Today we’d like to introduce you to Danielle Samuels.
Danielle, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was born into a typical New York garmento family. My Mother a clothing designer, my Father a manufacturer, and my Grandfather manufactured suits for Barney Pressman who started the iconic store, Barneys New York back in the 20’s. You can say that fashion is in my DNA, but I did not want to follow in my family’s footsteps and rebelled by playing in bands in the New York City underground music scene and waited tables.
Guess what? The world of fashion found me anyway, and thankfully so. I remember buying my first pair of heels for my interview for Intermix back in 2000 and landed the job. I fell in love the moment I stepped foot in the store on my first day. I spent the next ten years managing stores, training new staff, moved into the buying office, and then relaunched and managed their private label program. In 2010, I left to consult and launch a new handbag line that blew up in the industry.
Funnily enough, my next move was to Barneys as the brand ambassador of Helmut Lang. Unfortunately, In 2011, I was hit by a drunk driver who ran a red light. I left work for three months to recover, returned for as long as I could, but had to leave permanently in 2013 because I could not handle the amount of pain I was in due to the damage that was done to my body.
I was involved in seven more accidents since then and have not been able to work for the last five years. I spent a year and a half in bed, have had five spinal surgeries, and countless procedures to relieve my pain levels, but they are still with me. I just cope with it differently. For four years, I allowed these tragic events to rule every aspect of my life and take every ounce of my spirit I had left in me. In 2015, I woke up one day and had had enough of feeling like a small dot in this universe with absolutely no purpose.
Slowly, I began to make my way back into the world, to inch back into the woman I once was, until the day came when I was finally filled with just enough energy to make the decision to take my life back into my own hands and reinvent myself in the world, and in the world of fashion. I went back to design school at FIDM at the end of the summer of 2015 to pursue a new love I had found in their Jewelry Design program.
Although I definitely had some major obstacles to overcome with my health, I did graduate in the summer of 2017 as the recipient of the Jewelry Design Award which was a huge honor. When I started the jewelry program, I had never made a piece of jewelry in my life, but my heart, drive, passion, and dedication I put into learning this skill even blew me away.
During the program and after much reflection, I learned that everything in life happens for a reason and had I not gone through hell and back, I never would have found my purpose in life, using this incredible creative outlet I found in creating jewelry. I am meant to help others that have gone through trauma. I’m here to inspire others with my story of survival and perseverance. To show them that I am proof that there is that light at the end of the tunnel and that they aren’t alone on their journey there.
I am right by there side and together we are going to take those steps towards positive change. The whole experience is meant to evoke a sense of empowerment, confidence, and protection onto them as they wear my pieces. I create jewelry to bring out the warrior in them and in me. It’s such an incredibly promising feeling that helps me get through each day and keeps me looking forward to the next.
Has it been a smooth road?
My health has been a huge obstacle and challenge for me these last 7 years. Outside of my accidents, there have been other issues that I have been dealing with, but the most personal has been Bell’s Palsy which I woke up with graduation day. It still hasn’t gone away and it’s been almost a year and a half, but I feel like I keep getting tested so that I’m reminded that no matter how many times I am knocked down, I will always get back up. It’s been a tough lesson to learn, but I definitely got the message Universe!!
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the GhostLine Designs story. Tell us more about the business.
I started GhostLine Designs about six months ago. I create one-of-a-kind, limited edition, and custom pieces all by hand in my home studio. I would say I’m known for my unique and bold aesthetic. I am inspired by objects of strength such as architecture, forces of nature, and weapons from ancient civilizations.
When people put on my designs, they feel very powerful, like they can take on the world and face their fears, but most of all, it’s the connection and story behind my work that really stands out to them and that makes me really proud of the difference I am making in lives and in this world. Yes, everyone wants to make money, but for me, it’s really about how I make them feel that makes all the difference in the world.
I believe that is what sets me apart from others more than anything else. My heart is genuine and my intentions are pure. Ugly things happen in this life and if I can help make this world a prettier place for even just one person, then I’ve accomplished part of my mission.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The jewelry industry is definitely becoming more technologically savvy. Computer design programs and machines are what’s happening now and are developing at such a rapid rate that so many of the older generation jewelers are bowing out. It’s the wave of being innovative with design and design processes.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ghostlinedesigns.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: ghostline_designs
- Facebook: facebook.com/ghostlinedesings/
Image Credit:
Paige Craig
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