I'm not kidding when I say this one was all UNICORNS, RAINBOWS, and YAY!s for me.
YAY! would not get out of my head.
I kept wondering HOOOOOOOW
am I going to make art from this inspiration.
There wasn't a shape, concept, or type of line in mind. Just YAY!....
After I wrote my thoughts out I saw major clues!
ORBITING SHAPES
+
COLOR
The level of DIGGING DEEP this collection took me was no joke.
I moved restaurants THREE TIMES in one afternoon.
Still Stumped.
I sat at the museum garden.
Completely stumped.
I will NOT launch something I am not head-over-heels about so I wondered what in the world was I going to do.
My deadline passed. I was WEEKS late on this one. Because it wasn't going to come to me on MY timing.
I actually called this the most difficult collection to dig into to date in my video design diary.
T H E N...
there was one sculpture I saved the image of. It was so good I thought it was it's own collection. NO! It was the ANCHOR of this one! Then in SEVEN MINUTES I drew the rest of the collection and ran to the office to show them! Shouting from the rooftops this will be an SB iconic group FOREVER!
Your resilience is your brilliance.
Healing is a gift.
Where you go from here is a place of abundance.
Light, warm, flowing, soft, soothing, purifying abundance.
I was immediately drawn to one of the greatest and most powerful civilizations in history designing this collection.
ANCIENT EGYPT
I felt complete permission to get WEIRD. Obsession began immediately with the scarab beetle. She represents the sun and it's eternal cycle of LIFE. NEFERTITI herself was buried with a gold scarab to bring about her immortality. I had to bring this global icon of beauty and power to YOU.
YES! Bug jewelry!!!
Immortalizing, powerful, transformational, bug jewelry.
The ALANE collection inspired invention beyond where I've gone before. To a place of status where a woman can feel pride in her divine inheritance. A place where her beauty and intelligence intersect and explode. A place where she welcomes transformation with honor. A place where she becomes immortal.
Nothing is more meaningful than the people you love
Nothing is more powerful than who you call FAMILY
Nothing is more PURE than the ties you have with them
if the power of our ancestors could be bottled
into stunning works of art that could be worn
then it would be called DEVIN
if respect for those who forged our path could be printed
in gold and framed
then it would be called DEVIN
i had no idea when i was designing this collection how much it would connect me with my past
after the 1st round of samples were complete, i had a cousin visit the office who ended up opening an undiscovered door to my family history
then when i was putting a write-up together about the collection, my dad called and spontaneously added fascinating and beautiful layers to my newfound knowledge on this family history
how did i not know my great grandfather was 14, unable to read + write, and ALONE when he showed up at Ellis Island
how did i not know he was so passionate about architecture that he chose where to live based on one of the only 2 cities in the US that had a suspension bridge
how did i not know he supported his 10 kids by procuring produce at farmers markets and delivering them to wealthier homes
how did i NOT KNOW his son became one of the most well-known jewelers in their area
how did i not know passion for ARCHITECTURE WAS IN MY BLOOD
how did i not know JEWELRY WAS IN MY BLOOD
someone told me growth in my business can only come from growth in ME
i set out to change SB drastically in 2022
i can design super fast
i can roll out an entire collection in 30 minutes
in-between meetings
with my eyes closed
BUT
what if i left the office and spent the day curious about architecture
what if i wondered through the Van Gogh exhibit and was moved by his words
what if i took time to design
what if i didn't scrap designs that were too left field
what if i took days, even weeks, to perfect ideas
how much could i grow?
what would i be capable of?
the devin collection is officially my first collection i designed
off site
at a museum
taking my time
connecting to my predecessors
connecting to YOU
DEVIN is now 28th collection i have named after YOU, one of our unsuspecting customers
i felt warmth, i felt solidity, i felt truth, i felt devotion, i felt love
DEVIN is the start of every kind of new best
Not gonna lie sometimes i design
just. for. me
no one else in mind
not trying to please the customer
or get in your head
or thinking of what would complement our last release
wipe the freaking board clean
and just gimme what i want!!!
this group is EVERYTHING!
luxe beyond
but look at me - wearing sweats - and taking a lil nap in it
you do not have to look fancy to be fabulous
let your lobes do the talking
let me do your lobes
when i talked to alexis about how these pieces are made,
her eyes widened as she stressed how
delicate they have to be with these metals.
i'm in awe y'all.
not only of the caliber of these pieces (bc wow)
but with this team
i heard chloe say in a manager meeting the other day
that literally everyone here carries their weight.
we have a commitment to you here
better designs | better quality | better prices
and it is literally what brings us joy
this kennedy release is exactly all of that!
i'm excited
i feel on fire after all the decisions to change this company
i feel on fire seeing your response to this collection
i feel on fire getting to come to work every morning
i'm excited for you to wear these pieces
putting on my insane new KENNEDY stack today,
i could not help but feel connected with the woman in me
ready for success
confident in her path
feeling nothing but love and kindness for others
and dying to share that feeling with everyone
enjoy + i love you
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My phone is ringing and it's Kat. In a day and age where you never answer your phone, you drop the norm and you PICK IT UP!!!
Back it up a bit. Our first convo via texting was chatting about concept. We were thinking Marie Antoinette chokers, possibly even some burgundy velvet...
then we said SCRATCH THAT, she was feeling pop culture vibes like bottle tabs and suspender pins.
So I got on it. And I failed.
Y'all.. round one was HIDEOUS. It was donut based and you would've stopped speaking to me.
Then the creative juices started flowing and I had concepts engraved immediately.
I got to get on a Zoom to present them to KAT and she legit had the BEST feedback like:
- change the bottle tab dimensions,
- add texture to make it look more realistic (engravings)
and then I showed her the STAR eyes emoji and she FLIPPED!!!! I threw it in there bc I saw her use it all the time and it was perfect bc she loves to tell women they are all stars, which I had no idea!
That is the best thing about this collection, every single piece MEANS something. You see fun, whimsy + pretty, but women building women is the backbone for us BOTH!
After getting all the feathers in-hand selected by KAT, perfecting stone settings, and shipping everything overnight, WE DID IT!!!
I'm proud of this collection, I'm proud of what women can accomplish when their forces collide. I adore what KAT does for women everywhere (please KAT come do my face one day, promise?!). AND I adore YOU!
I cannot wait to see YOUR stunning when you whip out your fantasy driven KAT FAIRCHILD collection.
Made for you with so much freaking joy + passion.
Our latest collection is inspired by these powerful and inspirational women -