Designer Q&A: Joy Hockensmith

Meet Joy, the designer behind jewelry line Be Joyful. Her fun and unique rings, earrings, and necklaces can be found in the shop. Read on to find out more about how she got her start, her favorite trends,  and what she has next for Be Joyful!


Introduce yourself  

Joy Hockensmith

How did you get started? 

I started making jewelry when I was young. My Mother had an extensive jewelry collection and would ask me to fix the broken pieces. Sometimes pieces could not be fixed and that left me with the challenge of making them into something useful so that they can continue to be enjoyed. I learned silversmithing at The Art Center.

What are you up to now? 

I just finished a bunch of “love” necklaces for Vitae’s Valentine’s promotion. I’ll be making polymer flowers to add to pieces I’ll have for spring.

Designer Q&A: Josh "Jay O" Ansah

Meet Josh, the designer behind clothing line Jaytees Apparel. His comfortable, eye catching, and conversation sparking t-shirts can be found in the shop. Read on to find out more about his favorite trends, personal style, and what he has next for Jaytees Apparel! 

Introduce yourself 

My name is Joshua Ansah, but I also go by Jay O. It’s a nickname my friend gave me a few years ago and it just stuck.

 

How did you get started?

Jaytees Apparel started off with me making some shirts for an Ansah classic basketball game I put together. The shirts turned out really cool and became popular. I decided that we could sell these, and it helped me come up with other ideas. I made those shirts and then I made a few other shirts that were kids’ shirts, Sneak’R Prince and Princess. (I love sneakers. I collect them, probably since 7^th grade. I love wearing collectable sneakers and vintage Jordans). Those shirts sold really well, and I wanted to see what it would really take to make it into a business. I spoke with a few colleagues in the business world to find out what it took to legally start a business and have a legitimate business with the state, retail, and sales tax. I had the opportunity to speak with Mike Draper of Raygun and found out his story and got advice on what to use and what to avoid and how to help my business prosper. I had never run my own business before, I didn’t have a lot of money before, but I decided that if I was going to do it, I wanted to do it right. There are so many creative avenues to explore when making graphic t-shirts. You can create designs that mean something. It takes a little while for me to come up with designs and lines for my clothing and apparel designs within those lines. I never want to just come up with something that I wouldn’t want to wear myself! I want every single design that I come out with to be relevant and make sense.  It’s hard to come up with something that is relevant, understandable and people want to wear. 
 

Designer Q&A: Cara Veeder

Meet Cara, the designer behind accessories line Little Pretties. Her cute earrings, necklaces, and bracelets can be found in the shop. Read on to find out more about how she got started, her favorite trends and what she has next for her Little Pretties line!

Introduce yourself

My name is Cara Veeder. I'm 33 years old and was born and raised here in Des Moines. I studied Graphic Design at Minneapolis College of Art and Design from 1998-2000, and I got a BA in Graphic Design from Drake University in 2003. I'm a self-proclaimed design addict and jack-of-many-trades. Aside from making jewelry and accessories for my "Little Pretties" line (and designing all related branding, packaging, and displays), I also love to explore other artistic avenues by creating illustrations, hand-lettered alphabets, graphic design (both for print and web), writing short fiction, crafting with papers and fabrics, knitting, photography, and sewing. I'm also obsessed with researching trends and innovations, mainly in the design and fashion worlds. I love finding new ideas and inspirations for color palettes, materials, shapes, and other artistic elements. I keep countless journals and sketchbooks full of various project ideas and new things I'd like to try!

How did you get started?

From early childhood, I loved to draw, and as I grew older, my drawings grew smaller and smaller, full of almost tediously ornate, complex patterns and lines. I began to form a love for the tiniest details and for adding in little unexpected "surprise" elements that might not be noticed at first glance (like my own little secret message!) By my early teens, I decided to experiment with a new medium, to see if my attention to detail and interest in working on a small scale would translate well to making jewelry. In middle school, I started making simple beaded jewelry for myself, my family, and a few close friends. Then, in 8th grade, my school held an Art Fair and allowed students to display and sell their artwork. I jumped at the chance to market my earrings, bracelets, and necklaces, and they were a hit! I had found my niche! Over the years, I continued to hone my jewelry-making skills and perfect my techniques, getting plenty of practice by working at Bead Creative, a local bead store, for several years. This long and winding road ultimately led to the birth of Little Pretties, my line of one-of-a-kind jewelry and accessories, in early 2008. My jewelry has evolved immensely since those early days of bead-stringing, and my pieces will continue to change as I learn new techniques, discover new inspirations and influences, and experiment with new ideas.

Designer Q&A: Julie Punelli

Meet Julie, the designer behind Magpie. She is talented, fun to speak with, and has a great eye for vintage finds! You can find her designs at the shop. Read on to find out what she thinks of Des Moines, her favorite trends, and how she defines style!

Introduce yourself  

I am Julie Punelli, and I started the Magpie line a long time ago.
 

How did you get started?
What I am doing comes out of a long suffering need to redesign things, which really kicked in when I worked in a vintage clothing store - so many little improvements you can make to salvage a piece and get it back out there in circulation. I enjoy original design and have some great materials. I guess I'm a little shy about it, being self taught & all.

What are you up to now?
Presently I am going through my collection of potentials (projects, things to upcycle, materials) and am making some decisions to free up space in my work area and my mind. I'm sure it's all in a hoarder's recovery handbook somewhere.  It feels great so far.

Designer Q&A: Sarah Johnson

Meet Sarah Johnson, the designer behind Rock N Reconstruct. She is talented, creative, and thoughtful about her designs. You can find her clothing available for sale at the shop. Read on to find out Sarah’s definition of style, trends she finds overexposed, and her future views on Rock N Reconstruct.

Introduce yourself 

Hey! I'm Sarah! I design and produce the label Rock N Reconstruct. Nice to meet you!

How did you get started?

It all started with my love of vintage clothing. I would find the coolest t-shirt or dress, but it would be too big or to long so I would start cutting things down and hand sew or tie pieces of fabric together to make it more girly and my style. Eventually I got a sewing machine and would try to make the outfits I could picture in my head. Eventually everyone would ask me where I got the stuff I was making and it just kind of evolved from there. Living in Los Angeles and seeing firsthand how fashion is produced and working with other young designers helped me learn the business and become a designer.

Designer Q&A: Melissa Speridon

Meet Melissa, the designer behind Pink Revolver. She is great to talk to, funny and down to earth. You can find her jewelry and vintage inspired designs at the shop. Read on to find out how she got started, what she thinks of Des Moines, and what she’ll be up to next with Pink Revolver.

Introduce yourself

My name is Melissa Speridon. I am from Minnesota, grew up there. I went to a 2 year school in Minneapolis and took the design program there. I have always loved fashion. I have always aspired to do something artistic and make it into a career. I fell into that program and it taught me the basics of everything I needed to know to get started. It really groomed people into becoming small designers. All the professors there were doing something within the industry. I came to Iowa a few years later and fell into a vintage store. That kind of molded my design ideas and helped me find out what kind of niche I wanted to go into. Later, I met Julie and business ideas kept coming up. We kept pushing each other and it just kind of happened. It evolved from a tiny booth in the east village to our store, Vitae Design Collective. 

How did you get started?

I came up with the label first. Everything I like to do has a rough but feminine edge. Sometimes it is a little loud, but essentially wearable, nothing too crazy. I remember sitting around with my boyfriend and came up with the label name. It just made sense to me. Pink Revolver. It just came from there. I love a lot of fabrics from the 60s and 70s. I love that whole era of freedom, the movements, and experimentations. I was always drawn to that. That is how my designs are influenced. 

Designer Q&A: Andrew Kingsbury

Meet Andrew Kingsbury, the man behind Decadence. He has a cool sense of style and is amazing at taking old objects and making them into new treasures. You can find his leather accessories at the Vitae shop. Read on to find out Andrew’s definition of style, his views on Des Moines and what he has next for Decadence.

Introduce yourself J

I’m Andrew Kingsbury. I am a graphic designer full time for Iowa State University and in my spare time I do jewelry making. I have been doing it since 2004 informally and on a professional basis since 2010.

How did you get started?

Originally I was just making things for myself and friends. I was interested in leather craft. I was buying belts from the thrift store and started making them for myself. 

Designer Q&A: Dani Ausen

Meet Dani Ausen, the designer behind daniAWESOME. She is exciting to talk to, fun, and creative. You can find her accessories at the Vitae Design Collective shop. Read on to find out Dani’s favorite trends, her top style essentials and what she will be up to next!

Introduce yourself
I’m Dani. I’ve always been a person who enjoys making things and being busy. That is what I do. I am always busy and always making something.

How did you get started?
I started making accessories four years ago, and I have been selling at Vitae for three years. I was in an Urban Outfitters 4 years ago and first saw feather accessories. I was really disappointed how expensive they were for the quality. I thought I could do better. I made hair clips for my friend’s wedding and people kept asking where they came from and that’s how I got started.

Designer Q&A: Alyssa Bowers

Meet Alyssa Bowers, an entrepreneur and clothing designer. She is laidback, easy to talk to and hardworking. You can find her t-shirts, hoodies, dog clothes, and more at our shop. Read on to find out Alyssa’s go-to style essentials, her fashion philosophy, and what she is up to next! 

 

Introduce yourself  

I co-own Vitae and I also own a clothing company, Acanthus Apparel, with my husband Joshua.

How did you get started?

Our clothing company kind of started in college when we taught ourselves to screen print. Then we took a break for a while. And then I bought my husband a sewing machine for Christmas in 2005 as a present. We started doing crazier shirts, like dyeing and sewing patches and screen printing. And people just started asking, “Where can I buy those?” So a hobby turned into a business.  That led me to meet the other women that I own Vitae with. We met at a fashion show. I had been working with a clothing company and was asked to do a fashion show. They (Julie and Melissa) were also designers in the show and that’s where I met them.   

Designer Q&A: Julia LoVan

Meet Julia LoVan, the woman behind J. LoVan Designs, Trouvés and modeling agent at LVN Models. She is a ton of fun to hang out with, energetic, and talented. You can find her work (bowties & dresses) at our shop. Read on to find out Julia’s thoughts about Des Moines, tired fashion trends and what she has next for Vitae!

Introduce yourself 
I’m a designer and an agent for a new modeling and talent agency called LVN Models. 

How did you get started? 
My Mom is a seamstress. I grew up sewing random items by hand (Barbie clothes, pillowcases) I remember going to the library, checking out magazines and just reading every single thing. I would even read the advertisements. I was studying the pages, and I realized that others would just flip through the magazines. I had never thought I could have a career in fashion, living in the Midwest, so I just did sports and thought about being a teacher and a coach. 

Other major fashion demarcations are my college internship in London with Zandra Rhodes Enterprises, my jobs at Chan Luu and Core Clothing, helping start Hope in the City and being a part of LA Fashion Week and at the same time being able to work with some great groups like Falling Whistles, Raven + Lily, Mike Colon photography, and showing my line at Project Ethos fashion show in Hollywood which got me on the cover of California Apparel News.