On a Tuesday afternoon, the week before Labor Day, I got an Instagram message from Ike, a stylist I had worked with last summer through Pervis Ross PR. “Would you be interested in being a jewelry sponsor at NYFW?” 36 hours prior, I had written a note on my to-do list to look into showing at NYFW in February 2018. Fashion week was only 2 weeks away and although I’d be attended some shows/parties as a guest, I figured I missed out on participating this season but would look into next. Seeing that message from Ike, my heart skipped a beat, I got butterflies, the whole nine yards, and we set up a phone call for that night. I was scared, nervous, anxious, excited, jumping up and down, all of it. She gave me the run down. I’d have two weeks til showtime. Not everyone knows that I’m a one man show over here, most of my pieces are made to order, and I typically don’t have 40 pairs of earrings lying around the studio. I’ve been doing a lot of self reflection over here, wondering what’s next, how do I take my brand to the next level, etc. and I decided to say yes and just figure out how to make it happen. That’s always what I’ve done. Lately things have been comfortable, which makes me feel off. I needed something to shake things up a bit. This was quite possibly the most uncomfortable thing I’ve ever done. It forced me to grow, and I’ll forever be grateful for this first.
Those two weeks before the show were insanity. I made about 60 pairs of earrings to take with us to New York. There were business cards, finishing the new website, gift cards to be printed, etc. But we did it. I took my Baltimore dream team- my man, my best friend, Zach Kane on videography/model stills, and Brittany Hale for backstage/behind the scenes. For as crazy as the prep was for this, it was incredible and such a great experience. When you love something this hard, yea it’s a lot of work, but it doesn’t feel like work. I was exhausted, but in the most wonderful way. I’ll be forever grateful for the images and video we created from this so I can forever relive this first. This is only the beginning.
So, here’s a little peek at the event and some of my favorite moments from backstage. Thank you, Thank you, THANK YOU to everyone that helped make this possible! And yes, Millen Magese, Marlo Hampton, and Tammy Rivera were all a part of this first (eek!). Stay tuned for video and more behind the scenes! <3
Rachel Xx
