The Stories: “On my first day as a CFDA member, I stood up in front of then-president Diane von Furstenberg and Steven Kolb and I asked what our industry’s plans for sustainability was. I remember the Olsen twins sitting in front of me and turning around, staring at me. Everyone was staring at me. ‘Who is this girl?’ Diane and Steven looked at each other and said, ‘We have none’". The Backstory: Grew up with two creative grandmothers and aunts; one grandmother who was an award-winning quilter and who had hand-selected the rocks that her grandfather built their house with. Her mother is an ‘overachiever’, former lawyer who creates watercolor art and who spent hours with Melissa as a child making food for her Barbie refrigerator. “My dad, although he isn’t crafty, is very intellectually creative”. Wisdom Rains: “I tend to look at the shifts and the circularity of my business---marked by what some people might call ‘trauma’---as opportunities to rebuild better. Even though they’re really challenging to go through at the time, you really learn what’s important, and what you want.” On Inspo: “The way that we make jewelry is so influenced by traditional Mexican silversmithing techniques. I don’t do a lot of casting. We hand-make, hand-form, hand-hammer using a lot of the same tools that are used in Mexico. I really appreciate their craft and attention to detail.” Names her mother as ‘super-inspirational’ for how she’s reinvented herself to achieve many different things over the years. On Community + On Her Store: “People really enjoy getting together and talking about things, trying stuff on and having fun. I’ve only been in business for as long as I have, because of my community. I’ve built really strong relationships that have carried me through really challenging times, so I feel like nourishing those, intentionally. My wholesale partners have become a strong focus, so has creating the same type of partnership and energy within my store.” What Else: “There is a lot of technical detail within what we do that doesn’t scream, ‘look at me’. It’s an understated elegance that allows each person to put their personal stamp on my jewelry when they wear it”. Obsixed: A collection of Melissa’s current lifestyle obsessions and brands.

A WORD FROM THE HOST

This is a really special podcast featuring jewelry designer Melissa Joy Manning, whom I’ve worked with and known for years. A true artist through and through, this conversation allowed me, after knowing her and her work for so many years as a fashion editor, to get deep into her origin story. (Actually, a pair of her earrings were the first significant piece of jewelry I bought for myself when I began working in fashion and magazines, and while at Interview). You’ll learn about the colors, sights, and sounds of her very interesting upbringing in Northern California, hear about the trip to Mexico that set her on her path as a jewelry designer, and her thoughts on what many believe are the magical properties of rocks, minerals, and gemstones…including a really cool tale about Herkimer diamonds that will make you want to own some for yourself. And we’re all looking for modern talismans, she says. Listen in for how she rocked the CFDA with one majorly important question, and take away some very valuable advice for an approach to your work---no matter what it is you do. Melissa is one smart cookie, a deep thinker, and after this conversation I was left thinking… no wonder she was a trailblazer. A trailblazer in the upholding of her view of jewelry as both art and product design, and in the materials she’s long chosen to work with. Melissa is a creator who totally defines and embodies signature style, individuality, and what it is to be authentic.

                                        + tamara rappa