Nicole Whisenhunt: Sparkling gem

MANILA, Philippines - Accessories designer Nicole Whisenhunt works with these tools: instinct and passion.

And though the inclination to create was in her since childhood, she now finds herself pleasantly surprised that she is in the design industry. Nicole shares, “I have always been into crafts. When I was very young, my mom had semi-precious stones, which I put together.”

It was not, however, until just recently that she decided to devote all her time to designing accessories. After a brief sabbatical, she once again found herself immersed in creating extremely intricate and delicate neckpieces that soon found their way to the pages of internationally renowned publications like Women’s Wear Daily, Elle and InStyle.

She explains, “One of the biggest milestones in my career as a designer was when we had a press conference in New York, which opened so many doors for my brand to be known by an international clientele.” Celebrity stylists in the US and other familiar faces from the New York scene like the Kardashian sisters and high society figure Tinsel Mortimer has already been spotted wearing Nicole’s opulent creations.

At present, she is also busy meeting orders from clients from various parts of the world like Singapore, Korea and Spain. Essentially elegant and sophisticated, Nicole’s pieces are a constant reflection of her personal taste and style preference. She observes, “My primary influences are driven by my own style and tastes. It is very instinctive.” From her art deco-inspired collection for Spring/Summer 2011 to her current work in progress for Fall/Winter, Nicole insists on offering to her clientele pieces of high quality and excellent workmanship. “There are many talented designers coming up and you have to make the experience of owning your pieces enjoyable for your clients. People will always come back to you if you can offer quality, good service, reliability and professionalism.”

And while certainly Nicole’s foray into accessories design has taken her to great heights, the work she does is a continuous learning process. “Every idea that I have, I need to figure out a way to make it work. I never stop learning. In this craft, there is a lot of trial and error involved but the good thing is that you sometimes surprise yourself. What I had sketched may not necessarily materialize that way I first envisioned it. I never give up on an idea until it works.”

Despite the long hours her work entails — beading neckpieces, checking on the production and meeting deadlines — Nicole insists that the end product makes all the hard work worth it. The young and talented designer shares, “It’s so fulfilling to see your idea materialized into something beautiful. It feels exhilarating.”