I'm so happy to present you guys an exclusive interview I did with young talented LA designer
Erika Walton of Alter Ego Jewelry
Alter Ego Jewelry is a brand in it's own league. Defying the norm and providing us with a chance to re-live those days when we were younger, where we became attatched to novelty toys such as
My Little Pony, Toy Cars, Barbie Dolls, Hello Kitty, and etc! Alter Ego has been featured and incorporated into editorials used in ELLE, WWD, and NYLON magazine to name a few.
I was honored when Erika allowed me to interview her for MirrorCheck.
Let's see what Alter Ego is all about!!
MirrorCheck: The million dollar question! How did you get started with making jewelry?
ERIKA: I was babysitting when I was 15 and we were playing with toy cars and making beaded bracelets. The idea of a car bracelet pop'd! into my head and it took me about a week to make a solid one. I had a store in Santa Cruz, CA (where I'm originally from) convince me to sell the line. I hired a company to do research to make sure that no other designers had made anything similar in the past to current ideas and plans.They didn't find anything remotely similar! So I went down to LA and sold to a few different stores about 500 pieces and they sold out in a month! Now the line is in over 150 stores around the world and in magazines every month for the past 4 years!
MirrorCheck: What was your inspiration to go against the “norm” and create such retro-eclectic pieces of jewelry?
ERIKA: I just wanted to have something original! I cant stand other designers who copy or are inspired by another designer. I also like recycling everything because I'm half hippie! I want to live in a green world so I do what I can to help! There are so many toys that go in the trash, so I decided to make a new use for them.
MirrorCheck: Do you have a favorite toy era that you draw ideas from?
ERIKA: Nope, my ideas come from colors and I also imagine how the toy would be if it was alive! I'm also influenced by different cultures and countries that I travel to such as Japan, Vietnam, Thailand and Mexico.
MirrorCheck: You definitely aren’t a new face to the industry; how has Alter Ego changed your lifestyle?
ERIKA: I travel around the world more and meet lots of awesome people! I also collect unique toys from different countries for the jewelry.
::Top-H&M, Pants-Thrifted, Shoes-Steve Madden, Necklace-Alter Ego Jewelry::
In this post I'm wearing the "I Love Africa Doll Necklace"
The doll was actually handmade in Africa! How authentic is that!
Come back tomorrow for Part 2!!!!
::CheckingOut::
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