Joonbug.com Aliza Olin and Claire Smith met up with 23-year-old Emily Gellis, one half of the jewelry design duo Tara & Miemy, to talk about her new line and future plans for the brand.
Joonbug: Where are you originally from?
Emily: Originally Great Neck, New York, but I’ve been living in NYC since college.
JB: Where did you attend college and what was your major?
E: I graduated from NYU in 2008 and majored in Communications with a specialization in Economics.
JB: How did you to get into the fashion industry?
E: I interned for a year at Intermix and was eventually promoted to Assistant Buyer of Ready–To-Wear Domestic Collections. It gave me a real insight to the industry and helped me develop my own eye for fashion.
JB: What made you decide to start your own company?
E: My friend Tara (also from Great Neck, NY) had started to design some jewelry so I’d been helping her out and it just seemed to take off from there. The name came from a trip to Miami with my family and Tara where they would tease me saying “Miami, My-emy”, like a play on words of my name. So, when we came to name our jewelry line, Tara & Miemy just stuck.
JB: Where is the line available?
E: Right now it’s available exclusively at Blue&Cream who have a store in Manhattan and another in East Hampton. We will also be opening our own store around Broadway and 22nd called Ella, in February 2010. We’re planning to branch out into clothing as well as jewelry with a Ready-To-Wear, six-piece capsule collection. The store will be 50% our own line, with the other half featuring a mix of up-and-coming designers from around the globe that would be exclusive to Ella in New York.
JB: We hear stars like Rihanna, Jay-Z, Katy Perry and Leighton Meester have all been wearing your jewelry, how did this come about?
E: Jeff, the owner of Blue&Cream, helped us get connected with some good press. Tara and I ended up going to dinner with Rihanna and Katy Perry and we made bracelets for them on the spot. Since then, Rihanna hasn’t taken off the red evil-eye bracelet we made for her. Hopefully we’ll be seeing Kanye West sporting some of our pieces in the near future, too.
JB: What was the inspiration for the collection?
E: The whole collection is themed around good luck emblems. It started with an elephant necklace and we developed it to include other animals and symbols that represent good luck in different cultures like the dragon, and the evil eye. The overall style of the line is very eclectic, from fine gold and diamond pieces that are delicate and feminine, to edgier and rougher statement pieces like the skull and elephant necklaces. It reflects my wardrobe, where I’m constantly balancing girly and edgy looks.
JB: What can we expect to see from Tara & Miemy in the future?
E: Well, the Ella store will have a unique touch as it will be open from noon to midnight, combining a restaurant venue with a boutique clothing store. We will also be having a launch party, hosted by Joonbug, on September 10th. -Joonbug.com
0 comments:
Post a Comment