A Studio Visit with Zoe Chicco
2 years ago by
On this dreary day in New York we are popping over to downtown Los Angeles for a sweet little studio visit with the lovely jewelry designer, Zoe Chicco, and her awesome team (including a cute fur ball!). Beyond her personable designs, we love that all of Zoe’s jewelry is produced in house, allowing her to have final looks across everything before it ends up in her customer’s hands. Enjoy this treat of a studio visit!
What does a typical day in the studio look like for you?
Since the pandemic I have been splitting my time between working from home and the office. I am typically in the office 2-3 days a week (unless of course I am needed more).
What I’m doing just depends on where I am in the season. At the beginning, I am primarily working on new designs, visiting with local diamond/gemstone vendors here in the jewelry district, and pulling together the materials to make the new collection. I work closely with a few of my bench jewelers to make the new pieces come to life. After I finish designing, the focus is generally on having zoom meetings with our stores and clients to show the new collection as well as work on the marketing strategy on what we want the launch to look like. The remainder of my time is spent doing anything I need to do from there – whether it be marketing and sales meetings, going over things in person with the rest of my team, or even spending time creating fun TikToks and video content with my social media coordinator.
Where do you draw from for your main sources of inspiration?
I’m a very visual person, so whatever I see inspires me, it could be fashion, architecture, a pattern, a sunset, just about anything that resonates with me I tend to translate into designs. That’s also why the design process is so inspiring for me. Once I start creating, and seeing what things actually look and feel like to wear them, that usually inspires the next pieces in the collection.
Why jewelry? What is it about the art form that you love?
I have always loved jewelry from the time I was a little girl. I knew it was what I wanted to do for as long as I can remember, and luckily my family was very supportive of my pursuit of a creative career. I love the design process and creating something that someone can wear and cherish for a lifetime. To be able to create personal heirlooms that hold special meaning, can actually be worn daily as a talisman, AND will hold its value and stand the test of time makes fine jewelry a truly unique medium.
What is next on the horizon for your brand?
We have really been focusing on cultivating our most important relationships. We have really taken on the mentality of quality vs quantity and are trying to nurture and grow the areas of the business we feel we have the strongest relationships. I am taking that one step further and seeking out collaborations and partnerships that I feel are an organic extension of the brand and looking to work with companies and people that I truly admire and respect what they are doing.
