New York-based jewelry designer Roxanne Assoulin has been a fashion staple since her start in the industry in the 1970s. Her original ventures included the manufacturing of leather bracelets and other accessories. In the '80s, she began working with semi-precious materials and by the 1990s her business evolved into Lee Angel, a private-label firm. Products and collections from Lee Angel were primarily sold to wholesale outlets.
When asked by Forbes about the span of her career, Roxanne Assoulin replied, saying it was "A happy accident with lots of highs and lows, like many businesses. Being a creative, visual person who loves to make things, I started with hair accessories in the late ’70s and evolved to jewelry in the early ’80s. My first pieces were leather wrap bracelets, and then I moved on to crystals and semi-precious stones —always working with color. I’ve also worked with many designers making jewelry for their runway shows, such as Oscar de la Renta, Marc Jacobs, Stephen Sprouse, and Bill Blass. I designed under my name for about 15 years and then the business evolved into a private-label company named Lee Angel. Over the years, I’ve designed jewelry for so many great brands like J.Crew, Banana Republic, American Eagle, Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie. I’m currently enjoying the third successful act in my career."
In 2016, Assoulin launched her eponymous jewelry brand, making a valiant go at a number of collections. Each line involved enamel tiles, rope, as well as a varied color palette.
After her first three years in business, Assoulin has now ventured into menswear. Assoulin ensures that her initial delve into this market will be a positive one. The company's designs for men involved a wide array of colors and tiles.
"It was a natural progression, said Assoulin regarding her company's shift into menswear, "Men have been buying our jewelry since the beginning. We just needed to add more inclusive sizing in bracelets and necklaces for it to become its own collection."
She continued explaining the differing characteristics between her mens line and women's line, saying that "There was a demand for it. All my friends wanted it. It was that simple. My friends were asking me to make custom sizes, and then we started getting DMs requesting men’s sizes. It’s happy and uncomplicated. Men like that, too."
When asked about the future of the new Assoulin menswear brand, the founder said, "New colors. New categories. We’ll see. I have lots of ideas brewing. It all comes down to timing."
Information originally sourced from Forbes.
