Julia Rutland is the head diva here at Aesthetic Design Style, but did you know she also has a jewelry line? She's a busy little bee! Here is the interview she did for our blog.
Introduce yourself?
I'm Julia Rutland, owner of Aesthetic Design Style and my creative outlet is designing statetment pieces for my line of jewelry called ShaSAM3.
Where are you from?
Born a Buckeye, but have lived most of my life in Indianapolis.
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| ShaSAM3 "Egypt Royale" (retail $15) |
How long have you been designing?
Officially since October 2009 - unofficially all my life.
When did you start ShaSAM3?
October 2009 - the name is a hybrid of my three beautiful daughters' names.
What inspired you to start ShaSAM3?
My mother-in-law had a big suitcase full of costume jewelry she found at her mother's house. All kinds of stuff from all eras and I just was beside myself. We all got the chance to go through it and pick out things we liked; so that's what started my wheels turning. There were a ton of vintage brooches and earrings that had no mates so I just knew I could create something nice from these pieces. I love big oversized accessories and I really love rings. I wasn't finding rings big enough for my liking so I started desiging them out of need :) The more I wore them the more people asked where I got them so I thought maybe this would be something I could share with others. This way the beautiful jewelry that would have been thrown away or left in that suitcase could be cherished for years to come with a modern twist.
What sets ShaSAM3 apart from other accessories lines?
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| ShaSAM3 "Ring Leader" (retail $50) |
I LOVE using unexpected things and making them beautiful or extraordinary. Denim is pretty dull but when you work it into a piece of jewelry it takes on a life of its own and becomes art. The best part is taking denim -which was at one time considered something only "blue collared" workers wore- and turning into something that I pair with an evening gown. Irony runs through many of my pieces. My love of finding new life for old things got me thinking of all the denim I had laying around. That turned into the statement pieces I create out of denim. I sometimes incorporate the vintage jewelry with the denim for an unexpected marriage of hard and soft that really seems to work.
Who are your influences?
Elsa Schiaparelli, Marchaesa Casati, and my Great Great Aunt Rose (whom I never had the pleasure of meeting but she smoked cigars and wore pants at a time when "ladies" weren't suppose to do so - I love hearing stories about her)
What is your favorite piece?
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| ShaSAM3 Ring (retail $15) |
One called Ring Leader that I designed because I was in love with these huge metal rings I had lying around. I added some denim and some nice natural baubles and it turned into something better than I imagined in my head.
What are your price points?
Nothing over $50
Who do you prefer: Independent or Mainstream designers?
an independent fashion revolution all the way baby! (that's trademarked by the way :)
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| ShaSAM3 Denim (retail $30) |
Any other special projects you want to share with our readers?
I am working on expanding the brand this year and having it in more retail establishments and available for online purchasing as well. Look for our designs to collaborate with some local and not so local designers this year and we may just pop up in other unexpected places :)
You can see and purchase more pieces and from ShaSAM3 on their website and the Aesthetic Design Style online boutique.
