Q & A with Jennifer Fisher
By: Izzy Hermelin
We got the opportunity to chat with Jennifer Fisher, founder and designer of Jennifer Fisher Jewelry, to get her advice on how to pursue a career in the ever-changing fashion industry. Founded in 2005, Jennifer Fisher Jewelry has distinguished itself as a jewelry company through its signature gothic-style lettering, chain necklaces, and unique variations of hoop earrings that are seen on practically every celebrity we idolize. Jennifer has a knack for staying ahead of the trends, while maintaining her brand identity.
Q: Similar to the University of Michigan, you attended a large school, USC. How did you carve your own path, differentiate yourself from the rest, and discover career opportunities?
A: When I enrolled in USC, I wanted to study marketing. I thought that I wanted to work in advertising, unlike a lot of my friends that wanted to work in finance. I was immediately drawn to more creative classes and different internships. I went for an internship in fashion as early as I could so I could start shaping my career and really try to figure out what I wanted my path to be. It was through those internships, working in different parts of fashion specifically, that really helped me hone my interests and figure out what I wanted to do when I graduated.
Q: What your biggest piece of advice for students and young entrepreneurs?
A: I think school is very important and what you study in school and the grades you receive are very important, however, I also feel that outside work experience is instrumental in shaping who you are and what you want to do after you graduate. My advice is to start as early as you can working outside of school in real-life job experience. This allows you to immediately target what it is you want to go for and what you want to stay away from.
Q: How do you keep up with the ever-changing jewelry trends, while remaining “on brand”?
A: Once I started my company, I really never designed my jewelry to be on-trend. I designed jewelry that I wanted to wear. I was never really worried about keeping up with the Joneses, so to speak. I was always sort of carving my own path and creating things that I wanted to wear. It wasn’t about other designers and it still isn’t.
Q: I know that you have recently added a kitchen subset to your company sharing recipes and even creating your own salts. I was wondering how you intertwine two very different industries together and why you made this decision?
A: Staying true to who I am and how I started my company to begin with. I wanted to create something I felt was missing in the marketplace and that is how my company started. The kitchen component is the same thing, I simply created something that I wanted and could not find in stores and my social media followers had requested it. It wasn’t something I ever intended on selling or creating as a product for the company. It was something that just happened.
Q: When did you first develop your passion for creating jewelry, and how has this changed over time?
A: The funny thing is I didn’t wear much jewelry when I was a stylist, which was my first career after I graduated college. I had a much more, what one might call masculine style and wore mostly watches – jewelry wasn’t really my thing until I had children and I wanted to represent them in a way that felt personal and unique. That is when I really started wearing jewelry and launched my brand. My style and jewelry have changed over time, and yes, I do wear more, but as far as design, it hasn’t changed. I design things I want to wear and do not follow a specific design aesthetic. When I want to make something, I make it. I don’t go off of trends, seasons, or what other people are doing. We do what we want to do, when we want to do it. We have seen more success with that than trying to do it any other way.
Q: What is something you wish you knew when you were first starting off as an entrepreneur? How will this insight benefit students involved in the Michigan Fashion Media Summit?
A: I wish I knew that people in the industry aren’t your friends. That you need to separate your work life from your personal life and that the business is very competitive. You need to make sure that you are always focused on what you are doing and not sharing trade secrets. I wish I wasn’t so trusting. I think it is important to keep it professional – keep your relationships professional and your personal relationships out of it.
Speed Round
1. What is your favorite trend right now?
Hoops
2. If you could have dinner with anyone dead or alive who would it be?
My grandmother Lillian
3. What is your guilty pleasure?
Martinis and cheese
4. If you wrote a book what would it be titled?
“Own Your Life”
For more information on Jennifer and her brand go to: https://jenniferfisherjewelry.com