Today we’d like to introduce you to Aklia Chinn.
So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I started designing jewelry right out of high school. Growing up, I had always been a crafty kid. I went to a school which fostered creative expression and encouraged learning through hands on activities and experience in the real world. I actually learned to work with a jeweler’s torch, fashioning little bangles of brass and copper at the age of 6 or 7. I also learned macrame, crocheting, and knot tying in my formative years.
These skills, combined with a childhood obsession of beads, baubles and embellished brooches has led me on a lifelong journey of discovery in the realm of jewelry design. I am so intrigued by the history of adornment throughout the world, and the ways human beings across myriad cultures have used and worn jewelry in so many deeply meaningful ways since the dawn of our time. When I sit down at my work table and begin to create, I feel a greater connection to those anonymous artisans whose work has so fascinated me. Their creations which have often survived hundreds, even thousands of years in some form or fashion, continue to influence and inspire to this day. Imagine a glass bead maker in Venice or a silversmith in India or Ethiopia in the 1800’s creating treasures that I would someday acquire and incorporate into my own creations. The reality of that is awesome!
So as I started to design my own jewelry line with an eye toward selling it, I also happened to be working on the television show “A Different World”. During the downtime between shooting scenes, I would be there with my tool kit fashioning necklaces, earrings, anklets and bracelets from my small bead collection. The costume designer on the show at that time, Mel Grayson took notice of my creations and bought a few pieces to outfit several of the characters on the show. After that, things pretty much took off like wild fire! The actors started buying my jewelry for themselves, as did many of the makeup and hair team, then the writers, producers, and other behind the scenes crew members. The second season I worked on “A Different World” Ceci Rodrigo took the helm of costume designer. She would become and has remained one of my greatest champions.
In the world of Black sitcoms which roared to prominence during those years in the early to mid-1990’s you would find that folks moved around from set to set, show to show, from season to season. Each person wearing my jewelry, moving around in that world organically exposed my work to exponentially more people. It was common back then (before I opened my shop) to get a call saying “I’m on a new show, everyone is asking about your jewelry, bring your case!” I had a portable portfolio case I would pack all my jewelry into and hit the road. This is how I thrived for many years before opening my first little shop. I serendipitously created a loyal following of repeat customers who promoted my jewelry to others out of sheer enthusiasm and appreciation of my work.
I went on to supply my work to many other television and film projects over the years. Several pieces of my jewelry showed up in one of the most iconic films of its time, “Titanic”. I have also had the unbelievable good fortune of collaborating with Ruth E. Carter and Milena Canonero, both luminaries in the costume design industry.
My first shop was about 300 square feet in a tiny cottage on Vineland Avenue in North Hollywood which I opened in 1995. By 1997 I had closed down my first shop and expanded to a space more than quadruple the size in Hollywood at 1515 N Cahuenga Blvd., where my shop remains to this day.
Has it been a smooth road?
I think that there are always ups and downs when you work for yourself. The biggest upside is being the captain of your own ship, working on your own terms, under conditions you create. Some of the bigger challenges for me have been in the realm of being flexible enough to adjust to difficult times like the great recession back in ’08-’09 when lots of my clients and many others found themselves in dire financial situations, and largely stopped frivolous, unnecessary spending. The COVID pandemic is another such challenge where everything, including our livelihood seems very uncertain for all of us.
Though I have focused on being productive during the forced business closing and resulting downtime. I have worked toward making my online presence more visible and viable. I rebuilt my website www.aklias.com from the ground up. It is now a functional representation of what I have to offer for the world to see for the first time in 25 years!. Something which would have taken many months or longer for me to achieve under less restrictive circumstances.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I design one of a kind jewelry using techniques such as assemblage, wirework, PMC, and fine silver fusing. I incorporate antique and vintage ethnic/tribal beads, components, talismans, crystals, amulets, and semi-precious stones into my work. I have traveled the world in search of these treasures.
I am most proud that my work has largely withstood the test of time. I often run into clients who remind me that they bought a piece of jewelry in the early days of my creating which they still have and still treasure. For those which have not lasted, I stand by my work and offer free repairs for life.
I think that what sets Aklia’s apart is the overall experience you have when you visit. These days things are largely trending toward cookie-cutter shopping experiences where everyone is offered a similar version of what is “hip” or “in fashion”, based on whichever celeb or “influencer” is wearing what. Malls across the country are hardly distinguishable from one another. There is nothing cookie-cutter about my shop. From the fragrance of incense which emanates long before you hit the door, to the music, to the decor, you will feel as though you have been transported without ever leaving town.
The little guys/gals have largely been pushed out by corporate outfits, behemoth online retailers, high rents, or a combination of all those things. Not to mention the stay at home orders and COVID restrictions which have further challenged small retailers and creators. Something valuable is lost in a community when creative expression is co-opted by corporations and small artisans can no longer afford to display and sell their wares. Aklia’s is a gem in the rough.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Yes, I feel it is crucial to encourage small businesses, artists, and creators of all types to open businesses in Hollywood and throughout LA. These businesses are what improve the quality of life for residents and therefore all stakeholders in the community. I think the city could do much more to foster the creation of unique shopping experiences for people by perhaps subsidizing rents in areas where commercial spaces are not affordable for small artisans, implementing guidelines to encourage property owners to rent their spaces at more reasonable rates rather than allowing them to remain empty for months or years at a time. Creating zones where only small businesses exist as special destinations for those seeking a different kind of shopping experience.
Extending grants to artisans and small business owners to help them get started. Cleaning the streets thoroughly and consistently, providing more green space, self-cleaning public restrooms, and better, cheaper parking alternatives, also providing support and infrastructure to house and help our homeless neighbors who are struggling for their very survival throughout Hollywood would also go a long way toward attracting quality small business owners to the area. The blight, filth, and human tragedy which unfolds daily on the streets of Hollywood is heartbreaking and should be completely solvable in a city like Los Angeles with its wealth of resources. Instead, we see the problem get worse as encampments grow and proliferate, while hotels and massive multi-story developments are going up left and right.
Contact Info:
- Address: Aklia’s
1515 N Cahuenga Blvd.
LA, CA 90028 - Website: www.aklias.com
- Phone: 323-461-1810
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/akliasjewelry
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/267807036593482
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Aklias
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/vaHsQMK6ziAXWbjiaaTAUQ
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/shopaklias
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