How much do you throw away everyday? Do you ever think about it? Yaminah and Yarminiah do. These sisters are taking everyday items and making them into incredible pieces of art and design. I picked their brain about family, creativity, and how they maintain their inspiration.
What is Purposerosa?
Purposerosa is a jewelry line made from repurposed materials. Our mission is to encourage ourselves and our supporters to make something from nothing in all areas of life.
How did you get started making and creating art?
We come from a creative background so we each have art forms we love in addition to jewelry design. Our brand is the perfect way to fuse our artistry into a single expression.
On your blog you mentioned that,“ Our uniqueness is not solely our own.” Can you talk a little bit more about that, and where your voice comes from?
We get our creativity from our mother and grandmother – innovative ladies who are unafraid to be bold and go against the grain. We are so honored to continue building a brand that extends their legacy.
How have you been branding yourself?
We are a jewelry line that is all about positive transformation, risk taking, and fun! We’re currently expanding the lifestyle aspect of our brand by sharing real life travel stories and inspiration with our awesome followers. We carefully consider quality, composition, and subject matter to ensure our message of positivity and fierceness is boldly represented in our content and product.
What is your favorite piece from your collection? What’s the story behind it?
My favorite piece is our Galactic Cuff earrings made from repurposed mirrors. They reflect your surroundings and add a unique touch to any day or night look. We came up with the idea to create jewelry with mirror when we reconsidered a broken mirror we’d planned to throw out. We experimented with transforming it’s brokenness into a functional accessory and eventually created our popular Splint Earrings and Slice Ring designs!
When did you know you wanted to start a jewelry line?
We knew almost immediately after the spontaneous act of making earrings from matchsticks that were on to something. We were so inspired and motivated by the endless possibilities of using repurposed materials!
What’s it like designing with your sister? How are your aesthetics different/unique?
Yaminah’s style has a relaxed and sleek feel while my style is more eclectic and spontaneous. Those two styles come together in our designs to create a striking combination of minimalism and eccentricity. In terms of running our business, I am the creative and Yaminah is the strategist – a necessary balance.
How do you see Purposerosa expanding in the future?
We are excited to continue building the Purposerosa team by partnering with companies to repurpose their excess material as basis for future collections.
What does success look like for you?
We are invested in creating a visible and sustainable impact on the use of repurposed materials that in turn inspires our followers to lead a more conscious and positive lifestyle.
Are there any artists/designers that inspire you?
Yes! Women’s wear designer Azede Jean Pierre’s steady rise to recognition for her wonderful designs is awe inspiring. Artist Tino Sehgal is an incredible force in the art world pushing the boundaries of performance art within typical museum and gallery formats. Loza Maleombho is a prime example of a talented fashion designer making uniquely beautiful work – check her instagram feed @lozamaleombho
What’s your greatest source of inspiration when designing?
We are inspired by the seemingly unremarkable wonder of ordinary objects. Taking time to discover that wonder is what helps us see a pile of matchsticks, chili peppers, eraser caps, or mirror shards and create something surprising and fun.
There’s been a lot of chatter in the past few years about the lack of diversity in fashion, art, and design. How do you feel about the state of things in the industry?
I am hopeful because we know many creatives from diverse backgrounds working hard to build their vision and voice. While the lack of diversity in popular fashion media is all too real, we know it is up to us and our contemporaries to help shift that standard. Purposerosa consciously creates a positive space for vibrant images of women of color in our campaigns.
Your instagram is always popping! I see food, pictures of travel, and dope locations. Has that been a good advertising channel for you?
Thank you! We love Instagram because when inspiration strikes, all we need is a few seconds to instantly share our perspective with followers anywhere in the world. We travel often, so being able to update our feed with pictures from our travels to places like Bali, El Salvador, DR, Puerto Rico, or Europe is exciting because we can share in real time as the adventure unfolds!
You are immersed in a variety of creative communities. Anybody the Blavity family should keep an eye out for?
Absolutely! Two collectives we love are – The Divine Fabrics Collective (a group of incredible poets who happen to be dear friends of ours) and Fear and Fancy (a collective of musicians who are up to some exciting performances). Also, for fitness motivation we absolutely love UndoOrdinary’s mission and stamina. If you live or are visiting New York, check their Instagram for some super fun activities – @undoordinary.
Purposerosa is taking fashion to a new heights, and bringing all types of joy and light with them. Stay in the know by following them on the interwebs! Seriously, they’re everywhere. Don’t miss a beat.
