BRENDA DOS SANTOS ABOUT FINE JEWELRY MADE IN ANGOLA

Fashion designer Brenda dos Santos decided to create a jewelry brand inspired by her grandmother, because of her passion for accessories which she can relate to and is also passionate about. B Golden is the first brand in Angola that opened a store for jewelry and accessories only. The brand is inspired by both an older generation and the young one. They want people to be themselves specially when it comes to details.

The brand works with several types of material: semi-jewelry, gold plated, stainless steel, glass, zirconia stones and others. They have an assortment of earrings, necklaces, rings, bracelets, sunglasses, watches, body accessories with modern, sophisticated, innovative designs of multiple variations for women and little girls. The brand works with a factory that supplies all the material, Brenda dos Santos idealizes, creates her sketches and they produce the pieces. She “believes that women have the power to achieve great things. The smallest detail can always make you feel confident, loved, beautiful and strong in your own skin”.

Tell us how you got started in jewelry design and how that led to creating your own business?

I started in jewelry design for the fact that I never had a fashion jewelry store to go to and buy something quick, but something that I would look good in it and for sure no need to pay thousands. I feel like I can look amazing with a piece from my brand if I use the right one and the right outfit if I may say.

 

How did you get so involved in jewelry culture?

Since I was little my maternal grandmother, was more like a mother to me so she made me use a lot of jewelry, she also loves jewelry, one of my biggest inspirations to continue with the business, she was a good-looking woman and never missed a small detail.

 

You have gone to a lot of effort to ensure the traceability of your materials, can you tell us a little bit about the suppliers you use?

The suppliers I use are very attentive and reasonable, they always try to make sure what they use is what the client wants and is up to several standards.

 

What inspired your love of the soft modernism that characterises your designs?

The inspiration for that is our modern daily life, it’s how easy I can see that in any vintage old piece can be modern with a few changes. I find a way for every piece have modernism; every piece be modern enough but a very classy touch.

 

Do you think ecology must be embodied as much in the choice of materials as in the timelessness of design? How ecological values impact your artistic choices?

Yes, of course. I think we have at some point think about protecting the planet and for that start using material that will not harm anything. It has a huge impact for me because it’s harder to find some type of materials or make several tests to make sure it’s worth it to sale.

 

What is the most challenging issue regarding the expectations of your customers?

The most challenging issue making sure they know we have what they were looking for and making them enticed to buy, some customers ask for things but then lose interest so keeping them interest for a sustained period is challenging.

 

What does ethical design mean for you? 

Ethical design for me, means being true to yourself, being able to respect everyone in the industry, being out there to fight for your dreams.

 

Describe in a few words your creation process.  

The creation process starts by being inspired by day-to-day life and thinking about what would fit seamlessly in various aspects of life. Then I design the pieces and send to a designer then we send to the manufacturer for a sample and after approval they do the number of pieces asked. When a piece already exists, I take inspiration from it and adapt to my taste.

 

Can you share with us some exciting news regarding your brand?

Yes, we were very lucky to be accepted to New York Fashion Week for the Fall Winter show with Flying Solo and we are grateful for the opportunity.