Shout Out So Cal Magazine Interview

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nadia Kuznetsova and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nadia, do you have a favorite quote or affirmation?
“The dread of criticism is the death of genius” – William G. Simms

I love this quote because it applies to so many aspects of life. It reminds me to push myself and enjoy making my style of jewelry without letting it cripple my creativity by conforming to conventional style.

When I started making jewelry 4 years ago I didn’t know where I was going with it – it was mostly trial and error. I used repurposed leather to find my creative niche and slowly started investing in better materials. When I felt ready, I started to sell to friends and doing little markets just to get feedback – not all of which was great. I got a lot of unbiased opinions and I took it all into consideration. Then I went back into the workshop for a year to recreate, teach myself better techniques, and put together a website. Before I knew it I was being featured at NYC Fashion Week, leading to publications, which opened doors to boutiques and showrooms, in turn leading to even more networks for my jewelry brand to grow.
I have been approached to make wholesale but I never intended to mass-produce and I still don’t. Although I am not savvy with social media my business continues to grow by word of mouth. I am receiving orders from customers who want a particular design made specifically for them – That is one thing I love and inspires me! The concept of my brand is that each piece is custom-made like none other. In its own unique and unrepeatable way, it is a one-of-a-kind ‘NadineByNadia’ little piece of art made just for you. Right along those lines, another quote I find encouraging is…

“Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius, and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.” -Marilyn Monroe

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I handmake bespoke leather necklaces and custom-made spike jewelry. It was definitely not easy being that my designs are more unconventional and large leather pieces. The concept of my jewelry is that each piece is handmade to be an unrepeatable design like none other.