Meet amanda thomas of Luv Aj

Today we’d like to introduce you to amanda thomas

Hi amanda, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.

So my journey has a jewelry designer actually started when I was 14 and just a sophomore in high school. I got an afterschool job with a local jewelry designer -Coryn Madley- who taught me the basics of wire-wrapping, which is a super simple jewelry-making technique. She was just the coolest and I was so inspired by her work, that I started just crafting little pieces of jewelry on the side for me and my friends.

Whenever there was a school dance or prom, my girlfriends would bring their dresses to school and I would color match the beads and make them custom jewelry for the night. I just really fell in love with making jewelry and it became my new favorite hobby.

One day, I was shopping at Fred Segal with my sister in Santa Monica (our favorite weekend activity), and this girl stopped me and complemented my necklace. I told her I made it, and she told me she was the buyer for the store and immediately asked me to come back for a buyers meeting. I didn’t really understand what that meant, but I went home and made as much jewelry as I possibly could, came back to the buyers meeting, and Fred Segal ended up taking every single piece. So that’s when Luv Aj was officially born.

I was just a teenage, making every single piece by hand, but I really fell in love with the hustle of it. Especially growing up in LA, I had access to so many incredible boutiques and it was just fun for me to try to meet all the buyers and pitch my line to them. By my senior year of high school, I was in over 10 boutiques in Los Angeles (Kitson, Ron Herman, Madison), I got my first piece of press in Elle Magazine, and also got my jewelry on Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton which was just mind-blowing to me.

When I went to college, I wasn’t really sure that I wanted to be a jewelry designer as my full-time career. So I explored through a ton of internships- I worked for Clothing designer Rachel Pally, I worked as a graphic design intern at Who What Wear, and I also worked as an assistant to a celebrity stylist. Actually, all these internships helped me realize that the only thing I really did still love to do was make jewelry, so that’s when I decided to pursue of Luv Aj full-time.

When I graduated college, I was working at Who What Wear and they offered me a full-time position which was incredibly exciting. But I knew I had to trust my gut and give Luv Aj my all so I politely declined. But my boss and mentor Hilary Kerr told me to send her my first line sheet once I had it finished and she might include it in an upcoming email. I literally ran home, designed a collection, shot a lookbook with my sister and my girlfriend, and got it to her desk within days.

She then surprised me within an entire dedicated email blast called “Line We Love: Luv Aj” and the morning that email newsletter went out was the morning that changed my life. Who What Wear had millions of subscribers at that point, so my brand got into the inbox of a lot of important buyers. That morning, I woke up to emails from Nordstrom asking to place an order for 50 doors, Shop Bop wanting to carry the line, and Urban Outfitters offered to help me develop a diffusion collection for their stores nationwide. At that point, I was still making every single piece by hand, but I knew it was an opportunity I had to take. So that entire summer, I would spend the day interviewing factories, bugging my dad‘s accountant to teach me how to use QuickBooks, and figuring out how I was going to scale my business. And then at night, my best friend Alana would come over, and we would crank out 100+ pieces of jewelry a night while we watched, The Bachelorette on ABC.

Since then- I found a factory (thank god), have grown my team to over 12 people, and continue to make jewelry and it blows my mind that I’m over 20 years into this journey.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I don’t think any entrepreneur would categorize their journey as a smooth road but (!), I think that I feel the most blessed than I started this journey with Luv Aj when I was young because I was so fearless. When you’re a teenager and pursuing your passion, you literally have nothing to lose. I was still living at home, being supported by my parents, so I feel like I really got to take risks and stretch myself creatively. I feel like I have so much more fear instilled in me as an adult so I’m lucky that I got started so early.

I think some of the biggest struggles along the way have had to do with scaling. There’s been a lot of times where Luv Aj has had growth spurts, and also a lot of times where Luv Aj has had lulls. And it’s about knowing how to put your foot on the gas, and also how to take it off. It’s about riding the wave and sustaining sometimes, versus growing all the time.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
First and foremost, every single piece of jewelry is Designed and developed in Los Angeles by yours truly. Being a designer is such a joy for me and it’s important to me that our jewelry is truly unique.

The fact that our jewelry is waterproof is another reason why we stand by our jewelry. We developed a special plating technique to ensure our pieces can withstand water, the ocean and all the elements. And we have a one year warranty on EVERYTHING just to make sure our customers are obsessed with their purchase.

Our small batch production and limited edition pieces ensure a rigorous quality control process that produces the best jewelry that won’t break the bank. It’s been important for me to make sure that our pricing is really reasonable but the quality is high so I’m really proud of the balance we strike with that.

If you don’t know where to start, try our coveted and lightweight Baby Amalfi Hoops- one pair is sold every 60 seconds for a reason.

What matters most to you?
What matters most to me is quality. I really do care what people think about our product, and I really want everyone to love the pieces that they receive. So making sure that the jewelry last for many seasons, has really beautiful and thoughtful details, and utilizes high quality materials and platng is so important. I want people to put this jewelry on and not take it off. These accessories should be an extension of your personal style and pieces you wear 24/7.

Pricing:

• Luv Aj ranges from $50-$150 for most items
• Our Fine Jewelry collection is incredible too, with our real diamond tennis necklace starting at under $1000

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.luvaj.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luvaj
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shopluvaj/

Image Credits
Yana Sheptovetskaya
Felicia Lasala