One of Founded’s favorite highlighted jewelry brands; LHN Jewerly. The Brooklyn-based brand dedicated to the craftsmanship of making handmade pieces of Jewelry and Accessories. Made to last as future heirlooms. But the history for maker, Lewis William’s skill didn’t start in Brooklyn.
Lewis studied Jewelry at Central Saint Martins and The Guildhall in London, he moved to New York City in 2006. Designs are primarily influenced by classical antiquity and historic artifacts from the Roman era, through Byzantine and Victorian times. From WWII era Trench Art, Sailor Tattoos to Mexican motorbike culture. Inspiration for the work is gathered from many sources.
We put together a Q & A Series with maker Lewis Williams to get a more in depth look on his thoughts on manufacturing in the USA.
Tell me a little about yourself.
LW: My name is Lewis Williams, I am the founder and designer of LHN Jewelry. I studied Jewelry Design at Central Saint Martins and The Guildhall in London and moved to New York City in 2006. I worked in the jewelry industry in NYC for various companies before setting up my own brand.
What’s the story behind your brand?
LW: Designs are primarily influenced by classical antiquity and historic artifacts from the Roman era, through Byzantine and Victorian times. From WWII era Trench Art, Sailor Tattoos to Mexican motorbike culture. Inspiration for the work is gathered from many various sources.
What was your biggest challenge starting your brand from scratch?
LW: What was challenging overall to set up the brand was being patient, as I wanted to gather up as much experience in the industry before beginning the brand. I was confident in designing collections of work but wanted the know how of the industry before launching the brand.
What does being successful mean to you and your brand?
LW: The pieces we make are now available in 30+ store around the country and worldwide. I feel that we successfully continue to make original designs in a quality fashion which continue to please our customers.
Has starting your own brand changed your outlook as a consumer buying into another brand?
LW: As a consumer I like to buy quality – whether it be contemporary clothing or vintage antique items. I like to examine things which catch my eye and look at them carefully. I like seeing how things are constructed and made.
What’s your next plans for your brand?
LW: Future plans for the brand would be continuing to expand and refresh the collection with new ideas and concepts. I am also planning on doing some more pop up shops which have been fun. I will be doing some in Japan with some of my favorite stores in the not too distant future.
What are some other challenges or difficulties you’ve ran into while building your brand?
LW: As with any brand there are daily issues to deal with, which is just part and parcel of being a business. I think being a small business which is growing offers specific issues to deal with, such as accommodating specific requests from customers in a timely fashion, as making all the items in by hand in our Brooklyn workshop can be trying at times. But we do take pride in the fact we make everything by hand in the US.
Great products from LHN Jewelry
Great products from LHN.