Hot Child, Mad City: Jewelry Designer Eileen Lofgren Reveals Her Spirit Animal.
Jill Wallace will be presenting babes who are killing it in her new feature “Hot Child, Mad City” Check out below!
So what exactly is “Hot Child, Mad City”? I’m glad you asked. It’s where I will be featuring all my favorite women that are equal parts babe and influential. These are ladies I consider to be powerful, intelligent, and career-driven. Being easy on the eyes is a welcomed bonus. To get the party started I instantly thought of the ever so talented Eileen Lofgren aka the designer, owner, and mastermind behind Child of Wild. I discovered Eileen and her jewelry line a couple years ago and was immediately hooked. I was drawn to the strong sense of style and identity behind the brand. Child of Wild to me was way ahead of the curve when it came to gold, silver, turquoise and gypsy bobbles, which we now know is high in demand. The word “trendsetter” comes to mind. I love Eileen because nothing is forced or inauthentic. Her and her line are one in the same. I was lucky enough to catch up with this blonde bombshell and pick her brain a bit about navigating through life in a mad city.
How did Child of Wild start?
I have a sick obsession with accessories but always gravitated towards the more eclectic pieces with depth of history and importance. I had an art teacher in college that, before we were allowed to pick up a paint-brush, would make us write a complete essay about the subject of our painting. The outcome was a much deeper, well thought out composition that literally transcended the canvas. I’ve adopted this into by business philosophy… Everything we carry we heavily research and from there pick out what inspires us. There is so much “rad jewelry” out there I wanted to create a platform that showcased jewelry with meaning. Today, I think we are pre-programed to accumulate a lot of “cheap” to stay on trend. But at Child of Wild we believe that fewer quality possessions that speak to your soul are what make your home and life fulfilled.
What has been a career highlight so far?
We hit new milestones every day. The most humbling experience is to see such a positive reaction from our fans and clients. People see that we are trying to bring a voice to these tribes and artists and they are supporting that vision with their dollars. Everyone from A-list celebrities to bloggers in Sweden to old high school friends. We love collaborating with bigger brands like For Love and Lemons and Sports Illustrated Swim. We are flattered and excited every new day.
There’s a lot of competition out there. How do you manage to make Child of Wild stand out from the rest?
We don’t lower our standards just to make a sale. Every single piece we carry is ethically sourced and has a real reason for existing. We carry nothing mass-produced in China and only sell pieces we would be proud to wear. You can literally feel the soul in our jewelry…you can see the artist touch in each handmade piece. If there are more brands out there like us… then we are stoked! Because that means the fashion industry is making movements to a more conscious way of business.
WCW?
Abby Lee Kershaw. Literally my spirit animal. Her style kills.
Clearly you are a Hot Child. So let’s move on to the Mad City. Why San Diego?
I LOVE the ocean, trees and historic touches San Diego offers. I lived in LA for a year and though had so much fun I found myself longing for the casualness of San Diego. Forbes just listed San Diego as the #1 place for startups for 2014. There is a billion dollar investment going into the renovation of the East Village of Downtown in hopes to make it the new Silicon Valley. We are so ready to bring industry to beautiful San Diego and lay on the beach while doing it!
