Brutal Beauty: Von Kottwitz
Posted On July 1, 2010
by Colleen Nika
Jewelry designer Nina Stotler describes herself as a Brutalist, an unusual identifier that refers to the hardcore, unsentimental movement in mid-century modern architecture. Noted for its mesmerizing use of blocky, roughly hewn (usually concrete) components, its buildings are severe, geometric, and angular–it befits the genre’s adopted name. Brutalism also reveled in exposing the transparency of purpose: instead of disguising the internal processes of a building, it delineated them for public viewing. Not quite a glass house, maybe, but not far off. Stotler’s industrialist aesthetic for her jewelry line Von Kottwitz fits the bill well: “I like how the hard lines of hardware nuts can mimic the “building block” structure of some Brutalist buildings,” Stotler says. Her weighty but meticulous designs, mainly chain-linked, nutted and bolted necklaces and bracelets comprised of nickel and brass, reveal the tension between raw materials paired with calculated utility.
When you consider Stotler’s dynamic background, it isn’t surprising she espouses such a directional vantage point in her field. With ice blond hair and glacial blue eyes, she can’t help but emanate a Teutonic vibe and has cultivated a design sensibility analogous to those geographical origins. “My mother was born in Berlin, and I spent a lot of time there growing up,” she says. “I discovered the beauty of the local architecture at a very young age.” She’s referring to the battered elegance of the surviving architecture of post-Cold War Berlin. Within that urban decay, she saw a vision of beauty. It never left her.
After graduating Sarah Lawrence College (with a focus on sculpture), Stotler entered the creative realm–not as a designer just yet, but as a trendsetter for Peclers Paris and an editor at Anthem magazine. But by 2004, she was ready to not only curate, but to create. She founded Von Kottwitz, a collection founded upon primarily Teutonic design principles, particularly those stemming from the Bauhaus period.
Now Stotler balances her growingly successful creative career with a day job as an editor at Stylesight, a profession which affords her the opportunity to travel to all corners of the globe with enviable frequency. That nomadic lifestyle has led her to view design from a multitude of contexts other New York artisans may not be able to enjoy. She also can evaluate it’s pressurized climate more accurately than most.
“This is New York,” she says wisely. “If you decide to live here, and work here, you better be making money.” She contrasts this harsh reality with the more fiscally feasible climate of over creative cities. “In Berlin, you can live so cheaply and still live well. It’s totally possible to not be a starving artist.” But Stotler is up for the challenge. She will remain in NYC, despite her qualms. “It still can be creative in NYC. I love going to galleries. You can’t beat the proximity we enjoy here.”
A Williamsburg resident for eight years, Stotler has roots here–and so do her designs, which are a hit with the Euro-minded downtown fashion crowd. Stotler is a terrific ambassador for her designs: her arctic good looks lend themselves well to her chilly wardrobe palette–mainly greys and enamels–which in turn prove ideal for her statement jewelry. “I think the grey color palette of concrete in Brutalist architecture is something I consider when choosing my materials as well as way some of my materials weather and gain character over time,” Stotler muses. She alters her bags–the one she carries right now is black, minimal, and vintage–with her own hardware. However, she currently has no plans to expand into leather accessories, despite the obvious appeal of the prospect.
“Right now, I really want to refine my aesthetic in jewelry design, perhaps make it more feminine. Not in a Rick Owens sense–he calls himself a Brutalist, but he’s really quite a bit softer than I am,” she observes, clearly opinionated on the nuances of this quite obscure corner of the aesthetic map. Stotler may never be one to espouse traditional ideals of femininity, but obviously her designs have found an audience. Her personal order quotas increase every month.
“It’s getting hard,” she admits. “I do this all myself. I make everything by hand, so it’s a process. It’s getting to the point where I may have to incorporate production into my process as I am filling larger and larger orders. It’s a lot to handle alone.” She says it with a smile, though.
Though she’s wisely cautious, she’s not counting out all expansionist plans. “I did a film already,” she says, referring to the Meridian film, a concept piece that accompanied her Fall 2010 collection premiere in February. It’s a portrait of a woman’s intimacy with jewelry, a celebration of decoration, ritual, and the creation of personal totems. Though Von Kottwitz might be conceived to be stark, cold, and utilitarian, on the wearer’s hands (or neck), Stotler’s vision can reverberate with a humane individualism. “By using vintage footage of my mother adoringly filmed by my father intercut with new images of a modern, intimate ‘boyfriend experience,’ I sought to show the way jewelry can become a very personal element between a woman and her lover, as both the last thing she puts on when going to meet him and the final thing she takes off in private.” Stotlers explains.
After all, what is art–even brutalist art–without emotion?
