This model duo is designing jewellery for jewellery haters

Narcissistic is the word models, influencers and twin sisters Cecilie and Amalie Moosgaard use to describe the process of launching a brand. “We keep saying it's been a very narcissistic process,” Cecilie tells me a few days before their jewellery label Lié Studio launches. “Because we have really just sat at the table and told people what we want.”

For them, it’s been an exercise in finding something that is truly right for them and their wardrobes. “If we don’t want to wear it ourselves, we won't make it,” adds Amalie. “And if we love it, we'll make it. So it's extremely narcissistic which is weird but we have to be true to ourselves.”

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But for two people who claim the whole thing is rather self-indulgent, the jewellery line is basically a love letter to their family and friends. Discovering the sentimental nature of jewellery when gifted a piece of their great-grandmother's by their grandfather at the age of six, the pair have named their designs after people who are special to them. “So we have an Elly necklace and the Elly bracelet, which are the name of both of our grandmothers on each side. And then we have Caroline, which is our older sister,” says Amalie. “I'm wearing her earrings right now...” Cecilie trails off, turning her face to present an eye-catching gold architectural earring.

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“When I look at the pieces, I see them. [We created it as a] piece which suits them or a piece we know they would like. I would imagine them wearing it,” adds Cecilie. The collection has 10 designs available in both gold and silver, covering earrings, necklaces, rings and bracelets. Everything is made from recycled brass then plated with 18 karat gold or silver two times over three times over. The designs are statement-making yet also classics and timeless meaning you’ll want to reach for day after day, year after year. “We just wanted to make it easy, and it should be easy to put on the jewellery to give your outfit a more interesting element.”

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They landed on the name Lié Studio, due to the fact it’s the ending of both their names Cecilie and Amalie. It also loosely means intertwined or bound if you translate it from French. “It was a sweet little thought that we were intertwined,” says Amalie. “Yep, We can't escape each other. No we can't. We can't escape,” laughs Cecilie.

The pair are twins, but not sure if they are identical (“They actually aren’t able to tell”), and it’s a fact that often gets a lot of attention. I ask why they think people are so fascinated. “I would love to know,” says Amalie. “I think we also are fascinated by twins. I don't think we see ourselves as twins because we see the difference and we also often when twins walk down the street, we're also obsessed with my like ‘Oh my God, did you see that’."

Having been scouted at 13, the now 22 year olds refer to themselves as “veterans” in the industry. “We've always wanted to create something, we've been a part of the fashion industry for seven years and we've been part of other designer's visions,” explains Cecilie. “So now it’s nice to create something that's your own vision.” Working as models the two talk about how they are often seen as “the product” but now they have a chance to create the products.

Surrounded by clothes, makeup and accessories, the sisters could have gone down any route for their label but instead they decided on jewellery. “I feel like we just missed jewellery as a part of our uniform, we've never really been jewellery people, so this label comes from a desire to find the pieces that work for us,” says Cecilie. “We've designed jewellery for the non-jewellery person,” adds Amalie. “We want it to be a part of your daily uniform. We wanted it to be a part of getting ready. When you put perfume on in the morning you put this jewellery on as well.”

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Uniform dressing is key to the models’ enviable looks. It’s not only sustainable but also a recipe to ensure elevation. Their wardrobe consists of “blue jeans, sweaters, white shirt or white tee and blazers” in all different colours. But while a tee and jeans doesn’t sound complicated and overly glamorous, we discuss how they manage to still make it look polished. “It’s commitment to finding the right pieces and spending that time to figure out what works best for you,” says Cecilie, explaining that they both have secret spots they shop and beloved brands that they turn to. “When you do find that perfect pair of jeans, you wear them until they rip. And then we give them to our grandmother who saws them up, repairs them and then we wear them until they rip again.”

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Hyper-conscious of the need to tread lightly, the models are adequately aware of their platform and role as influences in promoting sustainability, which often means they say no to all those alluring perks. “We're in a fortunate position where we get offered a lot of clothes, a lot of products,” says Cecilie. “And we say ‘No’ to 95 per cent of the things [we get sent]. We say ‘Yes’ to the brands that we love and we wear.”

“But we also know that we are not perfect,” admits Amalie frankly. “It's still the fashion industry and we work as models and we can't say that is always sustainable because we sometimes work for fast fashion clients. And so we have to stay honest about that as well… but we keep learning because we can do way better and we will do way better.”

It’s this idea of “owning less and buying right” that they want to take with them into their own brand which is seasonless and slow moving. “Just as we wear the same jeans with the same sweater until our jeans zip and until our sweater is broken, we want to have this small collection and we want to wear it for eternity.”