Q&A with Designer Marla Aaron
Posted by Quinn Sherman on
Q: Tell our customers what inspired you to take something as mundane and useful as a caribiner lock to such grandeur? I mean they are stunning and embellished to the nines….It is such an unpredictable concept for jewelry!! We just LOVE them!
A: It was an obsession more than anything. Once I realized I could morph the shape in infinite ways in precious metal and add stones I knew we were onto something. But it was also the gateway and really only the beginning to some of the more complicated mechanisms that we make. The Trundle Lock Series, The Zephyr, our DiMe Series of rings....really only the beginning.
Q: What is your favorite piece in the line at the moment? I know it is kind of like choosing a favorite child!! You can choose more than one if you need to!
A: Our DiMe Series will have my heart always. The bracelet version will allow you to literally write an entire love letter to someone on the interior. The mechanism is beautiful. It's simply spectacular. And our earrings--the women who own them adore them. Myself included.
Q: What is on the horizon that you are most excited about!?
A: The development of our DiMe Siempre Series of rings yielded the creation of our Rolling Spheres ring which is perhaps one of our most complicated mechanisms. I have found that whenever we introduce something with a new mechanism it is invariably a gateway to even more designs--that's why it's exciting.
Q: What jewelry do you wear every day. Do you wait until you get to your office to drip yourself in jewels or do you have a few staple pieces that you are never seen without?
A: I wear mostly the same pieces every day reimagining them in different ways as the mood strikes me. I am constantly experimenting with myself so that I understand all the ways our customers will wear our jewelry.
Q: Your creativity and off the wall, fun personality oozes off the screen on Instagram!! Do you come from a long line of creatives in your family or are they just as surprised watching your posts as we are? As a busy professional woman, how do you nourish that side of your life?
A: My family would tell you I am exactly the same way in real life that I post. If anything our message is one of authenticity which I feel our customers appreciate. I feel very nourished...maybe even over nourished...the only thing I am short on is time to do all the things I want to do...I am very conscious that this is not a dress rehearsal and I live my life that way.
Q: How big is your team at home and at work? We are blown away at how you are always creating new product, promoting in inventive ways (from gumball machines to scavenger hunts) AND most importantly you are always giving back to causes that matter….not to mention you are a cook…famous for your vegetable show!! You make it look so easy and FUN! What is your advice for those of us that wish we could do it all?!
A: Nobody can do it all. We have a fairly large team at work around 20 people and I am very proud of the business I have built. Everyone contributes to the success of the company--I am beyond grateful.
