Nature as her sanctuary, fascinated by its mystical symbolism, Isabella Lalonde’s brand Beepy Bella pageants her pearl rarities that “act as hard proof copies that my intangible fantasy world exists”.

So, let’s start by you telling us a bit about yourself and your background
Hello! My name is Isabella Lalonde, my favorite color is green and my favorite scents are patchouli and lavender. I was born in New York City and raised between Switzerland, Paris, New Jersey and NYC. I graduated a year ago from Parsons with a BFA in Fine Art, and have continued learning by taking intensives at Central Saint Martins in Jewelry Making. I work full time as a graphic designer at Helmut Lang and have also worked at Vogue Magazine as a market assistant and Dior as a media assistant.

You have studied in London and New York, you’ve lived in a plethora of places. Where do you feel most at home and why?
I feel at home in nature, mostly in forests. I feel at home when I hear cicadas, when a gust of wind breezes against my skin or when I smell the first scents of autumn. I feel at home when I hear my grandmother’s voice and she’s happy. I feel at home when my friends tell me they love me. I feel at home when I stroll alone, just for the hell of it.

Moving often, between countries and cultures in my childhood, I have learnt to feel at home in moments of comfort, serenity and bliss, rather than in locations. As an artist, this is the reason why I am so passionate about world-building. I can create something I never had, and thus, it gets to be fully imagined by me. I take the best bits of my upbringing in different places, for example, being amazed at the way snow glitters in the midnight sky, whether it was in the Alps or the Catskills, and I carry those moments into my life now. Sometimes, home is in knowing that I had a past in which magic was so real, forests were enchanted and fairies would sing me to sleep.

How did your romance with pearls begin?
My romance with freshwater pearls began when I bought a vintage Judith Ripka pearl necklace on Etsy. Unintentionally, I still wear it everyday and feel like it transforms each outfit. The necklace adds an immediate sense of identity, equivalent to a really good hair cut. It makes me feel protected and I often channel good energy from it. My goal with Beepy Bella is to create pieces that generate the same feeling for others.

Pearls fascinate me because they have a long, rich history and symbolism. When I think of who may own a pearl necklace, I usually think of an older woman. I can imagine her closet full of navy tweed blazers, embellished flats and quilted leather bags. I wanted to bridge that world into our modern, art-filled one and not only make pearl necklaces more interesting to the youth, but also embrace the potential they release when this pearl-wearer stereotype is challenged to modernize.

In addition to pearls, I love incorporating handmade glass pendants, recycled sea glass beads, hand-carved wooden pendants and vintage 925 silver charms to my necklaces and bracelets. From glow-in-the-dark glass mushroom pendants to a vintage 925 clown charm to handmade fish-shaped iridescent beads, I cherish my collection of whimsical objects. Each charm feels one-of-a-kind and irreplaceable.

Your work foundations seem soaked in a fascination with nature. What instigated this?
My whole life I have been fascinated with mystical symbolism within the natural world. As humans, and especially as consumers, I believe we have neglected our relationship with nature. In high school, I would take myself on long walks in the dark, stand in the middle of the streets and talk to the trees telepathically. I could feel their energy and slow sense of peace. Trees hear everything. Plants hear everything.

Another moment when I realized I felt connected with nature is when I was three years old and went hiking with my grandmother in the Swiss Alps. When we were walking in the dewey, otherworldly forests, I found a bright red Fly Agaric mushroom. It was bigger than the size of my palm at the time and I immediately felt it was powerful. Since then, I have been infatuated with mushrooms, and even grow culinary ones in my NYC apartment.

Do you have any other key inspirations or figures or events that have influenced your work and Beepy Bella?
Sci-fi movies and experimental children’s TV shows heavily inspire me. Fantastic Planet (1973), The Dark Crystal (1982), The Last Unicorn (1982), Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), Tim Burton’s Hansel and Gretel (1982), The Neverending Story (1984), House (1977), and the children’s show The Big Comfy Couchare some of my favorites. A book that inspires me is The Codex Seraphinius. Musically, I get inspiration when I listen to Plantasia(1976) by Mort Garson.

How did Beepy Bella develop into what it is today?
The biggest catalyst in my brand has been my training as a fine artist. I have dabbled in experimental film, illustration, graphic design, poetry and book making, I feel that my brand image encapsulates my various skill sets which support world building. When you step into Beepy Bella, I want the experience to not only feel shoppable, but transformative. I want my customers to see into my world and feel as though they are a part of it. Beepy Bella embodies my personal values of spontaneity and creativity.

Do you have any ceremonies you participate in to enhance your creativity?
In a perfect world, I would be in upstate New York, foraging edible delicacies and growing plants of all sorts, making potions and handmade paper to record my recipes!

Practically speaking, it’s not possible to do that all the time with a full time job in NYC, where I really enjoy what I do and the people I meet, so I always build in opportunities to learn new things. Last year, I took a photographing microbes under a microscope class at SVA on the weekends. I’ve also taken herbalism workshops at Flower Power, in East Village, and found many witchy companions through that experience. Currently, I’m hoping to take hiking up this fall and get back into my mushroom foraging practice.