WORDS: Remy Raitt
Amber Jones isn’t just another well-dressed South African woman. She’s a talented trend spotter who contributed to one of South Africa’s most innovative commercial blogs, Mr Price’s “In the Loop”.
Her personal blog, THUNDERINOURHEARTS, takes a fresh look at fashion and beautiful objects that educate and inspire. The stunning photos and quirky captions are addictive – once you’ve had a browse through, you’ll find yourself going back for another and yet another fix.
VISI spoke to Amber to find out more about her life and views on being a creative in our country.
Can you start out by telling us a bit about yourself?
I’m a fashion and design obsessive. Magazines are my hiding place – even the way they smell excites me. I spend far too much time on the internet. Blogs are like visual crack to me. And rusks with raisins are far too important at the moment – it’s quite concerning. I studied fashion design at Linea Academy and thereafter worked for Mr Price for almost five years.
At a recent talk, Dion Chang recognised the Mr Price blog as one of South Africa’s most forward-thinking blogs. What are the ingredients of a successful blog?
Editing is essential. There’s so much information constantly available now and knowing where to go to find something that appeals to your personal aesthetic sense is very important. Fresh content is key and a sense of humour goes a long way.
Your personal blog is gorgeous! When did you start it and why?
I’ve been trialing it incognito for about a month, trying to weed out any interweb glitches. I started THUNDERINOURHEARTS as a kind of visual diary to attempt to file away and order some of the millions of things racing around in my mind all day long.
Where do you find your inspiration for the blog?
Inspiration is something I feel really lucky that I’m never short of… Colour, pattern, people, books, talent, music, conversation, travel. I’ve also been incredibly fortunate being in such a creative environment with über-talented people for the last five years, where the inspiration is endless.
Why do you think blogs are important mediums of communication?
They’re immediate. I think we sometimes underestimate how important that is now. They’re the ultimate in freedom of speech. Whether it’s a good idea or not, whether you have something relevant to say or not, everyone has a platform.
Where do you see South African fashion in relation to the international scene?
The talent within our borders is astounding. I think we need to work hard at keeping our standards high and our ideas fresh. The sky is the limit.
Why are South African creatives blessed?
We value being unique.
What are some of the challenges South African creatives face?
Money does make the world go round. First-world countries probably do enjoy more lucrative creative opportunities than we do, but I also think that hard work and tenacity always pay off. Making excuses gets you nowhere. We need to focus on the good.
We’ve heard you’re working with creative guru Neville Trickett (the creative brain behind Mr Price and founding partner of Saint Verde) at the moment. Tell us more…
I’m doing quite a few things with Neville: styling, providing creative and trend direction and input for shoots and digital-media platforms, and working on a few new local fashion projects.
I’m having a really awesome time. Neville is possibly one of the most talented creatives I’ve ever met. It’s like sticking your finger in a socket working with him. There’s lots on the go at the moment. I’m just trying to keep up.
What plans do you have for 2011?
Learn to speed read. Make significant strides towards my dreams, and maybe even tick a few off the list. Laugh more. Stop eating so many rusks.
