In just over two years, Willow & Grey Jewelry has gone from small-town Saskatchewan start-up to gracing the pages of fashion's top titles - namely, Vogue, Vanity Fair and GQ magazines.
“I never imagined it,” says company founder and creator Kayla Glidden, who grew up in Manor and Carnduff, and now lives and works in Southey. “When Conde Nast (the publishing powerhouse behind the trio of titles) first emailed me, I was pretty excited to say the least. I don't know how they heard about me - I suspect social media had something to do with it. At first, I thought it was a joke.”
“In late January, I got an email from Vogue,” explains Glidden. “It was from a strange address and it came in at 4 a.m. The next day, I was swiping through my emails and deleting my junk and I accidentally deleted it.”
“But I forwarded it to some marketers I work with and asked them to look into it,” explains Glidden. “And it actually was from Vogue!”
“Once I knew it was legitimate, I didn't ask too many questions,” she says. “I just decided to hear what they had to say and what they had to say was pretty surprising and exciting.”
The email Glidden almost deleted resulted in pieces from her jewellery collection featured in the pages of British Vogue, Vanity Fair and GQ magazines for three consecutive months - February, March and April.
For each issue, the Willow & Grey founder was asked to select one creation from her collection - to be featured alongside jewellery from companies headquartered in Europe's fashion capitals and from as far afield as Ethiopia.
“It's huge exposure and I don't think the extent of the reach has really hit me yet,” says Glidden. “But since our first feature in Vogue, Google Analytics shows that people are checking out our website from L.A. and other parts of the world. And because it's British Vogue, we've had a lot of page views from thoughout the UK.”
Choosing which Willow & Grey piece to showcase in each magazine, each month, was a process Glidden relished.
“For the February issue of British Vogue's Jewellery Edit section (which will hit Canadian newsstands in March), I chose the Opal Halo studs, which Vogue described as 'beautiful' and 'the perfect way to treat yourself or a loved one.'”
“For February's Vanity Fair, I chose our 'Mila Choker,'” adds Glidden. “They described it as 'a dainty, rose-plated chain featuring micro-pave chains.' I chose that piece for that edition of the magazine because it's a longer piece and it's a pretty piece. It's a little more dramatic and it has some sparkle, too, so I thought it was perfect for Vanity Fair's Hollywood issue.”
“And having one of my pieces appear in a magazine (Vanity Fair's Hollywood Issue) that has Oprah, Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon and Tom Hanks on the cover...I never imagined it! It's amazing!”
“Men are starting to come out of their shells when it comes to expressing their personal style with jewellery,” adds Glidden. “I'm doing a lot of stacking bracelets and men seem to really like them - especially the younger guys. That's why it's great to that Willow & Grey is in GQ, too.”
Glidden was delighted with Vogue's description summing up Willow & Grey, which reads in part:
“Willow & Grey Jewelery focusses on creating modern jewellery styles using quality materials. Designed and made in the heart of Canada, each piece in their collections can be worn for any event to update your style to give you that unique look...Visit www.willowandgreyjewelry.com.
As a result of her exposure in Vogue, Glidden was invited to attend this year's London Fashion Week in February. “I wasn't able to go this year,' she says. “But we have a standing invitation from Vogue, so I'm hoping to take Willow & Grey to the UK in the future.”
Glidden - the mother of three girls ages five and under - works out of her home studio in Southey, Sask. She says she “never imagined” her work would be featured in Vogue - or any other fashion magazine.
“It's funny,” she says. “I don't have a fashion background. I've never been a part of that. And my lifestyle dictates that most of the time, I dress for comfort.”
“I started making jewellery because my sister-in-law opened a spa here in Southey,” explains Glidden. “She wanted to carry some jewellery for her customers, but she was finding it difficult to find suppliers who would let her place smaller orders.”
“I come from a pretty creative family,” she says. “So I thought I'd give making jewellery a try. Her customers seemed to like my work and they bought the pieces I made. A few other stores here in Saskatchewan started to stock Willow & Grey and that's how it started.”
“When I create jewellery, I try and keep my customer in mind by making pieces that are both unique and wearable.”
Glidden uses semi-precious and man-made stones and says opals and moonstones are favourites.
“Opals are an easy stone to work with,” she says. “And they're a really flattering stone for every age and complexion.”
“Moonstones are very similar to opals, but they're a more cloudy, almost iridescent stone,” adds Glidden. “They pick up the same colours as opals, but they're more subtle.”
“I use 18-karat and 24-karat gold-plated chains. For my silver pieces, I use solid sterling silver. And Canadian Tire is one of my best sources for tools,” she laughs. “They're my go-to for pliers and cutters.”
Currently, Glidden is hard at work on Willow & Grey's spring/summer collection - while balancing the life of an entrepreneur with family life in rural Saskatchewan.
“We do a lot of wedding pieces,” she says. “Especially bridesmaids' gifts and mother of the bride pieces. I will do commissions on request and with Mother's Day coming up, it's a busy time.”
“My husband (Corey Glidden) is also a business owner, so he really encourages me. We have three daughters and I call Willow & Grey my 'fourth baby,' because the company name is made up of two baby names I had picked out, but didn't use.”
“I wanted to give my business a name that meant something to me.”
Glidden says the appearance of Willow & Grey's “prairie-made jewellery” on the international stage is “a gratifying surprise.”
“I started out wanting to make modern pieces for everybody,” she says. “From the beginning, Willow & Grey has maintained a strong focus on modern pieces with quality and longevity.”
“I wanted to make something that a Saskatchewan person would be proud to wear - and I'm thrilled that people from around the world might be wearing it now, too.”
To learn more, check out: www.willowandgreyjewelry.com.
