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As a part of the Morning Lazziness collection highlighting empowering girls who’re making a outstanding affect with their concepts, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jennifer Walters Anstendig.
Jennifer Walters Anstendig is the founder and designer behind Alysian — an indie jewellery and equipment model constructed on the idea that private type ought to by no means really feel generic, out of attain, or prefer it belongs to another person.
A former girls’s journal editor and personal label designer, Jennifer’s profession has spanned mass-market trend and editorial worlds — each of which she finally left behind looking for one thing extra intentional, extra private, and extra genuine. Alysian was born out of that inventive revolt: a handcrafted jewellery and small equipment line that celebrates individuality, self-expression, and the wonder and that means of pure gem stones, all whereas embracing sustainability in methods each apparent and refined — like her use of classic deadstock components and saved provide remnants that discover new life in future designs.
Right now, Jennifer designs go-to, wear-with-everything items made to quiet the overthinking and underscore private expression. Alysian’s gemstone-forward jewellery and equipment supply a considerate various to mass-market sameness by authentic silhouettes, elevated particulars, and a refined edge. Whether or not it’s a daring pair of earrings or a semi-precious key ring, Alysian empowers girls to really feel trendy, grounded, and assured, with out making an attempt too arduous.
On this interview, she delves into the challenges, successes, and knowledge she has gained from greater than 15 years of designing jewellery, together with over a decade creating items for main trend manufacturers, earlier than founding Alysian.
What impressed your journey into the style business, and why did you select to give attention to sustainability?
I’ve at all times been inventive and occupied with trend and popular culture. I used to be {a magazine} fiend rising up within the ‘80s and ‘90s. I began my profession in journal publishing, however I used to be at all times extra creatively aligned with the photographers, make-up artists, and artwork administrators. After 9/11 and whereas my mother was going by breast most cancers remedy, I turned to hands-on inventive tasks to assist me cope. I started making jewellery — simply beading at first, educating myself, and giving items to associates.
Ultimately, I went again to high school at Vogue Institute of Expertise (FIT) of New York to pursue a level in jewellery design. I really started working, whereas nonetheless a scholar, as a non-public label designer for quite a lot of giant manufacturers and stayed in non-public label (at just a few completely different firms) for years. Seeing my designs in shops and magazines was at all times thrilling, however what occurred behind the scenes in every of these environments felt off. Lovely samples and parts have been thrown out as a result of they broke or weren’t fairly proper. Free stones and steel components would fall to the ground and actually get swept up and tossed out by cleansing crews. So many impressed designs have been decreased to junky, mass-produced items. This was disheartening and disturbing — and people emotions stayed with me. Once I began my very own line, I knew that sustainability needed to be a precedence and that my course of can be extra private and considerate.
How do you outline sustainability within the context of trend, and the way does your model mirror that imaginative and prescient?
To me, sustainability means designing jewellery creatively and carefully. I would like Alysian prospects to like and preserve their items for years, not only for a season. It means solely using supplies as wanted and avoiding overproduction. It requires conscious sourcing, using present classic parts, rejecting artificial supplies and deliberately limiting waste in my packaging provides. I’m regularly assessing my enterprise, figuring out I can at all times enhance as I search to make accountable selections throughout our provide chain to reduce our social and environmental affect. Sustainability, for Alysian, is about intentionality.
What have been a number of the greatest challenges you confronted whereas constructing a sustainable trend enterprise?
COVID disrupted every little thing. My trusted wholesale suppliers in NYC closed down, forcing me to reinvent my provide chain in a single day. Discovering new sources for classic supplies and traceable gem stones grew to become a important however difficult precedence. Transparency isn’t at all times straightforward, and whereas full traceability can generally be elusive, I’m dedicated to moral sourcing and transparency as a lot as doable.
How do you stability type, affordability, and sustainability in your product choices?
I preserve Alysian’s items trendy, sustainable, and accessible by designing and producing every little thing in-house and making most items to order. This manner I’m not overproducing or stockpiling stock that will by no means promote. I additionally use each leftover chain snippet, stone, or steel half to create one-of-a-kind items. I really like design problem, and a few of my favourite designs have come from working with extra uncooked supplies to create one thing actually distinctive. I’m more and more incorporating extra unused classic supplies from jewellery producers (generally known as “deadstock”) that might have in any other case gone right into a landfill. These parts really improve the originality of every design whereas decreasing waste. Nothing is mass-produced. It’s all about working creatively inside limitations — and by no means over-producing something only for the sake of scale.
How do your manufacturing selections mirror your values round moral and accountable design?
My manufacturing course of is deliberately small and hands-on. I design and assemble every design myself, so I do know precisely what’s going into every bit. I attempt to supply supplies domestically at any time when doable to be higher knowledgeable of their origin and to cut back the carbon footprint of worldwide delivery. I additionally make a degree to totally use the supplies I buy and I incorporate classic deadstock at any time when I can, which reduces demand for newly mined or manufactured supplies and retains completely good provides out of the landfill. Alysian will quickly be introducing a brand new product of wooden trinket trays with gem stones. I prioritized sourcing sustainable wooden within the growth section. They’re comprised of Acacia, a extremely renewable wooden.
How do you educate your prospects on the worth and affect of sustainable trend?
I don’t lead closely with training, however I do attempt to talk our philosophy and efforts alongside the way in which. For example, I do clarify what deadstock supplies are on my web site and make reference to them on social media when describing a selected piece or assortment. I’ll spotlight and clarify our sustainability practices on the location and in our newsletters. Alysian prospects are usually curious and considerate, in order that they discover and respect the small print, like our sustainable packaging.
What’s one false impression about sustainable trend that you simply usually come throughout?
Individuals might assume that sustainable jewellery has to imply a macramé bracelet of hemp and petrified wooden. It doesn’t. I design items which might be edgy, polished, and private, and I do it whereas deciding on supplies responsibly and limiting waste. You may care concerning the planet and nonetheless love assertion earring!
In what methods has shopper conduct modified in recent times round moral trend, and the way has that impacted your model?
I’ve undoubtedly seen a shift. Persons are extra conscious of the environmental affect of their purchasing habits and are rising uninterested in “quick trend” …each for its wasteful affect on our planet but in addition in terms of all of the generic sameness that comes with so many manufacturers chasing and decoding the identical traits (which is what I noticed a lot of in non-public label.) My prospects worth items which might be made with intention and designs which might be extra distinctive and mirror their individuality. They love that we incorporate classic deadstock supplies, however additionally they love figuring out their jewellery is made in restricted portions and is distinctive — one thing they received’t come throughout on the mall or quick trend website.
How do you keep progressive whereas staying true to your sustainable mission?
I really assume limitations drive creativity. Designing from leftover elements and present deadstock supplies forces me to assume in another way and infrequently results in a few of my most authentic items. That stated, I’ve needed to rein in my ‘shiny object syndrome’ when sourcing. It’s straightforward to get excited by each stunning stone or element. I’ve realized to make extra conscious investments and am at the moment engaged on consolidating and modifying how I current my collections. I are inclined to have 1,000,000 concepts and must cease myself from overdesigning. I’m at the moment cutting down my present product assortment. I might be curating a everlasting core assortment known as “All the time Alysian” and may have small limited-release capsule collections at particular instances all year long. Providing tighter collections and introducing newness at a extra intentional tempo ought to assist me keep aligned with my values with out dropping inventive momentum.
What position does neighborhood or collaboration play in your online business mannequin?
Group is definitely the place Alysian started. At a profession crossroads, burned out and not sure of my subsequent transfer, I used to be invited by an area entrepreneur to affix a hyper-local designer collective that blended e-commerce, in-person pop-ups, and a co-op retail house. It was low-risk but in addition terrifying — I had no huge model title to cover behind. I created the Alysian title and launched my very first branded assortment, all one-of-a-kind items, in only a few weeks.
Being surrounded by different makers, artists, and mission-based retailers pushed me creatively and sharpened my focus. One of many anchor companies was Good Bottle Refill Store, NJ’s first refill store (nonetheless thriving in that location), which impressed one other refill store to affix the house. Sadie’s, an moral clothes boutique, additionally had a presence there. Classic pop-ups have been common. That atmosphere helped me notice that sustainability wasn’t only a nice-to-have — it needed to be a part of my model’s DNA. Whereas that house finally shifted and I now promote solely by my very own web site, that early collaborative power had an enduring affect on my model values.
What’s your imaginative and prescient for the way forward for trend, particularly for women-led sustainable manufacturers?
Quick trend is inherently anti-feminist — it exploits labor, violates human rights, and is so harmful for the planet. However women-led eco-entrepreneurship is disrupting that mannequin in highly effective methods. I hope we proceed to see extra help for small-batch design, native manufacturing, and types which might be centered on considerate, intentional manufacturing.
It’s necessary for each manufacturers and customers to know that there are such a lot of completely different avenues to changing into extra sustainable and everybody can begin someplace. Additionally, whereas many individuals might say they care about sustainability — they usually genuinely do at their core — the quantity of people that can afford to pay extra for sustainably made merchandise continues to be small, particularly in immediately’s financial system. Accessibility issues. If we would like actual change, we’d like extra sustainable trend choices which might be inside attain for extra individuals.
What recommendation would you supply to aspiring feminine founders searching for to enter the sustainable trend business?
There’s no set handbook for easy methods to construct a sustainable model. The very first thing I’d say is: slim your product providing. What are you really designing? What’s going to you be identified for? When you’ve clarified that, then you will get clear on the precise challenges you’ll want to resolve to make that providing extra accountable and sustainable. Narrowing your focus makes it simpler to make considerate, intentional design choices.
Individuals purchase trend to precise themselves and to really feel assured, cool, and seen. Sustainability is necessary, however emotional connection is what creates lasting model loyalty. By that connection, you’ll be able to reinforce your values and assist inform and encourage your prospects to care concerning the affect of their purchases. Construct a model that displays what issues to you — your individuals will discover you. You may discover the total assortment at Alysian.
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