Wanderlust: A Sit-Down with Jevela Jewelry's Founder, Jessenia Landrum
The most beautiful thing about jewelry? The flexibility! Jewelry can be a subtle accent or the main statement. Like all fellow makers, jewelry designers have the opportunity to story tell like no other. The difference? Jewelry is more likely to transcend through time in comparison to other 3D designed objects — a time capsule of sorts. Keeping this in mind, we were curious about the process, the journey and the story.
In this second edition of dsgnrswrkshp’s The Sit-Down, we chat with Head Storyteller In Charge — Founder of Jevela Jewelry, Jessenia Landrum.
The Designer’s Workshop: This is such a long time coming for us! We’ve been meaning to chat for so long, but for some reason, this feels right on time.
As an intro, who is Jessenia Landrum?
Jessenia Landrum: I’m an entrepreneur. I started Jevela Jewelry in 2018 but I had a jewelry company prior where I was making jewelry by hand. I had this idea where I wanted to create jewelry inspired by travel so I ended up [quitting] my job…to go backpacking through India and Southeast Asia for three months. It was something that truly changed my life. It opened me up to so many different cultures…I met different people all over the world. It also gave me this fearlessness to pursue something that meant something to me, so that’s a big part of who I am. My jewelry company has become a big part of my identity…making jewelry but also making connections when I’m meeting people, traveling places, experiencing things — just the built part of Jevela is who I’m coming to be.
DW: Beautiful. I’m beginning to coin this question because it’s a shameless Brown Sugar reference that I can’t help but ask when I meet a new dsgnr – when did you fall in love with jewelry [design]?
JL: It’s funny because I was taking this class at my college in Boston, it was this mixed media art class and for our final project…I decided to make a leather necklace. So I cut leather out and I sewed beads on to it and sewed [it] together…and I was like yo, I really love this. I actually went to F.I.T. for Footwear and Handbag Design…after I graduated, I interned for a jewelry designer. I always loved jewelry because it’s a fun way to express yourself. You know like sneakers, clothing, shoes…they kinda run out of style sometimes but jewelry is always timeless. It adds a lil’ flair to your outfit. Jewelry is also a very valuable keepsake. People pass on jewelry for generations in their families...there’s just so much value and memory held in jewelry. I’ve always taken pictures of people’s jewelry and ask them where they buy it — I get so many stories too. Since high school I always loved getting funky jewelry and finding ways to express myself especially because we had to wear uniform, but jewelry can be as funky as you want it to be.
Founder, Jessenia Landrum
“I always loved jewelry because it’s a fun way to express yourself. jewelry is always timeless…there’s just so much value and memory held in jewelry.”
DW: So you began making jewelry, and then you started your own brand. There’s so much in a name and while I think I have an idea of how you manifested this one, enlighten us, how did you come up with ‘Jevela’?
JL: So I had to change my name it was originally ‘Bai.Juice’ but I had to change it because of the juice company ‘Bai.’ I tried to get fancy and spell ‘By,’ ‘B’ ‘A’ ‘I’ and it was very confusing (laughs). We just started manufacturing in a factory in Kentucky and I had to rename it before [launching]. I was mixing all kind of different words and then I started taking my name and playing around with it to see what I can get from it — and that’s how I came up with Jevela. My name is Jessenia, my mom’s last name is Velázquez, and my dad’s last name is Landrum, so I took the first two letters of every part and came up with Jevela. When I researched what it meant, it actually means ‘jewel like.’ I was just like yo [emphasis added] this is it…so that’s how I got the name and it’s literally my favorite part of the company. It means a lot to me and [my parents] they literally brought me up through this journey.
DW: That’s beautiful. So that’s the brand, what about the consumer? When you design these pieces, do you keep your consumer in mind? How would you describe a Jevela Jeweler?
JL: Hm. That’s actually something I’ve been building on but when I think about my consumer, I literally try and think about someone like me (laughs). Somebody that loves to travel, somebody that likes to learn, someone that likes to connect to others and finds value in that. [In] all these years I’ve been building Jevela, the company is constantly morphing…because we learn more. I design pieces and I see ‘ok this piece sells a lot, and that piece doesn’t sell so much, why?’ I ask people for a review, what do you like, what do you not like, so the design will evolve over time but my customer? It’s all about connection — it’s finding people of value, people who also love jewelry…I find that the customers that usually buy from me are inspired by the story and find my jewelry to be an investment in something they stand for.
DW: As makers, we’re all kind of bound by our love of design and although our end product is different, our design processes are similar. Out of all the maker fields out there, jewelry and accessory design are probably the two areas I have the least amount of knowledge in. What’s your design process like? How do you begin?
JL: A lot of research…a lot, lot. First I’ll go to a place right, and I’ll absorb everything — the culture, the stories. I’ll meet the people, the food, the artwork, the history. [I’d] take pictures and all that stuff, come back home, and pick out my favorite concepts…things that I’ve learned from these places and I’ll do research on it. For example, my Shiva’s Crescent piece started when I was in India, there was this guy who managed this desert camp I worked at. His name was Shiva, and I came to learn that Shiva was named after a Hindi deity. I did some research on this deity — like ‘ok what does this deity stand for? Ok, he’s the deity of transformation, you know, rebirth.’ Then I looked at how he’s depicted — he has a moon on his head and he has an eye on the middle of his forehead. So that’s how deep the theory goes for me. I’ll learn about it, I’ll do a lot of research, and then I’ll just kinda start playing around with different words that can be used like, ‘what does reflection look like?’ Sometimes I’ll even get reviews from people like, ‘what do you think about this? Would you wear this?’
DW: A smooth transition, we actually featured one of your sketches on the page and that was of the Indigo Sunset earring. Your product names include words like ‘Indigo’ and ‘Saffron’ how can are you inspired by these words?
Indigo Sunrise Sketch
JL: Well for Indigo Sunrise, the design was inspired by something that I found at a port in India. There were a lot of floral shapes that reminded me of a sunrise, it was actually half of a flower. I also took a class in India, and I learned about the dye indigo and how it was manufactured in India as a big currency back in the day — people would trade slaves for indigo. Then I started doing some research into the color indigo…what does [the color] mean? It means intuition, spiritual awareness, clarity, truth…a lot research I mean it takes me months to produce a collection.
Indigo Sunrise Earrings
DW: So from your sketch, how do you create prototypes? In interiors, a lot of what we do is digital but we mock things up using foam core and 3d resources.
JL: Out of paper. If I had a certain size that I wanted, I would cut it out and make it 3d like ok, this is gonna be 5 millimeters long and 1 millimeter in width, I would actually try and cut that…just to see what I’m working with.
DW: So tiny! (laughs) I noticed your material medium is usually metal, is that a staple of the brand or are are you interested in playing with other materials? Which ones?
JL: Metal will definitely be my core of everything but I want to start incorporating more color, fringe and beads —[it] really just depends on the factory I’m working with, the price point and that kind of stuff. If I do a collection of Ghana, that’s a very colorful place, that’s a lot of beadwork so you know, I want to incorporate the beads…but okay how much will [it] weigh down a piece so that it will be comfortable to wear? It’s a lot of things to consider. I feel like I’m an engineer (laughs).
DW: In a way we all have to be (laughs) It’s so interesting hearing how other disciplines have to hone in on design. We touched on how you gain inspiration but how do you remain inspired? Especially during the times?
JL: To be honest I don’t. (laughs) Yo, I’m not always inspired especially when you’re creating a business as well. It kind of takes away from the freedom of things in a way because you’re thinking of stores, the customer…you also have to handle marketing, factories, branding, lawyer fees and all kind of other [business related] things. So I don’t always feel inspired and I try to be honest with that but…what I’ve learned to do is put my energy into other things that I also enjoy. Last year I started pole fitness, or I’ll read, or I’ll maintain my plants and I learn about them. I’ll do to other things that kind of stimulate my mind and my creativity so when I go back to designing I don’t feel like ‘oh I gotta finish this,’ I have some time to breathe, stretch, and move around, now let me come back this.
DW: That’s real. And so fair. From a business perspective, how have you gained your footing as a designer/small business owner? Any advice for dsgnrs looking to take the leap?
JL: My advice is definitely pursue it. If you have the idea, do it…because it will lead you so many more places. I knew nothing about business [when I did this]…but because of that one idea, I traveled the world, I’m featured in a magazine, I’m talking to you (laughs). You know everything still worked. If I wasn’t investing my money in this company, what else would I be doing [with it]? I’d probably be shopping, or going out to eat or all these things but I love going for broke on my idea. I love that I can appease, and I love that I get to meet people who also inspire me and inspire others. The biggest blessing that has come to me through Jevela is that I get to inspire others to pursue something…they feel a connection to me that moves me more than anything. So when [there are] days where I don’t feel like doing anything, I do it because so many people have invested in me and believe in me. So I mean that’s definitely something to consider, when you take the leap, you gain so much bigger.
“My advice is definitely pursue it. If you have the idea, do it...because it will lead you so many more places.”
DW: These last two are repeats from our previous interview but they’re important ones. Biggest lesson this far in business ownership?
JL: Know your numbers. When I first started manufacturing I was like ‘ok how much is that?’ ‘ok cool.’ I was just signing off on every invoice and I didn’t think [about it]…if you pay $100 for them to manufacture then how much do you sell it for? Who’s gonna buy it [and] where do they shop? Starting any business it’s gonna cost you a lot. Especially with product, be aware of what you’re spending.
DW: Any thought provoking, earth shattering, mind shifting piece of advice to share with your dsgn kin?
JL: The journey…it’s not just about you. What you have the ability to do is so much bigger. When I had my qualitative research group, I had everybody look at my website and really picked everyone’s brains…that was the purpose [why they were there] but they made connections in that room. They made friendships in that room and it was a room full of women of color that all left inspired like ‘damn I need to do this [too].’ I probably cried. I cry for everything but I definitely cried for that because I was just like like wow…it’s not just about me. This is my idea, it filled this room, and these connections now are going to flourish into whatever they become.
DW: It’s creating community.
JL: Yes [emphasis added] creating community! I was like — that wasn’t what my [intention] was at all. Of course I wanted people to be friends and get along but I was just like wow... I did my job...if this becomes a multi billion dollar company or I don’t see another dime, I did what I was supposed to do.
DW: That’s so beautiful and honestly this is a full circle moment because, community. Growing a community is the very reason why we were brought together for this interview! What we do requires engagement, there’s no better feeling of bridging the gap between powerful and creative minds. It’s been real, thank you so much for you time.
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