Wearing: Signet Ring, Tunnel Ring, Ghost Choker, Toggle Necklace, Thick Choker, Porto Hoop, and mixed piercings

WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO LAUNCH NAMÌ?

Ina and I are passionate about design and creating. Our process is actually not very technical, it’s more organic — we feed ourselves with a lot of inspiration from personal jewelries we’ve owned, vintage pieces, instagram, books, travels. We’ve always been fond of jewelry pieces that could tell stories and that’s always been the goal for Nami, to create pieces that are timeless, and personal. We just had to make it accessible for everyone.

AS A FASHION STYLIST, WHAT ROLE DO YOU THINK JEWELRY PLAYS IN EVERY CLIENT THAT YOU STYLE?

Through jewelry, I am able to hone each of my client’s styles. It has the ability to extend a person’s character and make them feel bit more confident and polished. The right accessories, putting together pieces, how and where they are worn might not be apparent at first sight — but it sets the tone and establishes the mood of the overall look. The little details are so important in my styling process and jewelry is such a big part of that — to me it's the icing on the cake.

RUN US THROUGH YOUR TYPICAL SELF-CARE ROUTINE AFTER A LONG DAY AT WORK. 

As everyone might now by now, the life of a stylist is not all glamour. We have long hours and our job can be physically draining. I make sure to have some me time. I spend a lot of time in the bathroom — I take a long warm bath, put on some mask for my hair and my face, and I really take my time when it comes to skincare. 

CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR JOURNEY IN BREAKING THROUGH THE FASHION AND JEWELRY INDUSTRY?

I think I got lucky. I was working with Pam Quinones for eight years until I left to build my own styling studio. Pam’s my fashion godmother, she taught me the fundamentals and really showed me the ropes of the job. And then I felt like it was time to venture out on my own and found other business pursuits. Namì was one of those. We saw an opportunity and we pursued our passion for jewelry design — it took a lot of Sunday drives to Bulacan until we found the right suppliers and partners.

WHAT REFLECTION OF NAMI DO YOU SEE OR WOULD LIKE TO SEE AMONGST THE PEOPLE YOU MEET EVERYDAY?

I just love how jewelry is so inclusive, it’s for everyone. I feel like how a person wears her jewelry reflects so much of their personality — it’s interesting. When we threw a piercing party, there was a pre-teen who came in and wanted to get her very first piercings — she was 12 and she was so excited to pick her earrings. We love that and we enjoy seeing how people integrate our pieces into their wardrobes and interpret them on their own. Seeing our friends, family, and clients enjoy our pieces means that we are doing something right and that’s what keeps us going.

Wearing: Signet Ring, Hendrix Ring, Toggle Choker, Ghost Ring, and jewelry from her own collection and vintage brand, Souvenir.

HOW DO YOU FEEL IN THIS MOMENT?

A little sleepy since it's mid afternoon.

CAN YOU GIVE US THREE WORDS TO DESCRIBE YOU AS A PERSON?

Wandering, curious, relaxed

WHAT DOES YOUR IDEAL DAY LOOK LIKE?

An ideal day for me is just following my boring little routine: making breakfast and coffee, doing something productive with my morning energy, going for a walk to lunch with my husband, feeding neighborhood cats, maybe doing a little yoga and then putting my feet up and watching a good horror movie.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR VINTAGE JEWELY BRAND, SOUVENIR. HOW DID IT START?

I started working on it during my honeymoon as a way to bring back little Souvenirs from different places I visited. I really connected with this idea of tying jewelry to specific places and moments in time.

WHAT MAKES JEWELRY SPECIAL FOR YOU?

I love how totemic a piece of jewelry can be. How slipping on something so tiny can totally affect how you feel on a personal level. Make you feel nostalgic or optimistic or strong. 

*Check out beautiful vintage pieces from Sam's jewelry brand Souvenir on Instragram — @sou.ve.nir, here. 

Wearing: Toggle Choker, Ghost Choker, C-Cuff, Flubber Earrings

WHERE ARE YOU NOW?

It's 4ish, September 9 — at the Nami Studio, Palm Village Makati

WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND?

Currently, in a rebellious state of mind — Breaking (my) rules, doing what feels good to feel alive. 

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE JEWELRY AND WHY? IS THERE A SPECIAL MEMORY ATTACHED TO IT?

One of my favorite pieces are from my grandparents, a round pendant with their initials and a blue sapphire in the middle, a gift to all 25 grandchildren on their 70th wedding anniversary. It was such a special occasion celebrating 70 years of their love together with the whole family being in one place, I will never forget how happy my grandfather was entering the ballroom with my grandma like a newly wedded couple.