PRINTBauble head
Wrap your wrists in bracelets that won’t break the bank
Chris Dunn
Lily Dawson models her bracelets at Elly’s Couture. Dawson can make a bracelet in under an hour and up to 50 bracelets per week.
February 4, 2010 | 12:00 a.m. CST
You’ve seen them on the runways. You’ve seen them on celebrities. You’ve even seen them on … your next-door neighbor? That’s right — wrap bracelets, a staple to go along with the flowing skirts and earthy tones of the boho fashion trend, are now available at a store near you. And, even more shocking, they’re affordable.
After spending a year in fashion school in Los Angeles and working for designer Christian Audigier, Lily Dawson returned home to Columbia and transferred to MU. She loved fashion but wanted to be her own boss. Dawson soon noticed pictures in magazines of celebrities wearing trendy, colorful bracelets and fell in love with the jewelry. Rather than paying the steep price of around $100 to own one herself, Dawson picked up $5 worth of supplies at Hobby Lobby and made her own.
After Dawson sported her bracelet while working at Elly’s Couture, store owner Elly Swetz offered her the opportunity to sell them there. The bracelets, now made from higher-end supplies than Dawson’s originals, were an immediate hit, and word spread quickly. They are sold at Elly’s Couture and on Dawson’s Web site, lilydawsondesigns.com. They range in price from $15-65.
“People come in all the time to order the bracelets or get them in the store,” Swetz says. “The ones we have in the store never stay for long.”
Since the boutique started carrying the bracelets in January 2009, more than 500 have been sold. Dawson has some theories as to why her bracelets have seen success: Perhaps it’s her fashion background that makes following and predicting trends easy. Or, maybe it’s an accessory’s tendency to be recession-friendly, with women spicing up old clothes with new pieces instead of splurging on whole outfits.
Either way, her designs are just as popular now as they were when she first started creating them. Dawson said sales were especially strong over the holiday season: She got an impressive 350 orders during the course of four weeks, and special orders were particularly in demand.
College sororities nationwide have bought Dawson’s bracelets for campaigns such as Bracelets for Bella. The project, which originated with the Tri Deltas at University of Central Florida, raised money for 3-year-old cancer patient Isabella Denisulk, who is now in remission. Dawson sold the bracelets at a discounted price to Tri Delta and other sororities’ members who then sold them for $20 each. All of the $2,000 profit went to Denisulk.
“I’m always open to doing something like that,” Dawson says. “I’m happy to help in any way.”
With a successful line under her fashionable belt before the age of 25, where might Dawson go from here? Her boss, Swetz, will be attempting to sell Dawson’s bracelets to boutiques all around the country. Until then, Dawson is interested in exploring new mediums such as metal and working on other accessories.
Lily Dawson displays her wares at Elly's Couture. Dawson uses leather, gold accents and other ...
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