Last week we addressed the fashion industry's waste problem and spoke about what consumers can do to reduce this impact. So, for part two of our #carnival series, I decided to feature two local sustainable jewellery designers to help you source your goodies for the season.
The first designer is Janine, the owner of and "proud mama" of VENA - The Goddess Experience.
Janine has been making jewellery for almost eight years, having started it as a project to help support herself through university. However, she says that she has always been creative, as she grew up making designs and repurposing clothing to express her style.
A one-woman team, she shares that her production process is "ritualistic" - her healing time. She also shares that while she sometimes sketches, she enjoys relaxing with "good, soulful music" and allowing her ideas to flow freely, stating that many of her creations were born from that simple process.
With regard to sourcing her materials, she tries to maintain a balance between purchasing from local suppliers and using recycled material.
She is especially happy to use recycled materials because she believes environmental consciousness is growing. She shares "with global conversations about climate change, it's becoming almost impossible to ignore how our role as consumers affects the planet. In my experience, customers are even more excited when they learn about the ways I incorporate recycled material into both our designs and packaging. As business owners we also have an immense responsibility to help be agents of change".
Where challenges are concerned, Janine shares that the current economy has made getting sales more difficult, however, she believes that as a business owner, one should be willing to meet people where they are.
She also shares that consistency is key when it comes to communicating with your customers so they keep coming back; "your customers love you and naturally, they want to know that you're with them every step of the way".
Janine also hopes to expand in the future, with the aim of one day having a space for her business, and she is confident that with persistence she will achieve her goal.
The second designer is Noelia, owner of Noelia's Jewelry Creations, who has been making and selling paper-bead jewellery for the past six years.
Noelia was taught the paper beading technique by her grandmother, Rita, and eventually started using it as a fun way to express her creativity and make unique items for herself.
Formerly a dance teacher, she would often wear her pieces to class and the teachers would notice her work and ask if she could make pieces for them as well.
After her grandmother passed away in 2013, she invested more time in her craft, officially opening her business in 2014.
Noelia's production process involves the use old calendars, magazines, gift paper, gift bags, Christmas cards which she collects through customer donations and purchases.
The material is then cut into triangular strips and rolled around a wooden toothpick or skewer, using glue to hold the shape. Next, a sealant is brushed on the beads and they are left to dry. Glass, shells, natural stones, and wooden beads are then blended with the paper beads to make her eco-friendly pieces.
Like Janine, Noelia thinks that Caribbean persons value sustainably-produced products. She shared that there have been times that customers were amazed by her ability to make jewellery out of paper, and she is happy to build increased awareness about the environment and how persons can reduce, reuse and recycle. However, she does note that there are still customers who will purchase cheaper, more unsustainable products, so there is still a long way to go.
In response to this, she tries her best to maintain affordable prices, especially since she mainly uses donated materials to create her products.
In future Noelia hopes to have her products for sale in larger jewelry chain stores and thinks that it would be great to see her eco-friendly jewellery pieces in a store like Wonderful World. She also shares that her customers are hoping for the development of more stores that sell eco-friendly products locally.
So there you have it! Not one, but TWO sustainable businesses you can get our carnival accessories from... so I mean ...what are you waiting for? Go get yours, sis (or bro - they got y'all covered too)!
If you enjoyed this week's post, please comment below, share this post with your friends and check back next Sunday for the next part of the #YugenBlog #CarnivalSeries! ~
- Jamala A.
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