Saturday 17 April 2010

Amber and Her Flash Trash

I get to meet loads of extremely talented and successful people through wielding my camera, but never have I met someone so young and accomplished as Miss Amber Atherton (she is 19) who I met up with last week at Albion Caff in Shoreditch. Over orange juice (her) and latte (me) we talked about her modelling career (she is signed with Premier Model Management but has been modelling since she was littlie), her studies (she is in her first year of a three year Fashion Management degree at London College of fashion), her role as Style Editor at Beyond Black Magazine, her recent stint interning at Hermes and her upcoming internship with Vogue UK in the fashion features department. Oh yes, and then there is the possibility of some tv presenting, and her successful online jewellery boutique: My Flash Trash. Phew! You exhausted yet?

The daughter of an airline executive (her dad) and an entrepreneur (her mama), Hong-Kong born Amber started her boutique while she was still at boarding school, buying and selling pieces of jewellery she had sourced from around the world. In 2008 she established My Flash Trash which sells unique, handmade jewellery which Amber hunts down on her travels and through countless hours spent on the internet. She brought along two of her favourite pieces for our little catch-up: the pretty perspex pink and orange necklace (above) from Lua Lua, and the vertebrado necklace from Spanish designer, Ines Susaeta (bottom collage on top of the novel by E.M Forster, currently her favourite author). Whoops, and the pretty bangles are from Heirs & Graces (bottom collage top right).
Amber loves jewellery, as you would expect, and adores a good handbag and shoe: Chanel and Christian Louboutin being key words here! She mixes those investment pieces with vintage and high street buys. I was salivating over her Chanel tote when Amber informed me that she also had a beloved black 2.55 which got stolen recently. She was remarkably okay about it...... I would still be utterly miserable (particularly as I like to cart my whole life around in my handbag).

Amber is incredibly articulate and focused but also very, very sweet and funny. It is impossible not to like her and I just know that she is destined for success in whatever path she chooses. Plus she took me to Shoreditch House after coffee so she gets an extra scooby snack from me :)

Love, love, love that Yves Saint Laurent purse:

32 comments:

  1. She's so beautiful! Love the YSL everything!

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  2. Love her, especially love her necklace, it doesn't even look like it's real...

    tweet tweet tweet

    x

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  3. You are an incredible portraitist! Your work is visually stunning. I am running out of compliments to give to you!

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  4. wow, vanessa these photos are your commentary on her are seriously gorgeous. she sounds like a serious go-getter. it's always so encouraging to hear about people who are passionate and go after their dreams. my favourite photo of her is the one in the bottom right of the big collage. so sweet. love this post. am going to check out her shop now! xx

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  5. wow, what an amazing career at so young age already! unbelievable but true! wishing her all the best for her future! beautiful images as always, hehe! ;) loving the details! dearest greets!

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  6. She is gorgeous and so young and successful too, I have to admitt I am rather jealous!

    That's great you are coming to Australia for RAFW, I will be working there and I'm so excited, it gets bigger and better every year.

    Shame about the 23 hour plane trip but an upgrade can make all the difference!

    Lucy Laucht: Daily style & inspiration

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  7. Seriously. The people you get to hang with are like far too cool.
    And pretty! And busy in a good way! And lovely! (The last point came out looking too much like something out of a Pancake Parlour menu...just have to add my little superfluous bits of Australiana...I can't help it)
    I am utterly speechless with envy.
    I am adoring the super happy perspex necklace and the YSL purse.

    x

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  8. she looks really georgeus!
    Yaryy.

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  9. I'm pretty certain that necklace is from H&M. I have an identical one and I bought it there.

    Otherwise very lovely pictures, and I love the nude top and the cape.

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  10. Always a great idea to showcase hard working women. love the last picture best with the mini pics. x

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  11. Lovely post, what a delightful girl !

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  12. again, not only your fantastic pictures but also what your writing is so beautiful. i rarely read blogs (only look at pictures), but yours is truly interesting.

    wish i would have been so self-confident and focused at amber's age. she is a stunner.

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  13. Cute necklace, I like its style. She looks gorgeous with it.

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  14. I love accomplished women. They are beautiful. And Amber does really radiate from your photos :) Good job there Vanessa

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  15. Ooo thanks everyone! It is so exciting getting to take portraits of people- it is absolutely what I love to do the most. And I get to spend time chatting with people as well which is awesome.

    @TheBeautyFile- me too! I have a little Anya Hindmarch silver loose pocket purse which I love but I kind of wish I had this one instead.

    @Clare- She is so cute in real life (lots of lovely tiny freckles!) And her necklace was really beautiful- it just worked so well with her cream top.

    @PD- Thank you Ms PD!!! Are you back from Japan yet?

    @the Style Crusader- hey Jen, you are so lovely, thank you! Has your camera arrived yet from the US??? Perhaps not with the current flight situation :( And yep, Amber is a serious go-getter but not in an obvious way. She has just worked really hard to get to where she is now. I think I read an article saying that she started her first business at 11!!! Helllooooooo I think I was still playing with dolls at 11....mmmmm perhaps that is a bit weird to admit :)

    @Some Style, @Daisy, @adorngirl- hopefully Amber will see this post and all the lovely encouragement you guys are giving her! I know she will be really happy :)

    @KohCo- ha ha! Pancake Manor! I used to go to the one in Brisbane near uni- the short stack with whipped butter and loads of maple syrup was my fav :) Gosh I didn't even know they were still in business. And I have just realised that you are talking abou the Pancake Palour....is that the same as the Pancake Manor? Anyway, glad you like Amber's style Kohco! I could see this necklace selling in Australia? yes, yes?

    @Yary and Sary- I think so too Yaryy :)

    @Nigerian Woman in Norway- how bizarre! I know that it is definitely by a designer (Lua Lua) who sells her jewellery in London.....hmmmm maybe she was commissioned to design for H&M? Still, I saw the Lara Bohinc bracelet that I bought in just about every high street store about 6 months after my purchase!

    @Kazuko- thanks so much Kazuko. That is super encouraging to hear! I don't want to bore people to tears with my ramblings so just tell me if it gets too much :) Yeah, I was not confident about doing stuff at her age either....I do think though that some people are just born with an entrepreneurial streak. Like those kids you hear about who sell stuff at primary school (nothing naughty of course!)and then go onto to be multi-millionaires....I was not like that at all, sadly!

    @gih- glad you like gih :)

    @Mel- thanks so much Mel!

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  16. OMG- I write an essay in response!

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  17. Lovely girl...and definitely love your blog. You're great. Nice to meet you, too! ;-) this is Ms. Bunbury. Will get back soon. msbx
    http://teatimedamsbunbury.blogspot.com

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  18. @Lucy Laucht- Well, now I am starting to panic a bit because of the volcano situation. Very, very nervous I won't be able to get there at all.....plus my passport is grounded in Canberra waiting for a flight out....and my new laptop is grounded in Singapore waiting for a flight out. As you can imagine my stress levels are EPIC!

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  19. It´s beatiful!

    You can find one similar one in www.chachiandchachi.com

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  20. she is so pretty! thanks so much for the insightful post! :)

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  21. So sweet, so tender ! That girl has "un je ne sais quoi de magique". This post is like a pink soap of joy! Thanks ;-)
    http://alamodedegitte.over-blog.com/

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  22. she has a really cute face! and i love that last pic! neat

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  23. so sweet and beautiful girl!!!

    love


    follow me
    http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/1432188/factory-style

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  24. What a fantastic girl! I love the necklaces, the vertebrado seems really good!!

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  25. Love her style x

    http://freeisallthatshecouldbe.blogspot.com/

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  26. i like your face but seems that there's a tiny little black?

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  27. A very good idea : the superspositions of photos in the hands of the girl, I really like it !

    http://alamodedegitte.over-blog.com/

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  28. truly in love with this post. she's is beautiful and so is her style. the bags the jewelry - gorgeous! and you shot them amazingly.

    workyourcloset.blogspot.com

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  29. haha!
    she is a sister of someone who used to be in my class at school!
    so weird to see her on here!

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