Being a one trick pony ain't such a bad thing when that trick is particularly good and completely distinctive. Hope von Joel and Liam Motyer came together with her styling eye and his wood working skills and have steadily been building up their designs for Eye of the World, experimenting in their Peckham workshop with acrylic and wood to come up with statement belt accoutrements that immediately draw the eye directly to the waist. Even with my now-properly-fattened up tum tum (there's not been a single day since the beginning of May during which some form of pork fat has passed through my lips), I wouldn't hesitate in donning an EOTW creation. Neither a belt buckle or a clasp, rather they're objects that float on the body, becoming the centre of attention of any outfit.
Their one sole trick however has just gotten a big upgrade. For their new A/W 12-3 collection, it just got a whole lot more interesting as Liam and Hope have be busy expanding their use of different kinds of woods and different colours of acrylics, cutting up smaller sections, so that the designs are infinitely more intricate. The name "Mayan Collection" is pretty self-explanatory as to where the collection was derived from and knowing that Hope and Liam have travelled extensively, they're unlikely to have picked on the theme in an arbitrary manner. Hope and Liam bought their new collection over to my house for a cup of tea, so that I could marvel at each piece, holding them up to the light (one thing that my apartment isn't short of) to look at the way the different colours glisten against the different shades of wood. The floating belt objects have become bigger, growing into large flat pyramid or semi-spherical centrepieces that require not one but two belt straps to wear on the waist. As for Eye of the World's smaller jigsaw belt pieces that can be mixed and matched on the clear PVC belt, the patterns have become crazier as Liam plays with more diagonal lines, triangular sections and more bits of acrylic embedded against the wood.
Complicating the designs however, has not lessened the finish of every piece. Like I said, holding each piece feels like a warmed up eroded pebble or a really lovely smooth marble in your hand. The smoothness and flush edges feel incredibly satisfying. If I was with Liam in D.T. (design and technology) class at school, I'd be a little green-eyed at his ability to get the final product pitch-perfect.
Eye of the World have also expanded on belts to try and create neckpieces, which had yet to get the final finished fixtures and chains, when I saw them. They're ambitious in size, with their giant U-shaped and slanted hexagonal breastplates that are again designed to draw the eye into their maze-like patterns.
They've taken their one trick and run away with it to the point where you start getting ambitious on their behalf, thoughts that have been with me ever since I saw their studio and workshop back in December. Hope and Liam can certainly take their eye of the world and apply it to other areas, seeing things their way, should they want to.
