I have been so lucky to have met Danielle
last year for Santa Fe Fashion week in San-
ta Fe. We have since then kept contact and
with Summer coming in she was an abso-
lute perfect fit for June. I have also been
waiting on a perfect location to shoot her
designs where we found a perfect spot
and the perfect crew to shoot. Here’s a lit-
tle background to Danielle and her story
and how she got started:
When Danielle was seventeen years old
she was playing soccer and working to-
wards her Olympic development. She un-
fortunately tore her ACL and was placed
on bed rest. During her recovery, her
mother gave her a jewelry kit that con-
tained hemp, wire and some beads. This
kit was just the beginning where she be-
gan making the first of her many bracelets
and jewelry pieces. By the end of 2009 she
then began going to craft shows in Or-
ange County where she sold everything
she made. Danielle worked hard going
door to door selling her jewelry. She even
sold her jewelry to her mothers friends,
doctors offices, to literally anywhere she
could sell her jewelry. Everything was
completely Organic for Danielle where
it turned into what is now a fully func-
tional business that is self productive and
self sufficient. So if you ever wonder why
things are happen the way they do, trust
in the path where it will lead to something
beautiful, just like Danielle.
Danielle is Jamaican and was raised in a
military family where she moved to Cal-
ifornia living in Orange County. She de-
scribes it as a melting pot where there
were islanders, Jamaicans, Asian commu-
nities and pretty much any culture you
can think of that she was able to experi-
ence all of these different cultures at once.
I also asked Danielle where she bought
Fashion & Culture
creating something new. She then photo-
graphs what she created and placing it on
her website. It’s very important that she
loves the piece first before anything else.
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