Welcome to ‘Faces of FAT’, a captivating series that takes you behind the scenes of Fashion Art Toronto 2024. Dive into the compelling narratives and creative journeys of diverse designers, as we uncover the inspirations, challenges, and triumphs that shape their unique visions. From innovators to emerging talents, each episode unveils the fascinating stories behind the runway. Join us as we celebrate the diverse voices and untold stories of the fashion world, one designer at a time.
Meet Kenza and Jamie
Tell us a bit about yourself.Â
At Ken & Jame, we believe in the importance of a good jewelry piece. One that you will hold dear to your heart and look forward to wearing. Which is why those special pieces should be customizable and unique to everyone, therefore Ken & Jame became the reference in jewelry customization. With our Trinket Box concept, you can choose between hundreds of charms that can be added to hoops, chains, rings and bracelets.
But who is behind the company? Kenza and Jamie, two best friends with a shared dream of being entrepreneurs. With a common passion for fashion, they have been able to draw from each other’s inspirations and creativity.Â
What inspires you?
For us, inspiration can truly be found everywhere and anywhere. However, our goal will always remain to be a vehicule for people to create their own dream jewelry. We always strive for our customers to have the freedom to make their pieces meaningful, therefore our designs are always made with this purpose in mind. We create and design for them, so we can follow them in each milestone and important moments of their lives.
Secondly, our love for travelling and fashion will hold a great deal of inspiration.Â
Tell us the story behind your brand/ art.
Quite simply? Kenza and Jamie, two best friends with a shared dream of being entrepreneurs. It was friendship at first sight and nothing’s changed six years later. But if you want to dive deeper in our story, here it is: Kenza and Jamie have surrounded themselves with an extraordinary team to help them achieve their ideas. The process begins with our team designing the jewelry here in Montreal. Once the designs are completed and approved, everything is passed on to our master jewelers in Indonesia.
Why Indonesia? It is a beautiful story that is intimately linked to the family of our founder, Kenza. Our team of jewelers has been part of her life since childhood. In the 80s, their families worked together in the manufacturing of jewelry. Her mother worked with the father and we work with the son, so it’s a passion that has been passed down from generation to generation.Â
What’s one piece of advice you would give someone starting out in your field?
Don’t! Hahaahaa. But in all seriousness, it’s to prepare yourself for the biggest challenge of your career. Nothing comes easy and everything you gain, you have to work for.
What do you love most about FAT?
The absolute immersion in the world of Fashion. The discovery of different styles, cultures, and inspiration. It’s nothing like what we’ve experienced before.Â
What does 2024 hold for you?Â
We want to travel around our home province, Québec and expand the brand by going out and meeting new people all the time. We also plan on opening a store and creating a full shopping experience for our customers outside of the web. But most importantly, we want to push the boundaries of jewerly personalization even further by doing custom orders with our engraving machines. It will open up a whole new world of possibilities, not only for us but also for the customer.Â
Interested in learning more? Explore our previous Faces of FAT here
