Celebrating InternationalWomensDay 2022: We shine the spotlight on jewellery designer Thelma West’s philanthropic initiatives.
International Women’s Day 2022: We shine the spotlight on jewellery designer Thelma West’s philanthropic initiativesNigerian-born, London-based jewellery designer Thelma West draws on both her personal history and extensive experience in the industry for a host of philanthropic initiatives. In our interview marking International Women’s Day 2022, she tells us what drives her work in Nigeria and beyond, and how her own experience as a minority in the industry has affected her outlook.
Within the industry and my work, sourcing is also something that I take very seriously. Not without its issues, I continue to push for increasingly sustainable practices for the precious raw materials we work with. The people that benefit from the price we pay are important to me.I’m also committed to supporting communities in my homeland, Nigeria. A portion of every sale we make goes towards paying hospital bills for children in need and educating young women to secondary level.
W*: Your interests run from educating the next generation in Nigeria to readdressing the balance in London – how important is it to you for your work to encompass these diverse strands?Working these issues and causes into my art was the only way that worked for me and my team. It’s a great source of joy and satisfaction knowing that when we are successful in doing what we do, other people feel it too.
The reality is I feel like I’m doing very little in the face of all the challenges we are confronted with daily in the world, but we keep going knowing that people depend on us.W*: Can you tell us about your experience as a minority in the industry and how it has informed your actions?It’s been a long hard road, but I held on to embracing hard work, resilience, determination and finding joy in the midst of the climb.
I try to find beauty in all I do, and my heritage influences most of that. For example, I chose to display works by African artists in my space, each telling their own story, not only because I see myself in their stories, but also because I am able to showcase these works to more people who get to experience a little bit more than they expected. And who knows, maybe they’ll become fans of the artists they discovered or fell in love with at the TW studio.