Kristof Devos, designer of A perfectly useless morning and A perfectly useless afternoon.