Today we’d like to introduce you to Sasha Flynn.
Sasha, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My mom started a costume jewelry brand, Jewels by Jewels in 2007 and appointed me to be her buyer when I lived in NYC. This was a very fun time, but I never thought I would take it any further. Last year, I kept wanting to find a way to memorialize some of the creative people in my life that had passed on, tragically when I was younger. For instance, my aunt, Missy. She used to sit me down and we would go through her costume jewelry for hours– untangling and divvying up the jewels. It was my favorite memory of her. Unfortunately, we lost her too soon to a fatal car accident. I was 16 at the time and didn’t really know how to cope. I used to write how I felt and it took years for me to come to grips with it. Now, as an adult and a creative entrepreneur, I was searching for a deeper meaning behind my creativity. Where did it come from? Who were my influences? How can I pay homage to my ancestors that paved a way? That’s when I decided that I wanted to design jewelry that I could hold on to for many years to come… something I could pass down and keep the stories going. I wanted to find a way to create traditions in my family through jewelry. That’s how I came up with Adore Adorn. I started designing the jewelry and prototyping. It took a year to get the first collection exactly where I thought it should be. All of the pieces are designed by me and handmade in NYC. Each jewel was specifically chosen by myself and my mom, Julie (aka Jewels). The jewelry has a real connection to myself and my family. I hope that shines through the most.
My brand is a dream. It’s simply designed with the past and the future in mind. It’s all about where I’ve been and where I plan to go. The jewelry is designed with substance, always paying homage to someone who came before me. It’s celestial and speaks to the ancestors. I find that everything that I create is attached to my culture and heritage—even though it’s not overt in every single piece. I want to bring some of those creative spirits that live within me out to speak to a new generation of people to be inspired.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Not at all!
Simply put, without having a background in jewelry design– I’ve had to teach myself everything along the way. I went to art school at Parsons in NYC and grad school at SCAD Savannah– but it didn’t quite prepare me for the business acumen to enter the manufacturing industry. My studies were primarily focused on creating innovative business and marketing them– most of which were web based. I was able to design adore-adorn.com with no big issues. The production side is different. You’re working with people who have 30+ years of industry experience and they are not always willing to open their doors to newbies. I was lucky to have lived in NYC for 10+ years, so I understand the cutthroat business world. When I first started AA, I was literally knocking on the doors of manufacturers I found on Google. While unconventional, New Yorkers tend to gravitate towards people that are bold in their approach. Still, I am on my 6th manufacturing partner. It’s been tedious because each time I switch, I lose money because I have to start my sampling/prototyping process all over. My jewels are more like artifacts, so finding the perfect partner that’s detail oriented but doesn’t overcharge on labor has truly been the most difficult part. Not to mention, I hand-select each and every gemstone that I use. It has to be the perfect color, size, and price to fit my jewels. Luckily, my lapidary and I are now good friends. She knows my style and will send me iPhone pictures of things that she feels will be a good fit for my collection. It’s been really fun and challenging across the board.
Please tell us about Adore Adorn.
Adore Adorn is an accessories design company that focuses on social issues such as feminism, minority rights and arts inclusion as inspiration. I’ve worked in the creative design industry for 6 years and studied art/design for 6 years prior and with all of the training I wanted to share some of the power that we have as artists. My brand mantra is a major statement because I feel artists have a responsibility to reflect the times and uplift and add to our community.
1.BE UNAFRAID OF YOUR OWN POWER
2. CELEBRATE ADVERSITY, WHILE EXPLORING EXCELLENCE
3. EMBRACE IMPERFECTION
4. EMPOWER OUR WORLD WITH CREATIVITY
5. PRACTICE SELF-CARE + LOVE
6. BE UNAPOLOGETIC + KNOW YOURSELF
7. KNOW YOUR HISTORY
8. FOCUS ON THE HARD TRUTHS
9. LIVE BEAUTIFUL + UNUSUAL
Adore Adorn is setting an expectation for the customer to live bold, wild, and smart. When someone wears our pieces, I want them to know that they carry a strong message and identity in themselves. Once worn, the pieces can’t be disguised, but will boldly make a statement.
For example, I created the FACES collection because I wanted to pay homage to women and different ethnicities using unique faces and hairstyles. When someone wears the FACES collection—male or female—they are dignifying women, particularly ethnic women. I think that’s a beautiful statement. Not surprisingly, this is my most sought-after collection. I have new pieces releasing late October, just in time for the Holidays.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I would have started a lot smaller. I always think BIG. What I’ve learned in the last year is that there’s plenty of time to do it all but it’s important to stagger releases in order to keep the customer interested. I think I probably would’ve kept it simple at first by designing 2-3 pieces to see what the customer liked and then built upon those. That way I wouldn’t have spent as much time in development and production. I truly believe if you are working on an idea to launch fast and small and then, build on that.
Pricing:
- Jewels Collection: $150 – $600
- Faces Collection: $350 – $950
- Faces Fine Jewelry: $2500 – $3250
Contact Info:
- Website: www.adore-adorn.com
- Phone: 678-637-5947
- Email: hello@adore-adorn.com
- Instagram: @adore.adorn
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/adore.adorn/
Image Credit:
Michael Flores, Atlanta
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