Jewel designer Laura Oradouii remembers that she was sketching in an apartment in Paris one day in late May 2020. In Minneapolis. Only two months have passed since the police detective in Louisville, Kentucky, shot Braina Taylor.
Shocked by these events, millions came to march for the fairness of races that could have been the largest protest in the United States. It was a bittersweet opportunity for black jewelry designers. Initiatives, curations, and programs from brands such as natural diamond counsel, Sazabies, and Devia have been created to spot black designers in the aftermath.
And, despite the fact that black designers have changed the political environment, many people have made it possible to move forward this period in a way they did not expect.
Roraine West, the founder of Lorain West Jewelry in New York City, reminded me that it took me 12 years to move to a luxury jewelry. Later, almost overnight in 2020, she received orders and inquiries from retailers, fashion editors, and corporate executives.
“Since then, she has written in email as follows.” I would like to evaluate whether the opportunity matches my business goal based on the stable foundation of support, consistency, mutualism, and rest. I learned.
Johnny Nelson, a designer behind Johnny Nelson Jewelry in New York, wrote in an email, saying that the black creative, which raised energy, had started faded by 2022. However, although some brand support is decreasing, he added that other brands are longer and more sustainable. “Black designers have a bright and abundant future,” he wrote. “My wish is to create a powerful network that shares resources.”
Nelson is currently cooperating with filmmaker Spike Lee to cooperate with the limited edition of the nameplate and the custom -made four -finger ring celebrating the character played by Lee. (And Nelson recently appeared in his own jewelry in a sprite campaign.)
Terma West, who grew up in Lagos in Nigeria and became a disciple in both the Belgian Antwerp and the Hutton Garden area in London, opened a unique design atelier and a gemology lab called IGR London, and is philosophical about the current situation.
I remember she is the only black class in jewelry. Her goal is to create and confuse the industry with more bold works and bigger messaging than ever before. “This was a morning call,” she wrote by email. “You don't have to wait for the” moment “to shine. The true talent is always bright. The world has just begun to catch up. “
Such an example of this progress is the Fashion Designer's Counsille X Council, Fashion Designers of America, a new prize created through diversity initiatives. The selection committee includes Alexander Arno, an executive vise president of Tiffany's products and communication, and Frank Everett, Vice Chairman of the American continent in New York.
The winner KHIRY's Jameel Mohammed will receive a 50,000 dollar cash award and a one -year paid fellowship in Tiffany's design department.
“I started Killy at the age of 19, but this is the most clear sign that I have a future space,” said Mohamed on January 15, and said, “I. I always wanted to work and design, with an international reach and resource, and did not know what the next step was.
“I have no family money. I want to make art with a context of fashion and design. I have a lot of ideas.”
The gathering of art and commercial seems to be at the center of this new era. “I think economics is the core of the real change,” said Ebony Wigins, a consulting director of CFDA's equity initiative. “There is no racial equality without economic fairness. With this partnership, the distribution of financial resources can be assigned to bring social progress.” She is a society like a woman's wear. Although it could be noticeable, he added that a new route was needed.
The Malyia MCNAUGHTON, the founder and chairman of the Jewelry COALITION BLACK and chairman of the Board, is all about the route and pipeline. This organization, formed in the summer of 2020, promotes black experts in jewelry, jewelry, and clock industry, and is currently awarded to gain experience by working on a jeweler's bench. We have several programs, including a future Jewelers Academy.
Maknorton, a jeweler himself, believes that permanent changes need sustainable investments, access to resources, capital, and long -term opportunities for black jewelers. 。 “This is a marathon, not a sprint,” she wrote by email. “Balance between creativity and scalability is a delicate process, and for black designers, interests are often higher, but the jewelry industry offers an incredible opportunity to build legacy.”
Jessenian Land, Afratini Designer, a Demi Fine Jewelry in New York City, borrowed the help of a new designer diamond initiative of Natural Diamond Council when he performed his work in Las Vegas in 2023. She agreed that there was a wide range of changes on the horizon, but noted that they were not here yet.
“Just a few days ago, I went to the 47th Avenue Diamond Setter, but I found me unique,” she wrote in email. -And he is right. “
SymonĂ©currie, an emerging designer who grew up in Jamaica and established Metal X Wire in New York City, said that the diversity program changed her life in 2021 and 2022, but there was more to do. “In many cases, it seems that the band aid painted with George's Floyd is starting to peel off,” she wrote in email.
Almost five years after Floyd's death, there were sudden withdrawal or closing programs for diversity, fairness, and comprehensive programs in large -scale companies such as Microsoft, McDonald's, and Wal -Mart. However, the pace of black jewelry deals may have been slow, but some say that the shift has become more meaningful.
“We are all, everything, not only how we are recognized, but also from the perspective of self -conviction. London's designer Melanie Eddie by email. Born in Bermuda, she is the first solo jewelry exhibition that has been held at the Bermannatal Gallery.
“From the tragedy we found each other, we were in line with George Floyd, but it is in progress,” said Oladunjoye, a London -born designer who established the brand Lola Fenhirst in 2015. “
