Luxury jewelry designer Ahmed Akkad launches his latest HSN collection this month. Examiner.com had the opportunity yesterday to chat with him about his work, his inspiration and what the trends are for spring.
Q: Tell me about your most recent collection for HSN.
Ahmed Akkad: It's a full collection, so we have everything from earrings, watches, full jewelry collection. Everything works back into each other so if you buy something one visit, you'll be able to find something that matches it ongoing, It doesn't matter what the color is. We worked on it to make sure you can mix and match. Most things price point wise are under $100, except for a few of the bigger bracelets and necklaces. But everything we have here is like $59 or $69. We make exactly the same quality that we do in luxury. All the crystals are specially made. All the finishing is done the way you do luxury finishing. We do it exactly the same as if you were getting it anywhere on Madison.
Q: Tell me about your "convertible" jewelry.
Ahmed Akkad: The convertibles are a big story. There will be earrings that will perform more than one function. You can wear them different ways. The necklaces are becoming much more involved and with one necklace, you can get five necklaces or five bracelets. It depends on how you mix it and match it and how you put it together.
Q: What were you inspired by?
Ahmed Akkad: I always look to Deco. It's my go-to. I love the 30's. I love that whole period. It was a different type of glamour back then. But also, I grew up in the 60s and 70s in Europe and people lived a little more glamoursly. Women dressed up all the time back then, so even if they don't dress up all the time today you still want to give them items that give a punch and make you feel pulled together.
Q: When did you start working with HSN and why did you get involved?
Ahmed Akkad: 2010, when I launched my first collection. To be honest, it was an opportunity to do this type of product at a price I couldn't do on my own. And it's because HSN has the buying power and the negotiating power to negotiate with factories. On my own, there's no way we could do this quality. And I wanted to bring 25 years of work to a broader customer base.
What are some trends you're seeing for jewelry this spring?
Ahmed Akkad: Lots of graphics, alternating lines and then color! So you go by the neutrals, which are very graphic and then you mix and match color in or pattern into pattern. I think lately you're seeing more of this. It's becoming more present in fashion in general. It asks you to create your own look.
Additional reporting by Alexandra Finkel
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