I was born on a kibbutz in Israel and grew up for the most part in Vancouver (Canada). I moved to New York City as a teenager for Art School, and majored in sculpture – specifically ceramics. I’ve lived in this city for over twenty years now.

I was tired of being so far away from making things with my hands. In fashion, you end up moving far away from actual creation as you get more successful and as your business grows, at least in lingerie. I would make a loose sketch of ideas for collections, then several months later we’d have fittings, but I missed making art and having immediate results when I had a concept. I started making sugar sculptures in my kitchen as a hobby and people started making custom orders. It wasn’t meant to be a life change at first, but it was so much fun I couldn’t help but force it into a business.

I don’t have so much of a sweet tooth. I used to make cakes because I loved the challenge of building something structural that can be eaten and enjoyed in a celebrative setting; plus, sugar is so versatile it acts as a beautiful sculpture material since it is inherently a crystal. People react to sweet like they’re magic, and this I have always been fascinated by.I do have favourite sweets, though: I love Maple Fudge, Red Vines liquorice, and I am obsessed with collecting candy when I travel. One of my favourite stalls in the market in Madrid is where they have all the long gummy ropes. I have always dreamed of making a macramé artwork out of them.

Yes, I spent a lot of time with my saba growing up, he was one of the only people who understood and encouraged my unusual interests and curiosities. I love that my company name allows me to tell people about him on a regular basis, it’s a perfect way of keeping his memory alive.

All of our luxury candy is hand-made from moulds I make out of artworks I carve out of clay, or from actual items like lipsticks or Rolexes. We also have a lower-priced line coming out by the end of year that is made off-site, more industrially.

This is very common. I have heard of some clients framing the candy. My idea for this line, however, was to make precious items in a material that dissolves, to not be so precious about material objects and to let go of this sentimentality. But I’m flattered when people cherish the items, of course.

I made hundreds of stacks of cash that were all hand-painted with Benjamins for an installation at Art Basel. It was a collaboration with a video game company called Rock Star.

I would love to collaborate with Raf Simons on an installation for Calvin Klein, or with IKEA. I’d love to make a kitchen/studio collection that is both stylish and accessible.

We currently have an exclusive collection at Bergdorf Goodman in New York City, and the pop-ups have been fun thus far because it allows me to shift gears each time and do an entirely new theme. For a brick and mortar store, I would like to open one in the next couple of years both here and in Japan. We’ll see what the future holds!