‘I think accessories can be timeless, there’s a more personal connection than with clothes. Wear is not dictated by your age or size; a bag or ring can be fondly remembered and resurrected years later. Accessories are journey objects with heirloom qualities.’

Insight like this might come from someone who has seen many decades go by, experienced the handing down of a significant piece or watched as a younger generation experienced the same joy as the elder when presented with such special wares, but Emma Luke is a young woman with an old heart and a passion for creating things that stand the test of time.

Founded in 2007 by Emma and textile designer Leah Gregory, Mecurialist was the result of a desire to create products with longevity; products that grow better with age and use.  Over many glasses of red wine and late nights at a cocktail bar in Fitzroy, the idea grew to a brand that epitomised Melbourne’s creative energy and Emma’s vision.

Named for the physicians that use mercury to cure ailments, Emma explains the idea behind the labels name. ‘We liked the irony in that mercury is poisonous. The processes used in treating the leathers and metals are quite alchemic so it suited the ethos of what we are doing.’

Leathers and metals are the materials of choice for the designers, sourced locally where possible and designed and hand made in Melbourne.  A recent trip to a military warehouse to source materials for the upcoming Autumn/Winter 11 season unearthed surplus antique equipment. ‘Desert tans, distressed browns, aged metals. It was fascinating and a big inspiration’ she says.

Emma grew up in a creative environment and it is no surprise she is as talented as she is today. Both her parents are graphic designers and Emma, together with brother Thom (who is also involved with the label) enjoyed a childhood filled with drawing and making things, ‘We didn’t have a TV so we grew up entertaining ourselves,’ Emma says. ‘It was pretty quirky. Our home was a pub turned house and design studio from the 1980s.’ Emma went on to study Industrial Design at Swinburne and Jewellery (silver smithing) at NMIT before starting her label.

These days Emma enjoys her life in Melbourne, where Fitzroy owns a special place in her heart because of its significance (being the labels ancestral home). Travelling the world allows her to find inspiration from the four corners – Japanese street fashion being a highlight and unearthing forgotten relics in antique and junk stores. Even when on holidays, Emma finds time to reflect and be inspired; Mt Hotham’s Dinner Plain is her favourite destination. ‘The bush is ancient, silent, exquisite.’

Emma’s personal style includes a lot of black and grey – the Melbourne uniform – which she describes as ‘Apocalypse ready to wear’, and lists Claude Maus and Disce Mori (by Julia DeVille) as her favourite Australian labels.

The Mecurialist range of bags and jewellery continues to go from strength to strength. From the first collection for Penthouse Mouse in 2007, put together in two short weeks, Emma visualises a retail space and design studio in Melbourne in the future, complete with custom making facilities and the ability to employ local talent. ‘We’d love to try and preserve some of those amazing skills which are rapidly disappearing in Australia,’ she says.

Mecurialist truly represents Emma’s philosophy for timeless pieces – purveyors of personal effects being an appropriate brand line for a label that creates accessories you will want to use over and over again, and then pass onto your children and grandchildren. I ask Emma what she is most proud of in her career thus far, and she tells me with gusto that it’s being a self-employed designer. I can’t help but agree. She should not only be proud of what she has achieved, but also of what the label represents – a focus on creating heirloom products rather than the typical fast fashion of today’s designer.

Finally, Emma tells a story about a piece of jewellery; ‘I lost the prototype for the single deco pendant on New Year’s Eve. After looking for it all night, I eventually gave up and assumed it was lost forever. Three days later one of my friends found it flattened on the road, after it had been run over multiple times. I repaired it and it ended up being in one of our first magazine shoots.’

It’s hard to miss the serendipity between Emma’s finding the pendant and the labels ideals.

‘I love that objects sometimes seem to have a mind of their own and mysteriously find their way back to you’.

To find out more about the range, visit http://mecurialist.blogspot.com.