Admittedly, I’ve always been a frustrated arts and crafts camp counselor at heart. The process of creating, building and making it happen has always fascinated me. My father was a designer and my mother took on projects in our home, so I suppose I come by it naturally.
As a child I was exposed to the fashion industry and grew up surrounded by all sorts of fun materials to play and experiment with. My career began as a Road Warrior, more commonly known as a traveling salesman, for a multi-line showroom in Chicago.
Essentially, I was charged with running a traveling showroom right out of a 29-foot Winnebago. The “Winny” was outfitted with a couch, showing wall and triple racks to house up to 12 different lines of clothing. I would pull up to Mall of America in Minnesota and spend three days in the parking lot. Buyers would come out to see me in the “bus”, where they would sit and I would present each of the lines.
Thus began my 1500-mile per week travels through the Mid-west. If I were really an entrepreneur, I would have thought of Road Rules!
After leaving the road and coming “inside” to manage the 17-designer showroom, I knew that I had to head to New York, the heart of the Fashion business. Fortunately, one of the designers we represented offered me a job handling regional sales out of the corporate office. I still travelled quite a bit, but jets are certainly more efficient than Winnebagos!
It was, however, my job at the women’s clothing line, Finity, that set me on my path. Regional Sales led to an opportunity in the Product Development/Private Label department and I knew I had discovered my true calling.
I collaborated directly with the customer to achieve the desired product, honing my skills in sales, design, production and logistics. The position took me all over the world, and I soon moved up to head the division.
As my career progressed, I helped many other companies in their development, but I wasn’t entirely sure that I was in the right place. My “hobby” was making jewelry for myself and family and friends.
It wasn’t until the third or fourth store had asked to order the “unusual” bracelets I wore to shows that I really started to think about the prospect of creating my own line. After another year or so of trunk shows, house parties, holiday bazaars and country club lunches, I knew I was on to something.
The “Aha” moment for me was more of a kick-in-the-pants-if-you-don’t-do-this-now-you-never-will yelling in my ear. Thank goodness I have the incredibly supportive family that I do. And I’m fairly certain it was some of their voices in my ear.
So off I started, with a vision of what I thought I wanted. However, I knew three things for certain:
- No one in the world needed another bracelet
- Women would always buy bracelets, so they should buy mine
- I wanted/needed to make this about my community, not just me and my designs
My parents instilled in me that I was just born lucky to have a loving family, a roof over our heads, food on the table, an education and the luxury of opportunity to try.
In my head, I wanted to employ people who didn’t have the same conventional opportunities that I had – adults who wanted to work and contribute, but for whatever reason existed just outside the common circle.
Eventually, I developed relationships with occupational-therapy centers for special-needs adults and residential homeless shelters for women. I had found what I was looking for.
Brett Lauren Designs is proud to employ some of these lovely women in both New Jersey and California. For some, the opportunity is a stepping-stone, a small way to build themselves back into society. For others, we offer a chance to “go to work”, participate and be valued. Anytime we can contribute to and be a part of this process, we are honored.
Our jewelry is contemporary, but timeless. Simple with an edge. Commemorative and collectible. All pieces are designed and manufactured in the US with components from all over the world. The stones are genuine, and we use plated copper and offer a variety of sizes to accommodate individual tastes.
At the heart of our growing company, we live by three beliefs – design, quality and service.
And service remains a core element of the business – with those we employ and with our clients.
If a customer calls us, I’ll probably be the one to answer the phone. We’ll recommend a gift for your mother-in-law, exchange the color that you would never wear and fix your piece when your son and dog decide to play tug o’ war.
I’m in business and I want you to continue to enjoy your purchase; if not, then why bother?
We want to do more than be good, we want to DO GOOD. We believe in connection, with yourself, with your family and friends and with your greater community. To do good, we believe in giving back to the causes close to our hearts.
Brett Lauren Designs proudly supports a number of organizations including Operation Mend, Huntington’s Disease Society of America, and Autism Speaks. And we encourage everyone to give back in any way possible – be it big or small.