Ash + Ames Jewelry is All About Empowerment. Ask Beyonce!
Beyonce wearing the Ash + Ames Gold Front choker.
Trisha Ashworth and Amy Nobile have been friends for years. Creative partners, too. In 2007, they released the book, I Was a Really Good Mom Before I Had Kids, a collection of personal anecdotes about the challenges of motherhood. The book was a hit, spurring two follow-ups and even a reality television show, Lifetime’s Pretty Wicked Moms.
Along the way, Ashworth and Nobile built an impressive franchise. But when production wrapped on their show in 2013, the North California-based friends weren’t quite sure of their next step.
Ash + Ames cuffs made by female artisans in Haiti.
A volunteer trip to Haiti held the answer. There, they found a group of women making cuffs of discarded cowhorn, which they snapped up to take back home as gifts. “We started thinking, what if we could come up with a concept that not only empowered female artisans around the world but gave back in some way, too?” Nobile says.
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Last month they launched Ash + Ames, an e-commerce-driven jewelry brand that works to empower women in multiple ways. Many of the pieces are made by female artisans in developing countries like Haiti, India and Turkey. The jewelry is sold through their website, but also via brand ambassadors, who hold trunk shows across the country. These ambassadors — who operate under the Avon-lady model — are encouraged to donate 10% of their retail sales to charity. “Our mission has always been to help women take their lives back,” Nobile says, whether that means helping a skilled craftsperson build a sustainable operation, or an American woman generate a new source of income for herself.
Jessica Alba wearing the Ash + Ames Double Bullet necklace.
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The do-gooder element of Ash + Ames might be inspiring, but it doesn’t hurt that these women are designing beautiful jewelry. The collection’s ultra-modern designs have found fans in Jessica Alba and Beyonce, who was recently spotted wearing the line’s hammered-gold choker ($305). While Ash + Ames is definitely fine jewelry — a diamond-pave claw cuff rings up at $4,200 — prices start at a reasonable $95.
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Although they have just started Ash+ Ames, the pair are already meeting with more artisans around the globe and ensuring that their network of ambassadors remain enthusiastic about the brand. One of the biggest challenges for philanthropic fashion companies is to keep the charity going for more than a collection or two. As Nobile explains, “We’re really interested in helping these female artisans grow their business in a sustainable way.”
Trisha Ashworth and Amy Nobile of Ash + Ames.
