Today we’d like to introduce you to Jordan Krouse.
Jordan, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
Growing up in a small, Midwestern town, I always knew I wanted to get out and explore the world. With each new place I visited, I grew more excited to travel. After high school, I moved to Chicago and immediately fell in love with city-living and the diverse environment. Soon after, I studied abroad and crossed ten more countries off my bucket list. I was hooked and craving even bigger experiences, so I packed up my Jeep and headed to LA. I started working for Hyatt and took full advantage of the travel perks, visiting new places nearly every month! It was somewhere in the midst of packing for all of these trips that I had an idea to keep my jewelry from tangling, but it wasn’t until November of 2017 that I finally saw my vision come to life and launched the blingsling® on cleverdesignsla.com.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I truly believe that no matter where you live in the world, we’re more alike than we are different and if each of us lives our lives doing what we love, spreading kindness, and sharing experiences through travel, we will be more open-minded, more connected, and we’ll bring the world closer together.
As a travel enthusiast and chronic over-packer, I spent years finding the best way to strategically fit the most I possibly could in the smallest space. I’m talking 10-day backpacking trips across six countries kind of packing! Without a doubt, every time I’d jump on my bag to zip up, I’d realize I’d forgotten my jewelry! I tried everything from boxes to bags to rolls and couldn’t find anything that would take minimal space in my luggage without causing the dreaded jumble of necklaces when I arrived.
So I had an idea! And after several years of researching and prototyping, I created the blingsling®: a slim and flexible jewelry bag that uses patent-pending, magnetic straps to keep jewelry organized and tangle-free. I wanted to make sure it was produced in an ethical way and am proud to say it’s handmade in LA with vegan and eco-friendly materials and gives back to organizations empowering women with each bag sold.
I’m on a mission to help women enjoy more time connecting, inspiring, and doing what we love. By building a community of clever girl travelers who use our products to save time and give back to other women and girls, I’m excited to be closer to my goal every day!
Any advice for aspiring or new artists?
I always tell the Step Up girls I mentor to just start now. It doesn’t matter how big of a move you make, but you’re never going to be as young as you are at this moment ever again. So if you feel too old now, it’s only going to grow. But good news! You’re still here. You still have time. Just do it. Just start somewhere. Just start!
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
The blingsling® is currently sold on our website, cleverdesignsla.com.
You can support us by:
-purchasing a blingsling® to help us give back to organizations empowering women
-spreading the word about us and our mission to your family + friends
-signing up for our Clever Girl Squad emails on our website
-following us on social media @theblingsling
Contact Info:
- Website: cleverdesignsla.com
- Phone: 800-979-8219
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @theblingsling
- Facebook: facebook.com/theblingsling
- Twitter: twitter.com/theblingsling
- Other: pinterest.com/theblingsling
Image Credit:
Lifestyle images by Champagne Cochran
Product images by Mieke Snepvangers
Headshot by Daisy Romero
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
