Scosha Woolridge On Maintaining Your Artistic Integrity
PHOTOS BY BRIDGET BADORE FOR THE ASSEMBLIST
“THERE ARE ALWAYS TIMES WHEN YOU QUESTION WHAT YOU ARE DOING AND HOW YOU CAN MAKE IT BETTER,” SAYS DESIGNER SCOSHA WOOLRIDGE, “BUT REALLY DIG DEEP AND THINK ABOUT THE MISSION AND THE REASON YOU ARE DOING WHAT YOU ARE DOING.”
Asking questions, indulging in curiosity and an enduring love for travel have all informed this emerging jewelry designer’s unique path. Scosha’s namesake brand has become known for its style-first ethos and penchant for personalization - all of which she hopes offers the contemporary shopper something that is unique and truly all their own.
As you’ll see in our chat below, Scosha is the embodiment of her brand which is something we’ve found particularly compelling here at Brand Assembly. With this in mind, we recently visited Scosha and her team and chatted with the designer about her journey in this industry and what she hopes to assemble daily. Read on for more and also visit The Style Line for an additional follow up portion of our chat.
PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF!
The SCOSHA brand is a true representation of me, so how I present myself in my professional life is how I am in my private life. I love colors, different cultures and textures and I always love to laugh.
Outside of work I like to pour over vintage jewelry, artifacts, architecture and the design of chairs. I paint with my kids, kick a soccer ball, go to yoga, crack jokes that nobody gets, watch movies at 3AM (when everyone is asleep) and, when I get a second to myself I get mad about mismatched socks all over the floor... ALL THE TIME (I am racking my brain to invent something robotic that keeps socks in pairs and off of the floor).
I value time. Like most women I am juggling work and a young family and I feel like I am always running trying to get ahead. My favorite song at the moment is, "Run, run, run as fast as you can. You’ll never catch me, I’m the gingerbread man." It’s my new favorite song and he is my inspiration, haha.
WITH SCOSHA’S PENCHANT FOR CUSTOMIZATION HOW WOULD YOU SAY THAT DIFFERENTIATES YOU IN THE CONTEMPORARY MARKET AND WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ADD TO THE CONTEMPORARY SHOPPER’S WARDROBE?
People love personalization so offering options on a style allows a customer to add or switch things up and not have to completely buy into a new piece. I hope I offer a product with a social conscious that is made in Brooklyn by Brooklynites.
BEING THAT SCOSHA AS A BRAND IS HEAVILY INFLUENCED BY TRAVEL WHAT HAS IT BEEN LIKE TO BUILD THE HOME BASE IN NEW YORK CITY?
I knew nothing about New York before I came here, other than what I had seen in movies and what I learned in art school about New York modern artists.
I never really wanted to come to a big, hectic city; I always thought I preferred nature and small towns with their quirky, backwards and “natural” ways, but I could never last in these towns. After a few months I would be on the move looking for MY lost creative tribe to finally connect with. It was a kind of accident that I ended up in New York, but as soon as I got here I felt an immediate connection. It was so invigorating, full of diversity and gritty with its pace, competition and noise. I believe that with all the traveling I had done and all the inspiration I had gathered along the way I was open and ready and wanted to connect with everyone. New York had this universal appeal and I knew instantly I wanted my jewelry to give off that same feeling.
CAN YOU OFFER ANY ADVICE TO YOUR PEERS IN THE JEWELRY SPACE WHO ARE LOOKING TO BUILD A SUCCESSFUL BRAND WHILE STILL MAINTAINING ARTISTIC INTEGRITY?
Always keep in the forefront the reason you started the business and try to remain true to that idea and identity. So many people have an opinion about how you should do things and it ends up taking you way off track, so I say, "stick to your guns!" There are always times when you question what you are doing and how you can make it better, but really dig deep and think about the mission and the reason you are doing what you are doing. I find myself asking this question many times a day and it is this question that keeps me on the right track.
WHAT ARE SOME OTHER ELEMENTS THAT REALLY INSPIRE YOUR DESIGN PROCESS?
Comfort, textures and color are the biggest ones for me. Any combination of color is like a portrait of a person or animal. I see animals everywhere.
HOW HAS BEING PART OF THE BRAND ASSEMBLY COMMUNITY FURTHERED SCOSHA AS A WHOLE AND HOW DO YOU PLAN TO LEVERAGE YOUR INVOLVEMENT ON A LOCAL LEVEL?
I am a new addition to the Brand Assembly community, working with them has been a joy and they could not have been more supportive. I look forward to building a relationship that expose the SCOSHA brand to new contacts and opportunities.
WHAT DO YOU ASSEMBLE DAILY?
My hair! I just cut it really short recently and every day it needs some sort of assembling!
