Spotlight on Local: Rahya Jewelry Design
This week we’re kicking off our latest series, “Spotlight on Local,” with an interview with local jewelry designer and entrepreneur, Rahya Blackwell. This series will focus on highlighting the women business owners and makers that contribute to Austin’s creative culture and innovative spirit.
Why did you develop the brand you did? What does it mean to you and what do you think it means to your clients?
The core of my brand and design is minimalism. I find that so much of what we do and buy as consumers is in excess and more than we need. I wanted to create an accessory brand that gave women a resource for simplicity and elegant style that is accessible. Every collection I design I strive to create pieces that seamlessly fit into anyone’s wardrobe—facilitating timeless style but also being relevant.
What is the favorite piece you make or sell? Why does it stand out?
I love a good statement earring. The right statement earring can pair with a simple black dress or elevate a vintage tee and cutoff jeans outfit. I find many women can get intimidated with large earrings and feel a bit “extra”—dressing an earring down with a cool vintage tee is the best gateway to statement earring confidence. The Cane Earrings are a perfect example of an oversized earring that can do it all. These were casted from actual furniture cane webbing, giving them a modern take on vintage style. They feel very structured and geometric in shape giving them an edgy feel as well.
How has being an entrepreneur affected the way you view the world? Does being a business owner impact your personal life? How?
My business is my everything—everything I do revolves around my business. Not necessarily because it is my livelihood, but because it is my passion. Owning a business successfully, you have to always be “on”. There’s never an after work or before work. Just last week standing in line for ACL here in Austin, making new friends with an excited group of girls in line, they suddenly honed in on my earrings I was wearing. In .02 seconds flat, I had business cards in each of their hands. My business and passion are always on my mind—loving what you do has to be authentic and real. If you believe in what you do and love what you do, others will believe in it too.
What do you hope will change about your business in five years? What do you hope will be the same about your business in five years? How do you try to support Austin women?
My 5 year dream would be to bring my company’s casting to Austin and having a facility to do that in. I think this would not only strongly support artistic jobs, but also a creative community of jewelry designers here in Austin. I would keep many things the same about my business in 5 years. One is my design ethic. It is always a delicate balance of designing what I like and designing what my customer likes. Most of the time these are the same, but staying true to my vision I feel is what makes my product unique. That is something I work really hard on and will continue to do.
What can the city government or local community do to support your business (besides visiting it more)?
I would love to see the city provide a financially sustainable platform for artists to work and produce. There are so many great organizations that make studio space available to growing artists—but locking down a facility in the midst of an explosively growing city would allow artists to focus more on the work and less on making ends meet. The community here in Austin is so supportive of artists—many of the big art events have become some of the most anticipated Austin weekends.
What about your brand or yourself do you most associate with Austin? How does it reflect Austin?
Austin is such a mecca for design innovation. I have an affinity for architecture—I love just driving around the city. You can see the character and personalities in Austin residents just from their homes. Shapes, textures, materials—there’s no limit here. Growing up in New Orleans, there was a manufactured comfort from building codes to preserve the look and feel of the cherished neighborhoods. Nostalgic, yes—innovative and fresh, maybe not. Austin is constantly pushing the boundaries with so many new visions and ideas. As a designer, I get so much energy from problem solving and doing things outside the box. Austin is not only is a wonderful platform to do this in, but also a very deep inspiration to my work.
If you were allowed to only eat one food every day for the rest of your life, but it provided you all the nutrition you needed, what would that food be and what do you love about it?
I love this question! It would be sushi, 100%. Growing up in south Louisiana, seafood was everywhere. I guess I just grew to love it or maybe never knew any different. Sushi is the next-level version of Gulf seafood. Its light, refreshing, pretty, and I would absolutely eat it every day if I could.
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