Sasha V. Flynn, the founder and designer of Adore Adorn, creates jewelry that celebrates family memories and personal narratives. Each handcrafted piece is a testament to love and resilience, telling unique stories that resonate deeply with wearers. In this interview, we explore Sasha’s inspirations and the vision behind Adore Adorn.
Your brand focuses on revitalizing family memories through wearable jewelry art. Can you share a specific example of how a family memory has inspired one of your designs?
My aunt Mary Jane lived in Los Angeles, CA, when I was younger. We would visit her very often and she had such a distinctive style. She would collect jewelry from estate sales and build the most eclectic jewelry collection, mostly costume. She was an early memory of what it meant to collect jewelry as an attachment to a specific story. It was a ritual of ours, as I got older, to go through her collections, and I was able to choose a piece here and there that she would hold for me until she passed on. Those memories together were always joyful. When I started Adore Adorn, she was the first one I called to see if I could revisit her collection (it had grown immensely). She had quite a few pieces that inspired motifs in my earlier collections. It was just the playfulness of our time spent together that inspired me the most. On a more serious note, she pushed me to see the beauty in the details. She showed me how the discovery process of searching for the perfect piece within uniqueness could make someone so happy. It was a beautiful ritual that I still carry with me today
Your made-to-order system helps combat over-consumption and waste. Can you explain how this system works and why it’s essential for your brand’s sustainability efforts?
This was a critical dilemma that I faced very early on. As I designed collections and stepped on the scene, I had to gauge what people may want and at what frequency. It didn’t align with what I was trying to do. I want to create artful pieces that feel made explicitly for the person. However, as Adore Adorn grew in popularity, I needed to cement this intimate one-on-one experience while also being able to scale. After much research and internal discussions, we settled on an “on-demand” model that seemed to be taking off amongst smaller European brands. I thought it was the perfect fit to maintain smaller inventories and not contribute to our high-waste society. Jewelry is my medium of choice because it has a longer lifecycle than most fashion brands. That was an integral part of what I wanted to present. Something with lasting power, like a good book. With that, I wanted the consumer to be able to shape how we grew. I didn’t want to arbitrarily design large quantities of products to go on sale later. It was more important for me to build small-batch, customizable pieces that could tell a unique story for each wearer. I’m happy to state that I want to grow even further into this model. The system eventually will work where several customers have to purchase an item before producing the batch. That way, we aren’t consistently making one of a piece but able to reach a higher demand. This is only a steady growth system we plan to achieve when the market dictates that need.
You aim to create art with substance, with each design telling a unique story. Can you discuss the narrative behind one of your favorite pieces?
My favorite piece is our Missy ring with pearls. I made this ring in 2017, but it’s having a bit of a come-back moment this year. I knew an artist in Chicago, IL, who painted beautiful women with their hair made of flowers. I asked him to collaborate with me when I was just starting out because I hoped to develop a collection of women’s faces that could represent women and their different natural hairstyles, like afro, turban, and even braids. The idea was that women could wear these influential figures, representing distinct features from women worldwide. We developed six women, and Missy is one of them. I ended up naming the ring after my aunt Missy, an artist who inspired everyone around her. It is not her actual face, but she had a big afro as shown in the sketch, and I thought it was perfect to adorn her hair with pearls and then later faceted gems. She was a creative force. I design jewelry for strong women like my aunts, mother, and grandmothers that granted us resilience, power, and joy. I wanted my collection of FACES to represent those characteristics I knew all too well. It is a story that many women from many cultures can identify with.
How does Adore Adorn engage with its community, both locally and online? Do you involve your customers in any aspects of the design process or brand decisions?
As a primarily online brand, connecting to our customers is always important. We do a lot of personal phone calls, zooms, and gifting to our VIP customers to show appreciation. We also listen intently. This comes in the form of complaints, compliments, and suggestions. A lot of my jewelry was inspired by women around me, so I’m often getting feedback from them on where to take a piece next. It’s organic and heartfelt. Adore Adorn is a family business. My mom and I develop a lot of products by co-creating ideas. My sister has established new designs, and even my Gen-Z niece has had some say in our design process. As for our larger community, we do events and pop-ups to connect with them and hear IRL feedback. It’s great. Dinners + events are my favorite ways to get aligned with our community and what they look for from a jewelry brand.
As a designer, how do you see your artistic style evolving over time? Are there any new techniques or materials you’re excited to explore in future collections?
I spend a good majority of my time learning and exploring. A lot of my life is about curation and taste. That can happen in so many ways, but my favorite way is in nature. I lean into traveling and spending time in natural spaces to commune with the Earth. It’s a journey to find new techniques and materials since I’m self-taught. I went to Parsons School of Design, but jewelry design didn’t come till much later. So, I’m constantly on the tradeshow circuit, visiting factories, new makers, and new lapidaries. Every meeting is an opportunity to uplevel my creativity. Since getting the chance to work with the Platinum Guild this year and developing a piece, I have decided to continue to work platinum into my new fine jewelry collection. I’m still working on how that works—coming soon.
Can you walk us through your creative process from conception to final product? How do you translate emotions and memories into tangible jewelry designs?
After the initial spark from the journey of creative inspiration, the rest is pretty formulaic. I typically find my gemstones or materials first; I know that’s pretty backward, but I think that’s why my jewelry is so unique. I like to create a story around the materials, just as much about the design. Because I am so inspired by nature, I want to work with all levels and forms of shells and gems. I have a few pieces made with solid metal, but it’s not my core. My core is colored stones and pearls. Now, the spark of how I choose that is usually based on the person. Through my travels, I find fascinating individuals that I gravitate towards, and we work together by energetic connections. I do not work with people that I can’t tolerate. It’s just a choice that works better for me. After those initial creative offerings, I sketch and develop my pieces. Sometimes, it’s just putting the gems together that make a good fit. Other times, it’s a full-on sketch. I follow my heart, and I’m not fussy about the process. I’m a wild artist, and I like to create freely. I think some of that comes across in my collections. It’s non-traditional, and I love it. As long as I have a good playlist, some incense, herbal tea, or red wine, and a small space to sketch on– I’m in a great place! Oh, I should also mention that to connect my jewelry to real-tangible emotions, I created a set of ‘Heart Movement’ gift boxes outlining the feeling my customer may feel most connected to. It’s no surprise that these did the best during the Pandemic. Our Healing boxes were a best-seller. We include rough and polished crystals, a set of mantra notes, and of course, the customer’s jewelry of choice. In the notes box on our site, we asked the customer to briefly share a story. We then matched the crystals chosen based on the emotional journey they were on. We eventually streamlined into pre-built kits that connected the wearer to a piece of jewelry + mantra box that we chose worked best together. We still do personalized gift kits as well.
Do you have any memorable customer stories or testimonials that highlight the impact your jewelry has had on their lives?
I have two favorite customers, Ida and Brenda. These two women became lifelong friends and family of Adore Adorn. They both purchased jewelry over the years, building the most unique collections. We began talking about their families and our families. We then started exchanging family photos and big moments. These moments are unique because we don’t know one another, but due to the close intimacy that I create with my clientele, they feel comfortable bringing Adore Adorn into their world. My favorite moment is when Ida told me all of her purchases were for her 4-year old granddaughter (when she gets older). Just thinking about her wearing my rings in 15-20 years is like a salve I use whenever things get challenging.
How do you envision expanding Adore Adorn’s reach beyond its current audience? Are there any markets or regions you’re particularly interested in exploring?
I’m actively seeking out a showroom that can help Adore Adorn grow beyond what we’ve organically created. To this point, all of our press, sales + media have been generated internally. We’ve never paid for a post, like, or influence. Until this point, whatever you see from Adore Adorn came from our small but mighty team of women. We have worked through many growing pains and built genuine relationships with the industry. I want to expand upon these relationships by working with a showroom that can sell Adore Adorn into more retail partnerships. Additionally, I would like to grow our international footprint, so International showrooms are on our list, too. I must work with the proper agencies and showrooms because my brand’s lifecycle is delicate. I don’t want to be treated like a trend; I want longevity. That’s why I’m growing slowly.
Looking back on your journey with Adore Adorn so far, what do you hope your legacy will be, both as a designer and as a brand?
I hope to simply inspire. I would love to build bridges to communities that otherwise would not be at the forefront of the jewelry industry. I hope to leave a legacy of inclusion. The image of Adore Adorn tells a culturally important story, and I hope that it is never buried.
How do you envision Adore Adorn pieces being passed down through generations as cherished heirlooms, and what steps do you take to ensure their longevity and timeless appeal?
It’s in our DNA to craft designs that can be heirlooms. In my family, we passed down costume jewelry and some fine jewelry pieces connected to various memories. It was less about the price and more about the design and aesthetics. Our designs are statement pieces that tell a story. I have already written what the pieces mean to me as a designer, but I hope that the wearer further defines what that means for them. I pray that the story develops much further once it leaves us. I remember when my first collection was purchased, I wanted to be able to call people up and see what they were doing with my designs, lol. I just want them to be carried to a household with love. I’ve learned that some pieces need to be designed in solid gold or platinum. My goal is to offer all of our core-sellers in metals that are harder to destroy. Our materials have evolved, but the story and goal remain the same.
If you could have anyone wear your pieces today, who would it be and why?
I wish I could go back and design collections for the artists in the Harlem Renaissance. Their works paved the way for me to be here today. Artists, poets, dancers, musicians, and actors from that time were the epitome of style and grace. I would love to have been aligned with some of those greats.
What is your personal and professional mantra?
Professional: “Art means nothing if it simply decorates the dinner table…”
Personal: “I tell my students, ‘When you get these jobs that you have been so brilliantly trained for, just remember that your real job is that if you are free, you need to free somebody else. If you have some power, then your job is to empower somebody else. This is not just a grab-bag candy game.” – Toni Morrison.
Sasha V. Flynn’s Adore Adorn transforms jewelry into a powerful means of connection and expression. By infusing her designs with personal significance, she invites individuals to embrace their unique stories. Discover Sasha’s beautiful creations at adoreadorn.com.
