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- [00:00]
Jennifer Meyer
Foreign.
- [00:05]
Laura Vinrut
I'm Laura Vinrut, pool of capital. And this is what we wore. Jennifer Meyer is a Los Angeles based jewelry designer who dared to step into her longtime dream with no experience. I hope you're inspired by the way she moves through life and business with little fear. Jen, I don't know that you know this or remember it, but I have met you before. But you were a little girl when I talked to Mickey Drexler. That's how I knew Mickey was from Dick Friedman. But Alex is my longtime best friend, sometime boyfriend from high school. And I met, I think I met y'all on the Vineyard, you and your mom and dad.
- [00:47]
Jennifer Meyer
That's so funny.
- [00:48]
Laura Vinrut
Yeah, but you were like a little girl.
- [00:50]
Jennifer Meyer
I love that. I love that. Well, nice to meet you again.
- [00:56]
Laura Vinrut
Well, yes, as adults for sure. Yeah. But you're not from the Vineyard. Did you grow up in la?
- [01:02]
Jennifer Meyer
Born and raised, yeah.
- [01:04]
Laura Vinrut
What are your favorite memories of growing up in la?
- [01:06]
Jennifer Meyer
You know, I grew up in Malibu and my backyard was the beach, so. And Malibu at the time, when I grew up was just like a cute little beach town. You know, there was like very few restaurants. You couldn't really go shopping. You know, I love la. I love. I'm an LA girl through and through, born and raised. But I. My memories, I just loved that freedom, just being on the beach and being like, you know, carefree. And I don't think I wore makeup or anything until I was in my 20s. You know, like there was just. You didn't think about things like that.
- [01:44]
Laura Vinrut
When did you realize that your family was a part of the entertainment industry or that it was a thing, you know, like, did you know what your dad did?
- [01:51]
Jennifer Meyer
I did know what my dad did because I was around it. You know, his clients were his best friends.
- [02:01]
Laura Vinrut
Yeah.
- [02:02]
Jennifer Meyer
So their whole, that whole world. I mean, I didn't know. It just was like my dad had a job, you know, he was an agent. But I have a lot of memories and a lot of stories of being a little girl and growing up in that world and it was sort of their world. It wasn't necessarily our world, but. Yeah, you just sort of know that you're in a, in a different. You're experiencing some cool things is all. I thought.
- [02:25]
Laura Vinrut
Were there some early fashion memories within that? Like did you see things or jewelry memories even?
- [02:31]
Jennifer Meyer
I remember being around 12 years old, backstage at a Madonna concert in her dressing room and thinking, oh, wait, this is crazy. This is so super cool. I have no words. And I was looking at all of the, the costumes and the way she was dressed. And I was just like, oh, yeah, this is. This is amazing. You know, the jewelry, the clothing, the whole vibe.
- [03:02]
Laura Vinrut
What is your first fashion memory? Is there. Is there one that sticks out before that, like with your mother or grandmother?
- [03:08]
Jennifer Meyer
Well, I guess there's two things in that. You know, my grandma was an amazing artist. She did a lot of enameling, so I would. She had this tiny little amazing apartment that I just loved to be at. I loved. Oh, my God. My grandma is just. She was just my everything. And she used to design pieces of jewelry, but with her hands, and every piece she did by hand, she'd say, what do you want to make today? And I'd say, oh, a flower ring. And she'd be like, great. And then which colors do you want to use? And you put the colors in, and then you put it in this tiny little oven and it cooks and it makes a piece. And she would do it with wire and color. And I loved it. And I loved sitting there and doing it with her. And that was my first sort of understanding of how much I loved jewelry and creating jewelry and watching it come to life. And then I think my mom. My mom was just always classic, and I love that about her. And it's still, to this day, she is. She was always in the perfect pair of worn and Levi's, that perfect white T shirt that you can't find, and a great pair of sneakers or a boot or a heel, and always had her classic gold jewelry on her. And as I get older, I just appreciate it more and more because she really just knew what looked good, how to dress, and it was always classic.
- [04:33]
Laura Vinrut
And it was such a different time then. I mean, everybody looked so good.
- [04:37]
Jennifer Meyer
Oh, yeah. I mean, my mom was always leaving the house. Her hair was wet, no makeup on, just gorgeous and perfect. And I respect it now big time.
- [04:48]
Laura Vinrut
Was it always jewelry for you? Like, from working with your grandmother? Did that always feel important to you? You and something that. That meant more than clothes to you?
- [04:57]
Jennifer Meyer
I always knew growing up, I wanted to be in the fashion world in some way, but I didn't really understand what that meant. You know, it was before the Internet. It's before Instagram. Like, it's just a thought in your head. So I loved magazines. I loved, like, sitting on my bed and page to page to page and just, like, combing through all of it. So I always had a thing for it. And I think jewelry was always my secret passion. But I went to school for child and family psychology. I didn't know What I was doing. I got out of school, I worked for Glamour magazine, and then Giorgio Armani, and then I worked for Ralph Lauren. And it was sort of when I was at Ralph Lauren that my ex husband, who was my boyfriend at the time, said to me, what? What do you really want to do? Like, what's your passion? And I said, I don't know. I don't know. And he said, that's not true. He said, every single person has something in their head, and we're too scared to say it because we think, how would I ever do that? I'm not good enough. I wouldn't know how to figure that out. I'm not smart enough. I'm not pretty enough. Like, we have this narrative in our head that keeps us from talking about our dreams. And I said, well, I don't know. And he said, no, that's not true. He goes, do you want to be an actress? Do you want to be a writer? Do you want to be a doctor? Do you want to work for NASA? Like, what is it? And I said, I want to be a jewelry designer. He said, well, that doesn't seem too hard. And I said, but it is. I don't know how to do it. And he said, there's like a Star wars quote. And he said, do or do not. There is no try.
- [06:35]
Laura Vinrut
And were you like, thanks a lot, or were you like, thanks a lot? Both.
- [06:40]
Jennifer Meyer
I was both. You know, I was both, but I think I was like, okay. And I felt a little stuck in that moment, like, oh, shit, I better try this. And I did. And I just. I mean, that's a whole other story. But I did, and here we are.
- [06:59]
Laura Vinrut
And Jen, at that point, like, while you were at Glamour and while you were at Ralph, did jewelry stick out? Or were there moments where you felt like really not finding the things I want or I wish Ralph would do this. It would be. Make everything so much more meaningful.
- [07:13]
Jennifer Meyer
Could you imagine? Hey, Ralph, you're really missing something here.
- [07:17]
Laura Vinrut
Got some tips for you.
- [07:19]
Jennifer Meyer
You know, I was so lucky to work for Mr. Armani and for Ralph Lauren. And they were both personally amazing to me. And just watching how they worked was incredible. I mean, I remember my first meeting with Ralph Lauren and David Lauren, his son. And I was sitting in their offices in New York City, and I was like, damn, this is goals. This is. This is the real deal. And they were kind and they were sweet, and they wanted to know my ideas. And I was just like, this is. This is like, too good to be true. This is incredible. The jewelry always stood out for me, and in all of my jobs, I was always drawn to the jewelry. And I always thought that jewelry was so meaningful and so sentimental. I always say with women, if you look in your jewelry box or your drawer or whatever you have and you see every piece, you know who gave it to you, what the occasion was, what the feeling was behind it, you know, or if you purchased it for yourself, what the moment was when you were like, you know what? I've really wanted this necklace for a long time. I'm just gonna go for it, and it stays with you forever.
- [08:35]
Laura Vinrut
My mom just died a couple months ago, so.
- [08:38]
Jennifer Meyer
Sorry.
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Laura Vinrut
No, it's awful. But it is so amazing how meaningful the jewelry that has been passed down from. From my GR and great grandmother and for my sister and for me to get that jewelry box. And you're just like, wow. Yeah.
- [08:53]
Jennifer Meyer
Yes.
- [08:53]
Laura Vinrut
You can feel it. You can really feel it. Marie Helene always says that stones carry spirit. You know, that there really is a lot in there, and you can get bad ones and you can get good ones, but I can really feel my family in these things that my mom left for us.
- [09:08]
Jennifer Meyer
Yeah, I love that.
- [09:09]
Laura Vinrut
Did you have to start from square one? Like, I mean, other than the enamel with your grandpa?
- [09:14]
Jennifer Meyer
Oh, yeah, square one.
- [09:16]
Laura Vinrut
When you started, was it sort of as a hobby on the side, or you went full on into it from the start?
- [09:20]
Jennifer Meyer
No, I was still working for Ralph Lauren, and I worked directly for a woman named Rebecca McCabe who now runs Chanel. She's incredible. And I said to her, you know, this is like, I try and tell everyone that I speak to or work with or that wants advice. You know, transparency is key, and when you're transparent, people really want to see support you. And I said to Rebecca, I was like, listen, I really want to try designing jewelry and see where it goes. And she's like, okay, that's amazing. We don't want to lose you. And I was like, thank you so much. And she said, let's figure out how to balance it. And so I started consulting for them, which was amazing. But I still did all the celebrity dressing. I mean, it was consulting, but still working full time and designing my jewelry on the side. And when you asked me if I started from square one, I mean, is there something that's, like, less than square one? Because I had no clue. I went. And the first thing I did was started taking beading courses, and I was beating and learning how to beat, and I was like, oh, yeah, this isn't for me. Like, I'm not a good beater. And then I started going down downtown to Culver City, to Beverly Hills. If it's a jeweler on the door. I walked in, I had an. An idea for a leaf. And I walked in and I said, hey, I've got this idea. Almost everyone turned me down, but a few people said yes. And I had a very small amount of money that I had saved for a really long time. To do this to company would be to try and design these pieces to just see if I knew if I liked what I was doing. So one, they were like, we need to make a mold. I'm like, what's a mold? You know, like, I didn't know anything. I didn't know there was a price of gold. I didn't know about diamonds. I didn't know anything about anything. So one person would charge me, you know, $50 for a mold. The next one would charge me 200. So I was. I was literally, like, understanding every single little step. And one piece would cost this much, the other would cost that. And it took me a while to figure out trial and error. And again, very small amount of money to do it. Very, very small. I sort of figured, like, what better to blow your money on than a dream if it doesn't work? But if it works, it could be really successful. Let's see. I have no idea.
- [11:51]
Laura Vinrut
And what's the worst that could happen? I think that's what I tell people when they ask about starting a business. Like, really? What is the worst thing? I mean, you could. It could not work. But, like, how far are you in that it's not working? I mean, I don't know.
- [12:03]
Jennifer Meyer
Yeah, listen, you gotta be smart in life any which way you cut it, right? You can't, like, blow your kids lunch money on something. So you gotta. You gotta be thoughtful. But that's how it started.
- [12:16]
Laura Vinrut
And then from there, where, like, were you showing them to friends or what were you doing?
- [12:20]
Jennifer Meyer
Yep, I was showing it to friends.
- [12:22]
Laura Vinrut
And was the feedback hard?
- [12:24]
Jennifer Meyer
You know, it's sort of like, people like, this is cute. I love this. This is really nice. You know, very sweet. And. But I showed it to everyone just to see what people liked. And randomly one day I was at Ralph Lauren and I was pulling clothing with the costume designers for the breakup for Jennifer Aniston. And I had my jewelry with me, like three pieces. And I showed them because I was like, I just would love your opinion on this. Like, these are like little samples. Like, do you guys think these are cute or not? Obviously, I'm not showing them for Jen Aniston. I'm just showing them because whatever. I'm just. I want feedback. And they said, and this is. Jen and I had known each other, but this is before we were friends. Like, we didn't have each other's cell phone numbers or anything. Like, this is pure, like, showing these costume designers. They're like, we kind of like these. Like, can we show Jen with all the other clothes? And I was like, oh, I don't know. These are not, like, ready for that. And they were like, don't worry. She ends up picking her own stuff anyway. Like, this probably doesn't even work out. Just don't worry about it. I was like, okay, take them. Whatever. But then I was all. The whole day was about Ralph Lauren clothing. Three weeks go by. I don't hear one thing, and I'm like, oh, my God. They literally looked at these pieces. They threw them in the trash. Every insecurity I have, like, went out. Like, you have no idea. I didn't even want to call, call and check in, because I was so embarrassed and mortified and, like, forget it. I don't even want to know. And then I got a call from the breakup three and a half weeks in saying, hey, we need three of each of these. And I was like, okay, for what? And they were like, well, we like them. Whatever. Da, da, da. And I was like, listen, those are my only ones. You need to send them back to me, because I need to. I need to, like, have those samples to make them. And they were like, what are you talking about? Like, we don't have time for that. I was like, I'm gonna make it so fast. I'm gonna turn it around. Like, please. I sent it back. They were like, we need an invoice at that point. Like, I had never even, like, done an invoice. I was, like, working on Word, and I think I charged them, like, less than cost because I was, like, didn't know what I was doing. And simultaneously, all I cared about was being in Barney's. That was like the Mecca, right? And I had no connections. I didn't know anybody there. And I started asking everyone. June, anyone at Barney's, do you know anyone who works at Barney's? Do you know anyone who works at Barney's? And a girlfriend of mine randomly said, I do. I know this girl, Julie Gilhart. You should look at her stuff now. Thank God there was no Internet. Like, that. I didn't know who Julie Gilhart was. I had an appointment with her when she came to la. I brought all my pieces in Ziploc baggies so they wouldn't tangle. Like, so amateur. And she called me after she saw it, and she was like, we love it. We want to try it. We're gonna put in an order. I was like, oh, okay, Amazing. So Barney's put in a small order. I remember going in and seeing my jewelry, and they had made like a Jennifer Meyer name plate thing. Like, so, like, whatever shows everybody's names. And I. That was the thing that, like, concerned me the most. I was like, oh, my God, this better do well. Because they invested in, like, getting that made for me.
- [16:06]
Laura Vinrut
Like 30 pieces.
- [16:08]
Jennifer Meyer
No, no, no. It was like 10.
- [16:09]
Laura Vinrut
You had to have a made and you were like, oh, hell.
- [16:12]
Jennifer Meyer
Oh, God. Oh, yeah. Oh, my God. I was shipping on the floor of my living room and figuring out the terms and FedEx. I didn't know what I was doing right. And at the same time, it goes into Barney's, the breakup comes out, and it was the perfect storm. And it was like leaf mania. I don't even know how many thousands of leaves we sold. Thank you, Jennifer Aniston. I still thank her. And it really was like that moment for my company, and it was a beautiful moment. Now what you realize very quickly after is you still have to design things that people love. Because if you're a one hit wonder, then that's it. Your company's done one thing, People love it, they buy it, and then that's all. So that's when the real work comes in.
- [17:06]
Laura Vinrut
And at that point, are you still with Ralph?
- [17:08]
Jennifer Meyer
I am just about leaving Ralph, you know, kind of. Yeah.
- [17:15]
Laura Vinrut
And that must have been really scary.
- [17:16]
Jennifer Meyer
Yeah, it was. But they were so sweet and supportive, and I still have such a great relationship with them. And, you know, Rebecca really supported me through that first journey of like, no, we still want you to work for us and go do your jewelry. It's fine. It doesn't like, crossover.
- [17:34]
Laura Vinrut
Once the leaves were sold, was there a moment when you felt like you were going to be successful, that this was going to work?
- [17:39]
Jennifer Meyer
No, I'm still working to be successful. I'm still every day, like, you know.
- [17:45]
Laura Vinrut
What am I doing? Me too.
- [17:48]
Jennifer Meyer
No, I've never had that moment of like, okay, great, I'm successful. It's like, okay, that was a success. What's next?
- [17:55]
Laura Vinrut
When did you get involved with the Vogue Fashion Fund?
- [17:58]
Jennifer Meyer
You know, I started very slowly with my jewelry. It was going great, but I had two little kids at the time, and I was Going really slow. And then I think probably around 12 years ago with the CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund, I sort of was like, okay, either I'm gonna really work hard and, like, create this business in the way that, like, I can see it, or I'm gonna figure out something else because, like, I gotta go all in right now. Like, I gotta really, like, really give it my all. And at the same time, the Vogue Fashion Fund had asked me to apply, which was amazing. There was a girl named Meredith Melling who now owns Laleen.
- [18:43]
Laura Vinrut
We just had her on the podcast.
- [18:44]
Jennifer Meyer
I love Meredith. And she.
- [18:46]
Laura Vinrut
She's awesome.
- [18:47]
Jennifer Meyer
She encouraged me and said, just apply. And I think there was, like, you know, 150 applicants or 250, some crazy amount. You go down to 50 and then you're in top 10. And it was, you know, you do. There's three of us who win the prize, and it was me, Tabitha Simmons, and Greg Chait from Elder Statesman.
- [19:07]
Laura Vinrut
Oh, wow.
- [19:08]
Jennifer Meyer
And it was awesome. And winning was great, but it was such a great group of people anyway. Yeah, it was like Wes Gordon was in my year, who's obviously a superstar, and Andrea Lieberman from alc. I mean, great, great people winning. That catapulted me in a different way, because at that moment, you know, Anna Winter is replying to your emails, and DVF became my mentor, and you get a mentor for a year. And I remember at the end of the year, I was like, wait, what am I going to do without you? And she's like, honey, I'm going to be your mentor forever.
- [19:45]
Laura Vinrut
I was like, oh, that's so awesome. And that must have been so helpful. I mean, I think from what I understand, the mentor part is really life changing, right?
- [19:55]
Jennifer Meyer
She's changed. She's. She's a life changer. Dvf. I mean, there is no one like her. There is no one like her. On a personal level, on a professional level, she's really an angel. And I mean, just the other day I texted her and I said, I have a question for you. I could use, like, a little talking out. And she said, are you available? Call me right now. And I called her and I was like, what are you doing? She's like, I'm in Venice, Italy. I'm about to go to sleep. But. And stayed on the phone with me for 45 minutes. She was just. She's amazing. And sat there and, like, talk something out with me.
- [20:29]
Laura Vinrut
What's the most important lesson that you've learned from her?
- [20:32]
Jennifer Meyer
I hope this comes out right. But she once Said I was in a situation very early on with someone who worked for me. It wasn't working at all. And I was trying to figure out how to transition. And the money aspect was really difficult for me because she wasn't showing up and I was paying her and blah, blah. And she said, money will be the cheapest part of this. Just need to get rid of her slowly. And it was actually great advice in that moment because it was sort of like, don't worry about the dollars in this particular moment. If you just transition in the best way possible, it will cost you a lot less in the end. It really. That made sense to me.
- [21:21]
Laura Vinrut
I love that my next question probably relates to her too. I mean, she must have been supportive. As a working mother, how far into the business were you when you became a mother?
- [21:32]
Jennifer Meyer
I started my business and had my daughter at the exact same time. It was like I was full on. On both at the same time. But, you know, I think her whole thing was like, your family always has to come first. And if everything is good at home and good with your family and you feel like you're really giving the attention that your kids deserve, then you're going to be able to give your business a lot more time. You know, you're going to be able to work a lot harder when you just sort of keep things organized.
- [22:04]
Laura Vinrut
Was becoming a mother transformative for you?
- [22:07]
Jennifer Meyer
I mean, you know, obviously I could tell you. I could tell you all the things. It's still transformative. I have two teenagers right now, and.
- [22:15]
Laura Vinrut
I'm like, oh, my God, bless you.
- [22:17]
Jennifer Meyer
I'm in it know, but it's. It's the greatest job on the planet.
- [22:21]
Laura Vinrut
And what did it shift about, the way you looked at your business?
- [22:24]
Jennifer Meyer
It showed me how I love to work, and it also showed me how much I love to be a mom. And I think that being a great mom also came with me having something that was important to me that I loved going to work. I love showing up. I love, you know, creating. I love being a part of a team. I have the most amazing team and having something for myself. Not that it's my company, just something for myself, whatever that is, really made me a more present mom when I was with my kids. Obviously with my kids every day, but you know what I mean.
- [23:06]
Laura Vinrut
Yeah, I'm sure they're proud of you, too. Do they understand what you do?
- [23:10]
Jennifer Meyer
I. They do understand what I do. I mean, but, you know, they're teenagers. Their life revolves around them. You know what I mean?
- [23:17]
Laura Vinrut
Exactly.
- [23:18]
Jennifer Meyer
But they get it and they, you know, they are very sweet about my jewelry, and they're awesome. And I mean, they're the best. I don't. I don't. I'm just. I have the best time with them, you know, but we're also, like, going through teenage stuff. It's figuring it all out.
- [23:35]
Laura Vinrut
And then. Tell me about opening your first stores. What changed about the business when you did that? I always think that really shifts things for people.
- [23:43]
Jennifer Meyer
Oh, that was awesome. I mean, Rick Caruso came to me, explained to me the concept of the Palisades Village. I really didn't understand it because I had grown up over there and couldn't imagine what it could turn into. And so he convinced me when it was just a plot of dirt to open my first store. And I thought, okay, well, I've kind of always wanted a home base. I didn't know if it was going to. What I was going to do. The community there is so incredible, what he has built that I'm so glad I did it. I love my store. It's like a little jewel box, and it really is like, the home to all of my pieces and my. My stuff, you know, my lifestyle. So I love it. And it does shift the business. You know, people have a place to go to try on, to feel it, to understand what you're about, how you present it all.
- [24:34]
Laura Vinrut
From working in fashion for so long, did you know how you wanted the store to feel? I mean, did you have a. Do you automatically know exactly how you wanted it to be?
- [24:42]
Jennifer Meyer
I did. I. Like I said, I always wanted it to be. I didn't want it to be too big. I wanted it to feel like you were walking into a little jewel box and that people were there to help and try on jewelry. Like, I really. Even though it's fine jewelry, I. I wanted it to have the vibe that, like, try it on, like, whatever, you know, not that. Like, it's precious.
- [25:01]
Laura Vinrut
Don't be afraid.
- [25:02]
Jennifer Meyer
Don't be afraid. Yeah.
- [25:03]
Laura Vinrut
Like, because when we were growing up, you know, it was almost. People had gloves on to take things out of the cases to show you. You were just, like, scared. And it does make it just a completely different thing, I think.
- [25:15]
Jennifer Meyer
Totally.
- [25:16]
Laura Vinrut
You opened. I think about the time that we did right before the pandemic, which was great timing. What did you learn about yourself in the pandemic and about your business?
- [25:27]
Jennifer Meyer
That people love jewelry. I mean, truly, like, it was. It was a really scary time at first, and we obviously had to make a lot of adjustments, like, off the bat, and Figure out, like, how we're going to carry all of this and what we're going to do. And it was a really scary time when it sort of, you know, started to shake out and we all got a little less scared and, you know, realizing, like, okay, there's a way to live through this in a somewhat normal way. I was grateful that the store reopened, and I was grateful that I was able to have the people that I care about work there again. And it was also the time we got lucky because we had launched online shortly before the pandemic, and because all the big stores were closed, there was no jewelry shopping. So it was really nice that people had a place to go and that they still wanted to invest in those pieces.
- [26:33]
Laura Vinrut
And what do you think about the industry now? It seems like it's changing a lot after that crazy boom during the pandemic. The price of gold is crushing everybody. What do you think's changing about it now, and how do you think the business will change as a result?
- [26:48]
Jennifer Meyer
Yes, the price of gold is complicated. I think also as a jewelry designer, and I've talked to other jewelry designer friends about this, we can't change our prices based on the price of gold. So, you know, as a business owner, you end up taking the hit. Yeah, you can't, you know, which is. It is what it is. And. But your customers and your loyal following is more important than changing prices on people all the time. I mean, we'll see where it balances out, but it is. It's sort of. It's. It's complicated right now. I think that there's a lot of designers out there. There's room for everybody. But it definitely, you know, my heart goes out to people where it gets complicated, you know, where you really have to spend a lot of money to keep your business open. And that gets tough, especially with these prices of gold.
- [27:43]
Laura Vinrut
What's the hardest thing about running your business?
- [27:45]
Jennifer Meyer
The hardest part about running my business is, I guess I would say the thing that I care about the most and that pulls at my heartstrings or whatever, is I really love my team, and I really care about my team. And I'm also just, like, you know, not an HR person, but there's just. There's stuff that happens, and you just want to make sure that your team is. Is happy and feels good and knows how grateful how. How grateful I am for them every day. But at the same time, you know, you're, like, running around, and you're running a million miles an hour, too, but I Think that. That. That for me is just like. That's the most important thing that I think about on a d. Well, and.
- [28:28]
Laura Vinrut
I think that you. You know, you start these businesses being in love with jewelry or clothes or whatever it is, and that's sort of. And it's just you. And then you don't see in the future that a growing business, actually, you have a big team. And it really. A lot of it is about managing the team, leading the team. I think that's why a lot of businesses fail, really.
- [28:51]
Jennifer Meyer
The design part is a small piece of it.
- [28:55]
Laura Vinrut
Very.
- [28:55]
Jennifer Meyer
And then there's so many other things.
- [28:58]
Laura Vinrut
You know, have you had anybody in your team be transparent with you about their own dream, similar to when you shared yours with Ralph Lauren?
- [29:07]
Jennifer Meyer
Something I really love and respect about my team is they are so committed to the company and the growth of the company and selling the pieces and seeing them on people that it's just like the best feeling. And I've definitely. I mean, I've had thousands of conversations with people over the years, and I've had girls that have gone on to do so many different cool things. And listen, if anybody on my team or in my life, whatever, say, hey, I've got a dream. Will you support me? I want to. Whatever. It's like, live your life. We have one life.
- [29:47]
Laura Vinrut
I mean, I've been doing this 27 years, and. And I would say in my first. Definitely the first 10 years, it was really hard when they came to me and said that I want to open a store, and I'd be like, okay, you know, or I want to be a designer, you know, and you'd have these really talented people, and, you know, you invest in the team and, you know, you want them to stay. And I think for me, it took, I would say, definitely till the second half of my career to be okay with it. Not only okay with it, but excited for people to go on and pursue their things. But in the beginning, it's hard.
- [30:20]
Jennifer Meyer
Whenever anybody's leaving you on any level, it always stings, right? But, you know, it's way easier to get left than have to fire someone. I'll tell you that. That is the worst. If I could choose one thing not to do in my company is to fire people.
- [30:39]
Laura Vinrut
Yeah, that's pretty awful. But you really don't seem like you ever get scared.
- [30:45]
Jennifer Meyer
I have moments in life that feels like big shifts. But, you know, another quote that I always love to say to my kids, and I saw it somewhere, worrying is like walking around with an umbrella waiting for it to rain. We don't do it. There's no point.
- [31:02]
Laura Vinrut
And definitely in la.
- [31:04]
Jennifer Meyer
Yeah. But in general, it's like, what are we gonna do? You're gonna worry every day and just hold an umbrella like, it might rain, it might rain. It's like, no big deal. And we gotta roll with the punches. Like, things are gonna get thrown at us. Things are gonna happen. And we can either look at things like, this is a disaster, or we can look at it like a math problem. There's always a solution. And I definitely have moments of like, oh, this is scary, or this is a big deal, but within my company or life or whatever, like, I just. I don't. I don't have a lot of fear. I can get anxiety, but I don't have fear.
- [31:45]
Laura Vinrut
I read a great. A great quote from you that you said, hard times make stronger people.
- [31:50]
Jennifer Meyer
Yeah. I mean, I'm sure I pulled that from somewhere, but I believe that in life, period. You know, it's like. It's a Dolly Parton quote. It's like, you don't have the rainbow without the storm. And I really think that that's true.
- [32:06]
Laura Vinrut
What are some of the hardest things you've experienced?
- [32:08]
Jennifer Meyer
Losing my grandma. That really killed me. That was. That was a tough one. Oh, I don't know. You know, listen, it's hard starting a company and keeping it, like, going.
- [32:23]
Laura Vinrut
Yeah.
- [32:23]
Jennifer Meyer
Successful going. That's really. You know, that. That presents a lot of challenges. I think that going through a divorce is never easy. That was hard. But. But I'll say that that was one of the. Also became one of the best things I had ever gone through because my ex husband's my best friend. So, yeah, if you look at something as challenging, you think, like, okay, like, a lot's gonna come from. From this. A lot's gonna come from the other side. And, like, listen, I lost my grandma right at the time that I was starting my company and having my daughter. And I kind of feel like her fairy godmother energy has sprinkled down on me with all of this.
- [33:06]
Laura Vinrut
What do you think she would say about what you've created?
- [33:08]
Jennifer Meyer
Oh, my God. I created a couple pieces right before she passed away, and she was dripping in anything I would give her. She would love it.
- [33:19]
Laura Vinrut
Have you ever done enamel, Jen? I mean, is that something that you would do or add to the collection for her?
- [33:26]
Jennifer Meyer
You know, I've never done enamel yet because everything I do is in precious stones. But it's something that I keep thinking about, and when I do it, like, I'll be really hard on myself because she was such a genius. So I will want to do it perfectly for her, but I will do it one day.
- [33:45]
Laura Vinrut
You have all of her pieces.
- [33:46]
Jennifer Meyer
Oh, my God. I have. So. I mean, I could pull one right now. I have so many.
- [33:51]
Laura Vinrut
What's next for you in the business?
- [33:53]
Jennifer Meyer
Well, we just launched in the last year and a half our lifestyle. So we're doing perfume and hand and body cream and the rollerball and the candle. And I'm just obsessed, obsessed with it. It's amazing. And it sort of reminds me of growing up in Malibu and that scent, that beach scent, it's delicious. So I was really excited about launching that. And I think it's just. I really love designing jewelry, and it's just going to continue from here and keep on doing it.
- [34:29]
Laura Vinrut
Well, I do have one really important question. What did you wear to the prom?
- [34:34]
Jennifer Meyer
So funny, because I was. Somebody said you were going to ask this. And I was thinking about it, and there were two proms that I had. One I wore. Do you remember product?
- [34:44]
Laura Vinrut
Yes, I do remember product. I had two great dresses from them.
- [34:47]
Jennifer Meyer
Okay, so I had a turquoise dress that I wore that I shortened. I shortened was the fact that my mom. Love you, mom. But the fact that she let me out of that, the house with how much I shortened this dress was absolutely crazy. And you know who helped sell it to me when I was a teenager was Jean Yang. She was a sales girl at Product. And, you know, now she's like a genius stylist.
- [35:18]
Laura Vinrut
Wow.
- [35:19]
Jennifer Meyer
And then the other prom, I worked as a sales girl at a store called Tracy Ross, which at the time, oh, my God, like, the coolest store ever. And I was like, I don't know what to wear to prom. And Tracy was like, I have a very special dress. I will lend it to you, but I need it back the next day. And I was like, really? Yes. And she lent me an air velogier dress. And that was like, color black. And that was before. Like that.
- [35:49]
Laura Vinrut
Before it was bought by Alan B. Schwartz.
- [35:51]
Jennifer Meyer
It was not. You know, that was like. It was. It was airbag. Oh, my God. I still remember that dress and what.
- [35:59]
Laura Vinrut
Shoes and what hair and what jewels.
- [36:01]
Jennifer Meyer
I don't think I had enough jewels on, that's for sure. The product dress, I had a bob, and I wore that Clinique BlackBerry lipstick, obviously. So my lips were, like, purple. And I bought, like, wooden white platforms on Melrose. I mean, I thought I looked great. And now I look at the pictures, I'm like, oh, wow, mother. Oh, God. And then with the black air, Vela J dress, some awful platform, I'm sure. And my hair was, like, down and straight. I was really into blowing my hair straight. I was very excited about it.
- [36:39]
Laura Vinrut
Thank you, Jennifer.
- [36:40]
Jennifer Meyer
Thank you so much for having me. I appreciate it.
- [36:47]
Laura Vinrut
What We Wore is produced by Capitol and Balto Creative Media. The original song, Someone so Enchanting was composed and performed by Brit Drazda. Please follow us on Instagram at whatworepodcast for additional content and show updates. QueenCityPodcastNetwork.
- [37:20]
Jennifer Meyer
Com.