Interview with Gossip Girl Featured Designer: Double Happiness

KarissaB reblogged this from Gossip Girl Fashion I interviewed Stephanie Wells, the designer of Double Happiness whose pieces have been frequently featured on Gossip Girl, in magazines such as Seventeen and Nylon, and seen on celebrities including Nina Dobrev and Emma Roberts. KB: How long have you been designing jewelry for and whats the background of your line Double Happiness? SW: I have been designing jewelry for 11 years. I began making jewelry for myself, but quickly found others wanting to buy the pieces from me. I am 90% self taught – that is, I did not study jewelry, wire wrapping or lost wax casting. It is through many hours of trying to figure out how to manifest what is in my head and make it into reality that my techniques were born. KB: What are your inspirations when designing? Do you have different visions for each collection? SW: My raw materials are what inspire me and they change each season. Having worked with editors and stylists for years, I understand the seasonal cycles and work with colors specific to that season. BUT, I have a hard time re-working materials, that is once I work with a color and cut, I find it hard to go back and be re-inspired. Thus, I am constantly searching for new, unique materials each season. I also like to collaborate with in-need womens organizations both in the US and overseas and have been fortunate to create collections with gorgeous hand made paper beads from Uganda, amazing seed bead flowers from Afghanistan, and gorgeous African wax cloth from Rwanda. KB: What are your thoughts on Gossip Girl? Did you have a vision of seeing your jewelry on any particular characters? SW: Gossip Girl is the fashion trend leader on TV and it is an honor to be included in their fashion. I love the fact they have a variety of looks, as I like to create a variety of looks/energies when I design. I think all women have a variety of energies they like to channel – boho, chic, rocker – and I try to design to fit all our needs. KB: What is it like seeing your pieces on one of televisions most fashion forward shows? Has being featured on Gossip Girl had a large impact on your designs? SW: It’s extremely flattering. Gossip Girl is distributed all over the world, and it is interesting to see the response we get from people overseas. I have had sales from Jordan, England, Spain all because characters on Gossip Girl have worn my jewelry. KB: Can we expect to see Double Happiness on any other shows or movies? SW: Double Happiness Jewelry is often used in movies, TV shows and magazine editorials. I cannot usually publicize press in a TV show or magazine until the press actually hits the streets. But, I can say that the stylist for Harrys Law just picked up pieces from the line. We are also often on the Wendy Williams Show, Rachel Ray show to name a few. To purchase Double Happiness Jewelry visit their website. Listed below are the episodes of Gossip Girl Double Happiness was featured in, click on the titles to see the posts! Season 4, Episode 8: "Juliet Doesnt Live Here Anymore" as seen on Serena van der Woodsen Season 4, Episode 18: "The Kids Are Not All Right" as seen on Vanessa Abrams Season 4, Episode 22: "The Wrong Goodbye" as seen on Ivy Dickens Season 5, Episode 17: "The Princess Dowry" as seen on Georgina Sparks