The necklace is the creation of Cuthbert, part of her small, bolted jewelry line, based in Los Angeles, called BYCHARI. Since 2012, she has been designing and producing custom pieces, with website assignments coming mostly through word of mouth, social media and a handful of A-list influencers supporting her mission.
The company had already picked up steam and Cuthbert had increased its staff, from two to five and now eight. But a visual caption of a style icon like the former first lady has increased sales. Cuthbert said that about 12 hours after Obama’s speech on Monday night, orders for the VOTE chain, which has been fired for about $ 300, already hung at nearly 2,000.
They found that each piece was customized, with the production time typically around three to four weeks, but they made late night “fresh” calls to some of their suppliers pending the rush of orders, and they hope they and their small team can start spinning chains as soon as two weeks.
On Tuesday morning, a dedicated page appeared on the BYCHARI website for ordering the VOTE chain.
Meredith Koop, Obama’s stylist for the last decade, told CNN that the necklace was not only part of Obama’s outfit – it was the impetus for her overall appearance.
“I built all the outfit options I offered Obama around the chain. When I gave the order, I knew it had to be the centerpiece,” Koop said. She admitted that she worried me badly that Obama would find the necklace too obvious, but the former first lady liked the idea of the letters. “When the speech started, you had to squint a little bit to read it. I love it. It drew the viewer in.”
Obama’s necklace was made the day after Buy directly-messaged Cuthbert on Instagram, out of the blue, in late July. The two had never met before, nor had they collaborated, yet Koop had taken into account Cuthbert’s designs on social media. Cuthbert had made a limited supply of VOTE chains for herself and friends in 2016, and in 2018 to raise awareness about the primary, and she intended to do so again in anticipation of the 2020 presidential election. Koop’s request was happy.
“I try to keep politics and business separate,” said Cuthbert, “but in these times, with what’s going on in the world, I felt like I had to use my platform. So when Meredith reached out, we knew how important it was. was to do this, and do it now. “
Cuthbert is in her mid-30s, Black and one of millions of small business owners and entrepreneurs are following her passions, waiting for a big shift, where she is now ready.
“I reached out to friends in the jewelry industry last night and this morning and just said, ‘Um, I’ll need some help,’ in the best possible sense,” Cuthbert said. “This is it. This is the dream come true.”
Beyond the fashion
Cuthbert had no idea if or when Obama would actually wear the piece, so seeing her VOTE message so clearly spelled out to millions of viewers Monday night came as a happy surprise. Cuthbert said she was pleasantly shocked to see that Obama also wore a pair of BYCHARI thin, gold hoop earrings, which she says she has also been selling on a faster clip since Obama appeared.
For Koop, who makes resources and helps select most of the outfits Obama wears for public events, BYCHARI was no coincidence. Koop has long been a champion of Obama’s own, consistent fashion ethos: rising brands and designers whose products and stories are more than a retail or sales goal.
“I veterinate all the designers I work with to the best of my ability. It’s important that the pieces on Michelle match her message, or at least not detract from it,” Koop told CNN.
For Obama, and therefore Koop, there must be meaning behind the clothing and accessories – an organic but very present fusion of politics and culture. From his early days in the White House, Obama noted the importance of her global platform not only from a policy standpoint but also a sartorial one. Observers went on, by the nature of the role, to pay attention to what Obama was wearing, so the former first lady was reluctant to make decisions about her wardrobe that were influenced by a greater motivation than just what she liked.
Obama has continued to use her recognition and style of politics in her years after the White House, perhaps with more fashion flair than when she was constrained by the boundaries of being a first lady. Buy, dress her up for Obama’s “Becoming” book tour, in bold fabrics, some more public collars and shoes with full moxie (the thigh-high, shiny gold Balenciaga boots for her New York City look, for example).
Cuthbert felt the need to move on to aesthetics for her business as well.
“Finding ways to give back has always been part of my brand identity,” she told CNN. “In the beginning, I personally just tried to do my part and spread the word, but more recently, when people started applying for support for black-owned companies, it was all I could do to thank them and try. to do what I can. “
The BYCHARI website includes a category titled, “How You Can Help”, and by clicking opens a page with links to support various causes of social justice, monetary or through petition signing. The company’s stated philosophy at the top of the page coincides with a tea with the feelings voiced by Obama over the past few months and in her DNC speech – a call to action, to discuss, to listen and to vote . Cuthbert’s company includes a link to register to vote on their site.
In the Netflix documentary of her memoir, “Becoming”, Obama talks about “turning fashion into a tool”, one that could promote a wide range of diverse, emerging and established designers, such as Tracy Reese, Naeem Khan , Jason Wu, Brandon Maxwell, Thom Browne, Rodarte, Cushnie et Ochs, Derek Lam and many others – now including Cuthbert.
Buy notes that if a designer benefits from the exhibit, it’s a bonus.
“That’s the wonderful thing about what I do,” Koop said. “It does not happen every time, but when that happens, I am happy, especially with someone like Chari who has worked so hard and makes beautiful wearable pieces.”
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