Bows are everywhere right now. Courtesy of Tiktok creators and fashion labels like Sandy Liang, Miu Miu and Simone Rocha. Also courtesy of our collective embrace of nostalgic romanticism. They’re girly and lavish, and maybe just a tad ironic, too.
Gold Coast ceramicist Alex Degoey’s first attempts at creating bows came in 2023, for her sister’s wedding. “The initial concept was born when my sister and her husband got engaged last year,” she tells Broadsheet.
“We decided I’d contribute to the ceremony with some custom vases, and naturally I leant into the romanticism and timelessness of the ribbon. However, as with most things I make, the vases took a maximal and playful form, with a classic shape being emphasised with oversized bows.”
Now Degoey is offering ceramic ribbons to the masses with a new collection from her gorgeously odd label Degoey Planet.
Released today, a limited run of ready-made wares centres on plump bows and dreamy colourways with bow cups, bow vases and – Degoey’s favourite – bow-shaped candle holders.
Some pieces are hand-built, some use a combination of slip cast elements and hand-building (and there’s even a special lustre treatment on the cups). Degoey also plans to offer the range on a made-to-order basis, and can customise pieces with special colour and finish requests.
“Bows are definitely having a moment in the fashion world,” Degoey says. “I’ve definitely been embracing the nostalgic, feminine, girly style. It seemed only fitting to fully immerse my love for ribbons [in my work] and include elements of them and embellish the wares I’ve been making with them.”
With her previous collections focusing on motifs as wide-ranging as cowboys, flowers, snakes and extremely phallic Nine Inch vases, Degoey says the new bow wares fit right in.
“Aesthetically I believe they hold a classic twist of playfulness and nostalgia that flows through with the rest of the Degoey Planet universe.”
degoeyplanet.com
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Learn more about Degoey Planet – including glimpses into Alex Degoey’s studio work – with our previous interview.
