Damen & Division jewelry and accessories launch
Launch date: Thanksgiving Day, 2008
Where: Exclusively online at damen-division.com
About:
(CHICAGO) - Upscale glamour meets rock'n'roll swagger with the launch of Damen and Division Jewelry and Accessories, developed by Chicagoan Sonia Barrett. Barrett's mission was to create a line that would fill the gap between low and high end statement jewelry.
"This jewelry is chic but cheeky, and bold," describes Barrett. A former actress and current owner of Barrett Photography in Bucktown/ Wicker Park, Barrett is constantly drawing on the life she has lived in front of and behind the camera. She also takes her cues from the fashionable women on the streets and avenues of her neighborhood, from which the name of her line is derived.
"This neighborhood is filled with women who have this day-to-night life," Barrett says. "They want something they could wear to creative meetings in the afternoon but that would also be a conversation-starter during a night out." Whether paired with a t-shirt or floor length gown, the same accessory looks just as amazing. When Barrett, a lifelong devotee of statement jewelry, recognized the trend coming to the forefront of fashion, she knew it was time to produce her own line influenced by the pieces that she has always loved.
Priced at mid-market range, the line is composed of vintage chain, Swarovski crystals, raw-edged silk and semi-precious stones. Barrett also utilizes atypical materials such as iridescent beetle wings (used as charms on necklaces as bracelets), limpet shell (fashioned into a locket) and formal military embellishments to create her pieces. She revels in the allure of the nonsensical and the clever - look out for the surrealist bright orange enamel crustacean claw lighter, a perfect stocking stuffer at $25.
Damen & Division's earrings, necklaces, bracelets and headbands are designed with both function and style in mind. "The goal," Barrett says, "is for each piece to wear comfortably while still looking bold." Priced at $25 to $400, the Damen and Division Winter Collection is available exclusively online.
Press Contact: Michael Esler, 312-286-6228; mike@damen-division.com
Additional press images are available upon request.