Women of Wonder Interview with Love Weld’s Founder & Designer, Sarah Sides
Women have made an undeniable impact on the world, paving the way for future generations to break barriers and shatter stereotypes. Often in the face of discrimination and adversity, women have trail blazed by building brands and achieving greatness through innovation, leadership and inspiration.
We celebrate Women's History Month by featuring the remarkable female founders whose brands you can find at SHOWFIELDS. Tune in as we interview our Women of Wonder!
What inspired you to start your own business?
SS: The LW magic all began with a spark of inspiration when I was conducting trend research for a jewelry brand I designed for. At the time, there were two stores in Paris and New York, where clasp-free jewelry was an ancillary service to a traditional jewelry store. I found the concept fascinating, became a bit obsessed, and quickly decided that the concept needed to be its own brand. I wanted to create a space for people to connect & celebrate life through 14k gold jewelry!
What makes Love Weld so unique?
SS: LW is woman owned and operated and is the first major retail brand to specialize in the permanent jewelry concept. We love how this concept fosters positive human connection, and we are always thinking of how to evolve and elevate our product & experience.
Knowing what you know now, is there anything you would have done differently when you were first starting out?
SS: I would have told myself to not worry so much if people would buy into the concept. I had many naysayers in those early days, and probably for good reason. I had a lot of trial and error as I was trying to create the product, systems, and design that is LW today. We've come a long way!
What have you enjoyed most about starting your own brand?
SS: I've had an amazing team and support since the beginning. It's been such a gift to get to build LW with some of my favorite people.
What has been the biggest challenge for you as a female-founded company?
SS: On the industry side, fine jewelry is surprisingly male dominated. Having come from a more female centric area of fashion, I was not ready for this fact. I had to really push to be taken seriously that permanent jewelry was truly going to be something big. Men are slow adopters to this trend, whereas women more readily see the benefits of tailored clasp-free jewelry styles.
Do you have a mantra that you live by?
SS: Progress, not perfection.
What tips do you have for other women who would like to start their own businesses?
SS: Become a student & do the work. I spent the decade before starting LW learning about jewelry, branding, leadership, and business. A big part of this was starting at a low position in a fashion brand and working my way up to a leadership role. I wouldn't trade those years of hard work and learning for anything.
If someone is new to your brand, what is the first product they should try?
SS: Our permanent bracelets are life changing! Having a perfectly tailored bracelet without the pesky claps is like wearing a correctly fitting bra for the first time. You don't realize how much the bad fit was bothering you until it wasn't.
