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Launching a jewellery brand at the height of the pandemic in 2020 might have seemed very brave for many. For high school graduate Emma Pillemer, it served as “escapism” when a gap year abroad was impossible. Now in her third year as a bonafide designer, Pillemer made her debut at Afterpay Australian Fashion Week overnight with her namesake brand, Emma Pills.
Synonymous with cult costume jewellery and glitzy accessories, Pillemer (in a Saint Laurent catsuit no less) and a cohort of models walked a makeshift runway at the designer’s home in Vaucluse, dripping in pieces from the new Afterparty collection.
“This collection was really inspired by the night, I wanted pieces to still be iconic and colourful however I went back and added different shapes and lots of different crystals within the collection,” Pillemer explained to GRAZIA prior to the event. “As always my colour palettes are full of life this time I wanted to use black through out my pieces with addition of colourful green and blue enamels.
She continued, “I was inspired by the sense of mystery – that feeling when the party is nearly over and instead of going home for the night you make your way to the Afterparty – a sense of excitement, mystery where your night is only halfway done – don’t stop the party”
The week coincided with the designer’s 21st birthday, and let me tell you, (despite the rain that beat down outside) it was one hell of a party.
“My jewellery aesthetic has always been to create designs and pieces to uplift the wearer,” Pillemer added. “I’ve always been obsessed with fun edgy jewellery and so launching my brand during Covid lockdown was a way to create some escapism from the real world for myself and my customers. My jewellery is designed to make the wearer feel uplifted. Emma Pills is the only pill you need for a good time!”
