Amazon Designer Spotlight: Hunter & Trove

The Amazon Designer Spotlight—an exclusive online fashion series showcasing Canadian designers, hosted by celebrity stylist Brad Goreski—recently returned, featuring new two-minute short films on the Amazon Canada Instagram channel that showed customers each designer’s personal and professional story. We chatted with one of the featured designers, Hunter & Trove, to learn more about the experience for them. —Vita Daily

Hi Yulee! Please tell us a bit about yourself to start.

Hello! I’m Yulee Harris, the designer of Hunter & Trove Jewelry, based in Vancouver. I’ve been a lot of versions of a creative, clothing designer, photographer, graphic designer, and now a jewelry designer. Essentially, a maker of many things. I started my first creative business in my dorm room, with graphic T-shirt designs sold in art galleries and boutiques across town. I began designing jewelry in 2009, letting my hands decide how each piece was going to play out. The reason I create is to share my designs with others. It’s a big part of the joy that the creative process brings me—some useful, beautiful, was-never-here-before piece can now bring joy to another lovely human being. Art to me, makes life sweeter. It’s like a little melody that helps make life sing, and play up its magical side. Something that is beautiful simply because, no other reason needed.

When and why did you launch Hunter & Trove? What niche were/are you aiming to fill?

Hunter & Trove started out as part of a collection of little moments. I’ve always loved collecting things. I could always be found beachcombing for the most interesting stones and shells (treasures) along the shore.  As I grew older, my collector’s gaze turned towards the quirkiest antique shops, finding age-old books with crumbing pages and brass trinkets that I felt must hold so many stories. About 10 years ago I began making jewelry out of these found pieces – sea glass from Vancouver’s shores wrapped in silver, tiny pieces of a broken antique pocket watch mixed with moonstone and gold. I began sharing my work in art galleries and boutiques in Vancouver, and over time the collection transformed and I began sharing my work online. It felt like a bit of magic to have my work worn from Amsterdam all the way to Nunavut. I wanted to create a collection that holds meaning, and jewelry has a special way of doing that. It’s worn close to our skin, and is often given by ones we love, or worn for those we want to remember.

What products do you currently offer, and what makes them unique?

I like to keep my designs simple and minimalist, and let the stone and shape be the focus. My necklaces, earrings, and rings are made of 14K gold-fill, vermeil, and silver, alongside moonstones, pearls and every other shimmery stone I can find. I take a lot of time and care when I wrap each piece—I like to think it’s a gift that will be unwrapped, and I want the recipient to feel the intention and care. I haven’t strayed far from that little girl at the beach searching for the most perfect stone, and marveling at what the earth has created.

 You were showcased in this year’s Amazon Designer spotlight; how did this come about, and what did it mean for you?

Over the past while I’ve also wanted to share not only my work itself, but more of my own story, inspirations, and the “whys” that influence what I create and its meaning. It felt like a perfect alignment when Hunter & Trove was chosen to be a part of this year’s Designer spotlight series. There are so many artists creating beautiful work. Amazon has featured such striking designers over the Designer Spotlight series with such a beautiful diversity in their stories and pieces.  I’ve always loved seeing the person behind the creations, and the imagination that created the vision for their pieces. My hope is that these designer stories resonate with Canadians.

Paired with your participation, you were given $25,000 through the Amazon-powered give-back-grant as an opportunity to pay it forward to Canada’s fashion community. Who have you selected to receive the grant, and why?

There is a beauty to mentorship, to guidance, and to having a steady hand to hold while exploring your creativity. Vancouver Community College provides this mentorship to their students in the Jewelry program. I love that this $25,000 endowment scholarship program at VCC will support the talented jewelry students at VCC. My hope is that it will encourage students to continue pursuing creativity, beauty, and personal expression through design.

What is next for your brand, and why?

Creatively, I have many ideas for new designs I want to share, but the biggest next step is to share more of myself with my community. To pull back the curtain of Hunter & Trove, so I can share my process, meaning, aspirations, and stories.
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