Alumni launch Studio Maçon

Hannah and Alex met during their first week of RISD in 2007.  After college, their closeness – despite gaps in distance and time – never waned. They found their way back to each other and pursued their dream of starting a design studio. Together they moved to Paris in 2018 for Hannah to complete a Masters program in Accessories Design at Institut Français de la Mode before relocating to Brooklyn to work for Marc Jacobs in 2021. They married in September 2023 and started Maçon soon after.

Both their studio and their union were born out of their desire to live and create as one. Creative consultant and writer Devin O’Neill summarizes what Maçon is all about: "In the age of the digital, we love handmade physical objects. We love when something bears the marks of human touch and craft. It’s evidence that we still like to use culture to connect to one another – it’s not just about having content to consume. It’s about one person giving something to another. Two friends of mine just got married, and just launched a design studio together, and they make handmade objects; jewelry and little keep-able statues (and more things soon). Alex’s work is infused with a Miyazaki-like sense of whimsy and grace but it feels eternal. Hannah has a totally unique perspective on jewelry manufacture informed by her time in Africa, her work with Marc Jacobs, and her obsession with the feeling of what makes an object significant. She talks frequently about the feeling of finding that special rock on the playground when we were kids. This is that same energy. I had the privilege of attending their open studio and seeing all these things they’re making, in person. They’re so heavy, so pleasurable to hold, and they seem ripe with infused lore."

All Maçon pieces begin as a sketched collaboration between Hannah and Alex; she then coaxes them into three-dimensional life while Alex creates the two dimensional (branding, photography, layout) world they inhabit. Hannah carves each original design by hand in wax before they are cast by a local foundry in bronze, silver or gold via the lost wax method. Finally, each piece is polished and refined by Hannah in their California studio. In addition to their collection, Alex and Hannah work closely with private clients to design and create custom heirloom pieces.

Maçon will be participating in RISD Craft on June 1, 2024.