Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenny Kalimi.
Hi Jenny, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always felt a strong, magnet like force towards the fashion world. I know as kids sometimes we can get thrown into hobbies we don’t necessarily enjoy, but in my case I was pretty obvious with my love for fashion and creating. It didn’t take much to convince my mom into putting me in modeling and fashion classes. I just really enjoyed the process and watching how a designer could create from scratch then piece it together for an audience. It was so fulfilling to be a part of. I hoped to one day be able to do the same. Fast forward a couple of years, I took a leap of faith and moved from Phoenix, Arizona to Miami so that I could attend Miami international university of Art & Design. I had never felt more in my element. It was definitely a move that would change my life completely. And like most stories mine came with a little plot twist. I met my amazing husband and shortly after, we had our first child. Although I tried to make school and my dreams work, it wasn’t in the cards for me at the time. I tried building my business over the course of time as an online boutique but something was just missing for me. I didn’t feel inspired like I once did. I found myself really over thinking and doing that terrible social media thing we do…comparing. So nothing I did for my business really ever felt good enough. Sometimes a major kick in the butt like a worldwide pandemic will really put things in perspective for you and that was it for me. Like most of us, I was stuck at home with my husband and our two kids, plus lots of time to think. I started making and sourcing jewelry to building up my online store and design business again. This time really enjoying every step of the process and building on creativity. I like to finish every job knowing I helped create something they’ll never forget.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely has not been easy, trying to balance family life, work, and squeezing time in for myself it’s tough. As a mom with demanding mornings and nights, it’s been challenging trying to get it all done. There are times I get calls for work right after dinner, baths, and bedtime. Then boom, I have to put together a jewelry pull or make new pieces for the morning. It will probably always be a challenge for me because I want to be present in every aspect of my life. I’m still learning to make it all work for me and the people I love.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Right now, I would consider myself a jewelry stylist and accessories designer. These incredible stylists trust me to put together boxes of custom jewelry pieces that match their photo/video shoot treatments. Majority of the time they’ll send me what looks like a 4-8 page PowerPoint layout of what the project will capture. From the movement of the artist and extras to the color themes, down to the fashion and what the director wants to see in each scene or shot. My part of the job is to deliver the right accessories for the artist to wear or their extras. I’m kind of like the little cherry on top. Honestly, I’m most proud of my family we really work together to make each of our workdays come through. Without my husband and my mom, I wouldn’t be able to get some of my work done with the last minute deadlines. I’m proud of my kids because they don’t exactly know what it is I do, but somehow they understand when mommy is working and that makes me most proud. Just the gift of an understanding family it’s what keeps me going. I think what sets me apart from others is that I love things that don’t make perfect sense, I was never the one to follow a trend. I like what I like and no matter what, I’ll always make it work.
How do you think about luck?
So many moments pop up in my head for this. One particular moment where I can put good luck/bad luck together is actually how my business became what it is now. My friend and celebrity stylist Norma Castro called me one night, She goes “hey do you have any oriental like jewelry or orange pieces?”, me not knowing what it’s for but I’m just really freaking excited for the call, I’m automatically like, “yes! Let me see what I can put together for you”. After the call, I’m literally talking to myself, thinking what in the world did I just get myself into. What if I don’t have what she needs? Then I’m in deep sh*t…I’m scrambling around my house, going through what at the time was such a small inventory of stuff I had, trying to make anything work and making pieces I could. I’m just pushing myself because who knows what it could be for! She picks up afterwards and tells me it’s for the J Balvin “anaranjado” music video. Yeah, so I’m pretty much freaking out. The day of the shoot goes by and I’m thinking about what she could have used or if anything worked for her. Unfortunately, they didn’t use any of the pieces. As bummed as I probably could’ve been, I was happy for the opportunity! Not sure if in the end, it was so much of bad luck. I wound up continuing to work with her and started working with other stylists to help create pieces for their clients and my small inventory of Jewelry kept growing. So what didn’t work out for me then really worked out for me now.
Pricing:
- Photo/video shoot Jewelry rentals start at $350
- On set Jewelry assistance half day rate $650
- One set Jewelry assistance full day rate $1250
- Custom Jewelry orders begin at $250
Contact Info:
- Email: ghtribe@glamourhippy.com
- Website: www.glamourhippy.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/glamourhippy?utm_medium=copy_link
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/shopglamourhippy/?ref=bookmarks
Image Credits
Natti Natasha photo in Phoenix Magazine, Shot by Luis Lazo studio Karol G shot by Felipe Orvi Maluma photographed at Premio lo Nuestro Romeo Santos shot by Ernd0gz Martha Luna in Pearl face mask shot by shootlikeFM
