Nikki Reed
Nikki Reed Jewelry Collection.
Nikki Reed has a Los-Angeles based sustainable jewelry collection with her lifestyle company BaYou with Love. This features rings, earrings, necklaces, bridal, accessories, bracelets, charms, and Men’s Jewelry. BaYou with Love has chosen to work with manufacturers that prioritize ethical and sustainable production. The rings are made in DTLA at a manufacturing facility committed to minimizing its environmental impact and footprint. Nikki Reed has been named one of Cause Artist’s Top 35 Social Entrepreneurs to Watch and BaYou’s Circular Collection was named as a Finalist in Fast Company’s Innovation by Design Awards. Nikki Reed is also an actress, singer, producer, singer-songwriter, well-known for playing Rosalie Hale in The Twilight Saga.I find a tremendous amount of inspiration in nature, with a lot of my jewelry inspired by the photographs I take while sitting in nature. A lot of the new ones that can be overlooked by the naked eye is captured through photography and I often find myself marinating on the photos I took for days months and years after. My jewelry is also inspired by the notion that we can create with both beauty and meaning simultaneously. Anytime I create, I am thinking about how to create pieces that are multi functional, and wearable for a lifetime. To me the most sustainable way to produce is to think about the longevity of a peace and the many ways in which it can be worn.
Who/What inspired your current jewelry collection? Why?
My favorite piece in the current collection is The Lyra, because the sapphires used to have such a special story. Those specific stones came from a mine in Australia that prioritizes topsoil restoration through a small family owned operation. I will never be able to design with those stones again, because in the world of sustainability, it is common to only have limited quantities of things we love. But these Rings will always have a special place in my heart!
What’s your creative process?
My creative process always starts with a vision board. I take my photography from the last six months and go through some of my favorite memories and moments, and begin designing from there. Then I sketch, I work with my team, and I am always pushing for versatility while we talk through the creative. I want create pieces that can serve more than one function. For example our latest collection has pieces that can be worn as an earring, a necklace or bracelet pendant. Meaning you can buy one piece and wear it three different ways… that to me is sustainable!
What qualities do you look for in the perfect piece of jewelry?
To me the perfect piece of jewelry can be worn anytime, anywhere, for your entire life. It tells a story, one that goes beyond the immediate circumstances. It is something you want to share with your children, and their children.
What is your favorite collection so far? (Past, Current, New, etc.)
My favorite collection is our Inner Artist Charms, because of their versatility. I love that one piece can be worn many different ways. I think that gives the wearer some ownership of how they tell their story, by what pieces they choose to layer together.
What challenges do you encounter when creating sustainable collections?
There’s so many challenges we encounter as a sustainable business! First and foremost to state the obvious, it is much more expensive to produce sustainably. I choose to work with factories that prioritize ethical labor, meaning we pay more than most companies do to produce our jewelry. I also have to be very selective in where and how I source my stones, and because not all stone can be sourced sustainably, often times we have to choose to not work with that particular stone because of it. I also choose to work with recycled gold from technology, which has a completely different process built-in. We actually purchased our gold outside of our factory, and deliver that tech gold to them so every gram has to be accounted for. It’s a tremendous amount of work but work I do with pride because I wouldn’t have it any other way.
What are your goals/dreams for the future?
I love being a small company, in fact I do think that there are times where exponential growth can lead to the loss of integrity within a company. So my goal is to remain small, but grow at a steady pace. We have an amazing hard-working team of women in the company, who also care deeply about the planet and the way we produce and I’m so honored to work with such passionate people. I want to grow at a slow and steady pace as we have, and continue to inspire people while doing great work. I suppose those are my goals :)
Can you link us with your social media’s?
@NikkiReed
@bayouwithlove
Interview by Cailyn Rieser, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine
Tearsheets by Victoria Durant, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine
