the nogoodforme.com interview: Joanna Petrone of Ach Ach Liebling

Joanna Petrone borrowed her jewelry line's name from a Stereo Total song, a few sweet deutsch syllables meaning "Oh Oh Darling." And Ach Ach Liebling's necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and cuffs truly are so darling - but they've sort of got a dark edge too: Along with the deer-boys and kitten-faced foxes displayed in Joanna's necklaces, there's some less cuddly stuff like dead birds and guns and, um, whales under siege. But somehow it's all equally, wildly charming, and we're very fond of the signature pieces featuring vintage-illustration-printed pendants strung from delicate brass chains (as in that lovely little seagull necklace below). Also, we can't get over the bad-ass-ness of Joanna as shown here in her leather apron and goggles - and please note that fine collection of bourbon, vodka, and assorted other hootch in the background.

Tell us all about how you started Ach Ach Liebling. It started in 2006, somewhat by accident. I had just come away from an office job where I was not happy. I didn't exactly know what to do with myself. I wanted to focus on writing, but no one wanted to pay me for that.
Jewelry-making was my hobby - the small-scale of it was well-suited to my itty-bitty apartment - but I noticed that, over time, I'd been putting more and more time and thought into it. After amassing more finished projects than I knew what to do with, on the encouragement of friends, I started to think about selling jewelry. I wasn't thinking about it in terms of grand life plans, but I wanted the things I made to go to use instead of sitting around and gathering dust. The thought of earning a little pin money appealed to me, too.
I live down the block from some great independent boutiques: Breezy from Needles and Pens and Jenny from the Candy-Store encouraged me a lot. It's hard to overstate their generosity or its effect. I was fortunate to be able to benefit from their experience; I could stop in to ask questions or get an opinion. They gave me pointers, critiqued my work, and provided the feedback I needed. Getting to know them and meeting other women like them in the fashion/craft/retail industries was an eye-opening experience for me. I was only a year out of Stanford, where my major was English. I'd not had much previous exposure to the trade, and jewelry and business had never been on my radar, careerwise. But the last job I'd had, the one my education had prepared me so meticulously for, had been such a bust. Then when I met all these smart, hip, independent women with their own stores or design companies or soap businesses or whatever, it was like a light had gone on. I all of a sudden had a new model for how to support myself by working creatively. I like hard work and I like using my brain, so the challenge appealed to me. I was like, "I could do that, too," and then I just decided, "I am going to make this happen."

What was your original vision for your label? I didn't even have a name for my company until the night before the application for my first craft fair was due, so to say I had an "original vision" for it would be a stretch. As for developing a kind of brand aesthetic, though, that's something I've never really worried about. I definitely have tendencies: My work doesn't usually feature gems or much wire work; I use a lot of non-precious materials and like to incorporate objects from other industries; most of the jewelry I make is thematic, either belonging to or containing a set of related images, objects, or symbols; and there are certain motifs I returns to (boats and animals and railroads, for instance). I don't try to force that stuff in there. That's just me - my style, my interests. I can't really help that certain aspects of myself leak out into my work. I feel like it's kind of futile for designers or artists or writers to point to a style and go, "I want to make stuff like that." That's just infatuation. And, just like you learned from afterschool specials, if you change who you are to win over your crush, you just look like a fool in the end.
I think people are who they are - you don't get to choose and that's something that will always catch up to you. Fighting your instincts, trying to make things that go against your natural inclinations - that's uphill work.

Who are your favorite designers? Nooworks makes my favorite sweats and tees. Secrets of Charm makes very attractive dresses. In jewelry, Naughty Secretary Club and Erica Weiner Jewelry are both funky, witty lines. The designers, Jennifer Perkins and Erica Weiner, have been very successful selling quirky hand-made jewelry at reasonable prices and making a living. They're kind of my role models in that way.

Who are your style idols? Amelia Bloomer, Radclyffe Hall and Una Troubridge, Montgomery Clift, Petra Von Kant, Johnny Cash, Marianne Faithfull, Pam Grier, Marlene Dietrich, The Switchblade Sisters, Carol from Patricia Highsmith's The Price of Salt, all of Joan Didion's heroines (but especially Inez).

Whose closet would you most like to raid? It would be cool to have a time machine that could take me to Edith Head's costume shop. I'd play dress-up there!

What's your favorite clothing item lately? Jeans and a good bra. I'm also a big fan of my leather shop apron. It's really good at protecting me from fire and acid!

What have you been listening to lately? PJ Harvey, Cat Power, The Magnetic Fields, Yo La Tengo, The Smiths, The Go-Betweens, stellastar*, Nick Cave, Stereo Total, Kathleen Hanna, Tracy + The Plastics, Joseph Childress, Joanna Newsom.

Who are your all-time favorite bands? Pet Shop Boys, The Knife

Name one record you loved as a little kid that you still listen to today. Really, I'm still listening to most of what I listened to as a kid. My dad is really into music, so there was always good stuff playing. The Talking Heads was my first concert, I think. I was five-ish.

Favorite makeout music? "Fuck the Pain Away" by Peaches

Who's your number-one all-time music crush? PJ Harvey

What's your favorite place to clothes-shop? My favorite store right now is Miette in San Francisco, but it's not an apparel shop. They sell candy. Sweet, sweet candy. I smile every time I go in.

What do you listen to when working on your designs? For a while, I watched nothing but Buffy the Vampire Slayer - episode after episode, over and over, on loop. Now I mostly listen to a lot of public radio.

What advice do you have for boys/girls looking to start their own label? Be brave. Get out in the world and talk to people. Don't be afraid to reach out to those who are more experienced than you. Be critical of the culture you participate in. Be honest and forthright and set your own standards. Don't say recycled when you really mean vintage.

What's your favorite thing about running Ach Ach Liebling? The diversity of the people I interact with regularly is one of the best parts about my work. Since I run all aspects of the business, I talk to everyone from retailers to suppliers to tool- and dye-makers to other jewelers to people from every trade I have passing contact with to my customers. I meet people from all walks of life, and that's a really special experience.

What are the biggest inspirations for your work? Usually, whatever movie or book or nerdy interest has me gripped at the moment will prompt some new ideas. But ideas are really the easy part. It's researching materials and engineering a wearable object, making prototypes and perfecting them that's the challenge. Then you get to make it over and over and over and over again. I wouldn't keep doing it if it weren't for the women and men who wear my jewelry and look totally fierce and imbue each piece with their own style and personality whenever they put one on. It's the best feeling when someone tells you they like something you labored over. I want to make things that make people delighted - that's my inspiration.

Posted by Liz in Interviews
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