Canberra jeweller sparks conversation on coercive control at Paris Fashion Week
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Minimalist designs with meaning shone on the Paris Fashion Week runway earlier this month as a local jewellery designer showcased her work on the world stage for the first time.
For Sarah James, seeing her collections of handmade recycled sterling silver jewellery on the necks, ears and fingers of runway models was something she never imagined happening – let alone during one of the most prestigious fashion events in the world.
But as Chanel made waves with its spectacular and otherworldly show in the Grand Palais, and Thom Browne had fashionistas talking with his mix of impeccable tailoring, dramatic silhouettes and rhinestone alien masks, Sarah’s own brand Little Moments Jewellery was following in the footsteps of the fashion giants.
Showing two collections of jewellery (all of which is made in her home studio in Cook), the catharsis of the moment is undeniable – after all, jewellery has long been used to preserve some of life’s most important moments. But during that show, it became so much more: it also became a catalyst for conversation.
Polishing away the silence on domestic abuse
Credit: Alexe Bec. Model: Francesca Stabile.
Growing up in Ungarie, New South Wales, Sarah’s love for gold and silversmithing began in high school. Designing, creating and selling her work from a young age, she moved to Canberra in 2015 to study a double degree in gold and silversmithing and psychology at the Australian National University.
Now working full-time with the Attorney General’s Department in the Behavioural Insights Unit, Sarah creates her jewellery part-time as both a form of creative expression, self-reflection and therapy.
Describing herself as a ‘minimal jeweller’ who focuses on creating pieces that are meant to be treasured forever, when the opportunity to showcase her work in Paris arose, Sarah knew that one collection would definitely be coming with her: The Coercive Control Collection.
Using her jewellery designs as a catalyst to explore and work through things she’s thinking about, the aim of the collection is to begin conversations about domestic abuse.
“My Coercive Control Collection came about because it was a field I was getting into as part of my work at the Attorney General’s Department,” she says.
“Even when the project finished at AGD, my brain stayed on it and kept thinking about how it affects people and how to have conversations about it.”
A form of domestic abuse where someone (usually a romantic partner) uses controlling and manipulative behaviours to hurt, scare or isolate someone, coercive control is a layered and complex topic.
Creating jewellery to work through the emotions and thoughts she was experiencing during and after the project, the result was a collection of simple pieces created using the technique of reticulation.
“The visuals of the collection started out with being really interested in this technique and then building on it; pushing it and seeing what happened when I worked with it,” Sarah says.
“When I was learning about coercive control and some of the barriers that are there for people who are looking for help, one of the big ones is that people just don’t know the name for it or where to start…that stuck with me, working out how to get people to talk about it.”
Aiming to increase awareness about coercive control and its impact, the pieces in the Coercive Control Collection are made with recycled sterling silver but begin completely black.
However, Sarah says that the more the pieces are worn and touched, the more the polish comes back. The concept is that with each time you’re asked about the piece, you’re spreading awareness and understanding, while making them brighter each time you do.
Credit: Alexe Bec. Model: Dalia Kramer.
“It’s not something where I expect people to look at my jewellery and go ‘Oh my goodness, that’s so obviously about coercive control’, that’s not going to happen. It’s more just providing that nudge space to have conversations,” says Sarah.
“When I got the invite to Paris, I thought ‘Fantastic, this is coming along with me’, because it’s an amazing space full of amazing creators that are predominantly women…who are the main victim-survivor groups of coercive control.”
When Little Moments became a big opportunity
Credit: Bastien Dubois.
Approached by a company in 2024 to showcase her designs at Paris Fashion Week 2025, at first Sarah thought the email was spam. But as they sent several more follow-ups, she realised that there was a real opportunity to visit the fashion capital of the world.
Deciding to put Little Moments Jewellery forward for selection – never believing she would be chosen – the next thing she knew, she was booking plane tickets for Paris. From there, it was a matter of getting together the collections and making new pieces for the runway.
Describing the whole experience as “surreal”, from partnering with the brand ÂGE PARIS to having her designs be worn by models holding JBL headphones and Bluetooth speakers, attending invite only after parties as well as walking the runway herself as a designer, she says that it’s something she will never forget.
But high fashion isn’t in the future for Sarah.
Taking what she learnt and loved from the experience and planning to apply it to future designs, she says that she will always return to creating pieces that bring her joy.
“I really like making pieces that people are going to look at every day, that they love,” she says.
To shop Sarah’s collections or to find out more, visit littlemomentsjewellery.com.au.
