Meet Vicky
Hello there…
I started out making things so young that I can’t remember wanting to do anything else. My role model was my Gran who was still taking leather work and water colour classes into her eighties. She was incredibly talented and had started training as a tailor. When war broke out she became a telephonist to help the war effort. Family life intervened and she never went back but she never stopped making. I think I felt that she had missed a chance to spend her life doing something she loved and I had a sense that the risk of a creative career was better than not knowing if I could have made it work.
I studied fashion design and went on to work for small British accessory label Emmy London for many years. When I started I was the only member of staff in a small top floor studio in North London, when I left I was a member of a growing team, the brand had a boutique in Chelsea and an A-list clientele. Helping Emmy’s business grow taught me so much that has proved invaluable.
I started making jewellery at a very tough point in my life, and I really believe that I have Promises Promises to thank for pulling me through that time. Making something beautiful with my hands, that other people also found a connection with, was, and still is, a magical thing for me. I decided that this was what I wanted to do with my life and started an evening course in Silversmithing at an adult community college.
The name Promises Promises is a reference to how I used to talk a lot about wanting to make my own work but never quite got round to it. It’s nice that it can now refer to a promise I kept to myself. In the end it was as simple as not giving up. My journey with Promises Promises has been about building my confidence as much as my skill. I have the love of making to thank to that, I couldn’t not, I needed it.
I hope that when you wear my pieces you will feel as inspired and creative in front of the mirror as I felt in front of the bench, then I’ll know I’ve succeeded.