MEET THE DESIGNER: DANA BRONFMAN
Fashionkind presents an interview with Dana Bronfman.
A fine jewelry designer who studied at the Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts in San Francisco and held an apprenticeship in Santa Fe before establishing her brand in New York, Dana actually began her career in the non-profit world. Taking every opportunity she could to travel, Dana constantly “found [herself] fascinated by the unique local jewelry.” As she collected pieces from each place she realized the power of such small, delicate material items to tell the story of her unique journey. Today, Dana works with master jewelers in New York City to continue to create exceptionally crafted designs while staying true to her philanthropic roots. Dana Bronfman jewelry utilizes reclaimed and fairmined 18 karat gold, post-consumer and reclaimed diamonds, and ethically-sourced gemstones.
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Fashionkind (FK): What has been your biggest success to date? What has been the biggest challenge?
Dana Bronfman (DB): My biggest success to date was winning the Fashion Group International’s Rising Star Award in the Fine Jewelry category earlier this year. While I consider creating a beautiful piece and finding a home for it a success and honor in its own right, winning this prestigious award and receiving the recognition for my designs and hard work made me feel over the moon.
My biggest challenge has been balancing creativity with practicality as a designer, artist and entrepreneur.
FK: What does Fashionkind mean to you?
DB: Fashionkind means giving back. It leads a movement and calls for people to think about the creators and the creative process behind fashion, which at the end of the day allows people to connect with their clothing, accessories, and fine jewelry. Fashionkind is a storyteller, and people understanding the stories behind their clothing is what makes material possessions meaningful. So, Fashionkind is giving back by giving people meaning. Fashionkind is about making material possessions more than material possessions. It allows anyone who buys a piece from Fashion Kind to give back and be a part of the story behind each piece.
FK: Tell us about the exclusive Fashionkind x Dana Bronfman pieces.
DB: These pieces to me epitomize the message of Fashionkind, which celebrates the art of not compromising on either responsibility of craftsmanship, quality of materials, or design.
We created the pieces in New York City, like all of my pieces, using reclaimed eighteen karat gold. The diamonds are all natural and ethically-sourced. The hammered finish on the Oversized Pyramid Earrings and Pendant pays homage to the slow, laborious labor of love that is using a hammer to handcraft jewelry.
The diamonds around the sides and the open pattern on the back reveals not-so-obvious details, as I always love to take my designs one step further than expected, so there is a somewhat hidden detail that she who owns the piece can discover. The chain on the necklace is adjustable so it can be worn with multiple necklines, so women can wear the jewels with anything and everything, every day or night.
I always try on and wear my own jewelry to see how they feel, so I can ensure that the jewels feel as beautiful and luxurious to wear as they look. They make me feel glam-rock artist with my hair down and Jackie-O with my hair in a bun, and somewhere in between with my hair in a messy bun!
Both the rings are fabulous cocktail rings that are glamorous enough for nighttime, but are light and comfortable enough to wear during the day. I'm well-known for my oculus designs, so the Oversized Oculus Pyramid Ringrepresents that.
The Still Lily Solitaire Ring reminds me of a surrealist flower, as I was inspired by Salvador Dalí's "The Persistence of Memory," the famous painting of melting clocks, to create the simultaneously architectural and organic look of this piece. The center diamond is a 0.25 carat recycled diamond of beautiful GH color and VS clarity; the post-consumer stone is recycled from another piece of jewelry but is a modern brilliant cut. Because of this unique stone, it is one-of-a-kind, but another can be reproduced using another special reclaimed diamond.
FK: What do you see for the fashion industry going forward?
DB: I am not sure that fast fashion is going away, I have noticed many brands taking steps towards more ethical and sustainable processes because customers are becoming increasingly caring about the topic.
While some brands “greenwash,” or use sustainability and ethical stories as a marketing strategy, I ultimately think that truly ethical and sustainable fashion will become more mainstream and be regarded as an added value to the product-- just as organic and locally-farmed food became mainstream, and people came to expect to pay a premium for it.
FK: If you could have a dinner party and invite any three guests, who would they be?
DB: Marianne Williamson, Michelle Obama, and Lady Gaga. That would make the ultimate inspiring and interesting dinner party!
Shop our exclusive Dana Bronfman pieces as part of our Capsule Collection. Available for pre-order through August 14th.
