For Octi, jewellery is a way to capture and preserve the fleeting patterns and textures of our natural world. In their SS26 collection, human response to nature is also encoded into their presentation, through a sensory and immersive transformation of the basement of 180 The Strand into distinct terrains. 

The first terrain references the UK’s Jurassic Coast, the location from which this collection has carefully selected a variety of rocks, and cast them into precious metals to make rings, chains, pendants and earrings. Among reflective metal sheets and rock formations, a model is fascinated with a metal Octi ring which is as large as the rock pools from which it takes its pattern. Around the model, unique wire sculptures are studded with jewellery and oversized ears made of stone. 

Moving through the room, I come to a raised platform that is lush with plants and greenery, and where moss grows on rocks in a pattern that is found throughout the collection. Leaves sway softly and I’m compelled forward, yearning to feel that gentle breeze. A model sits in the centre of the platform; a poster of serenity. A fresh dampness, as seen by the inhabitant’s glowing skin, speaks to the fluid patterns and movement of jewellery. I’m reminded of the tactile appeal of running a necklace’s cold chain through my fingers.

In the last terrain a model uses her feet to swirl sand in the Octi pattern. Deconstructed rocks float statically from the ceiling. Frozen in time, in the same way this collection freezes nature in time. 

These three terrains rocky, green, and desert are made into a miniature set, atop which this collection’s jewellery is finally showcased.

Words By: Carolina Fernandez
Images Courtesy: B. The Agency