Embrace The Journey

A trip down memory lane, shall we?

In the beginning, there was Simply Native. In January of 2012, I officially launched my first business. Having just moved to Eugene, Oregon for college, most of the jewelry I made was inspired by Hawai‘i and the ocean I left far behind. Throughout the years, I continued to evolve my designs to match the styles and preferences of friends and family. Shells, gemstones, you name it—a lot of tassels were involved.

Fast forward to 2019, I rebranded Simply Native to SVN. With a guilty conscience about the environmental impact my business makes, I focused on upcycling and repurposing objects. I made earrings with fragments of used plastic pens, destined for the landfill, to provoke an awareness of our everyday consumption. The idea of the brand focused on upcycling everyday items inspired me but the reality of production was not something I could keep up with, especially with a 9-5 job.

That brings us to current times in 2022. If there’s anything I’ve learned in the last 10 years, it’s that the jewelry I love to wear every day and get most excited about is also the jewelry that others get most excited about. Trying to force trends and outside voices into the process usually ends in a piece I don’t love or won’t wear. With Clemaeve, I’ve finally reached a place of peace and love for creating what I want to make and what I love. I’ve realized that it’s about the journey of creating and not about a perfect finished product.