Me & Zena is the creation of London based designer Miss Zena Mckeown, who graduated from Edinburgh College of Art with a BA in Visual Communication in 2004. She moved to London in 2005, clueless and broke, with a dream in her heart and a teenager in her soul, shouting things about unicorns, gold and love. With these three things in mind, Zena created her first piece of jewellery and continues to satisfy her love of all things small, shiny and symbolic to this day. Miss L and I are HUGE fans and we are in good company, as Cheryl Cole, Sarah Harding and the Geldof Girls dig Me&Zena too.

If you missed it, we launched a competition earlier this month to win a Me&Zena ‘Should I?” necklace, so for a last minute enter, tell us what you are saying ‘yes’ and ‘no’ to for 2010 by the 31st January 2010…

Me&Zena is everything a grown up girl could want to accessorize with. We love a good story, how did it all begin?  
I wanted a market stall to sell my illustrations from – I had major delusions about being an artist – so I learned to make jewellery to bulk out my stock for the stall. Not surprisingly, no-one bought my art and everyone bought my jewellery. It became an obsession from then on really.  

Who/what inspires you and why? 
Anything can inspire me, literature, song lyrics, the way I feel about a particular person. Even pretty boring things inspire me; I designed the TV necklace because my flatmate moved out and took his flat screen with him. I must have missed it so much the next thing I knew I had designed a TV necklace!   

What do you love about being a woman in the world? 
As opposed to a man? Erm… I can talk about my feelings endlessly without getting bored? I don’t know that’s a difficult question. I’d find it difficult to live without being constantly surrounded by pink and purple, floral prints and things that sparkle.  

What are your five must-go destinations in LDN, now that you are based there?
1. The jewellery room at the V&A
2. The Tate Britain, for the William Blake and Pre-Raphaelite paintings
3. The Brick Lane markets for independent jewellery, especially the ‘Rosie Wonders’ stall at the Up Market and The ‘Never’ stall at the Backyard Market
4. Screen on the Green in Angel
5. Regents Park open air theatre
  

 
What has been your proudest moment so far? 
Having Pixie Geldof wearing my ‘Should I?’ necklace in a twelve page spread in Vogue. She looked so gorgeous, all glamorous biker chick, and the photographs were very cool. Although the other day my old teacher called me to ask if he could do an assembly about Me & Zena, that made me feel pretty special!  

Which five tracks make Zena’s day? 
Ask – The Smiths
Let’s not shit ourselves – Bright Eyes
Into my arms – Nick Cave
Pictures of you – The Cure
The last time I saw Richard – Joni Mitchell 

What are your five must-have, can’t live without fashion and beauty items? 
1.Tights; flowery tights, stripy tights, lacy tights, wooly tights, spotty tights, sexy tights, granny tights etc
2. Wedges. Height minus the pain, you can’t lose
3. Hair extensions. I’ve just discovered long hair for the first time and I don’t think I can go back!
4. L’Oreal Beauty Tubes mascara. It NEVER smudges
5. Tattoos. I’ve only got one, a diamond on my lower back I got about 8 yrs ago but I want more more more. I just lack conviction.  

What makes you jump-in-the-air happy?  
Kissing someone you have fancied for ages for the first time and the second coming of Take That. 

What’s your life Motto? 
Hmm I don’t really have one, but I like this Bright Eyes lyric; “The ones with the sorest throats have done the most singing”. It reminds me that if you shy away from experience because your scared of getting hurt you lose a certain passion or vitality.  

What are your favourite three pieces from the current collection and what is next for Me & Zena? 
My favourite pieces at the moment are the broken heart ring and necklace and the atomic robot charm. Next are leopards, rabbits and UFO’s!  

The Me&Zena Sassy List…
Shop: Treadwell’s bookshop
Book: The Brothers Karamazov
Hang-out: My studio in Dalston
City: Tokyo
Must-have beauty item: Dior Addict body cream; it makes you smell like chocolate and sweeties
TV prog: Battlestar Galactica NG
Food: Curry and Mr. Kipling’s French Fancies for pudding  

What does the term Sassy Minx mean to you, Zena?  
I imagine a girl who is very quick witted, possibly even a little acid tongued, someone kind of knowing and opinionated but confident and sexy as hell.

Go visit Me&Zena at: www.meandzena.com