Lori Epner had an issue with buying jewelry--it was just all too expensive. So, she decided to start making her own.
“I thought, ‘I can make that’ and I did,” she said. “And I got such a positive response.”
That led her to making more, and a friend offering to carry some of her jewelry in a local boutique she ran. Her goal was to make jewelry that was glam with an edge--each piece one of a kind and handmade by Epner hereself.
“Things were great,” Epner said. “I couldn’t make the pieces fast enough.”
Her first collection, called “Cleeo,” debuted in December of 2008. It was inspired by “many aspects of my life: fashion, photography, my family and friends, a love of vintage and classic glamour, an obsession for jewelry and all things sparkling,” Epner said.
That collection was a bit of a throwback to Old Hollywood with vintage stones like rhinestones standing out along sterling silver, oxidized or other metal chains. Those pieces mixed feminine and tough, and quickly sold out, garnering plenty of press for Epner and instant fans.
The name was no coincidence either. “C” was for her great aunt Cece, a big influence in her life who also happened to have a great collection of coats, hats and jewelry. “LEE” are Epner’s initials. “O” is that first response a woman makes when she sees something she loves or must have, Epner said.
Just as Epner was successfully selling her pieces in her friend's boutique, the store shut its doors. Epner resorted to beginning a website where she could sell her jewelry at CleeoColletion.com.
Following “Cleeo,” Epner debuted the “Knaughty” collection this past summer, a set of knotted, woven-looking bracelets with rhinestones, stones and other charms or beads. Many of the bracelets in the collection have been inspired by friends. There’s Knaughty-Michelle and Knaughty-Lindsay, each featuring a different stone or charm mixed with edgy, tough chains. All of the jewelry sells for under $50, something Epner was very conscious of.
“I wanted to offer something that was more price-conscious, something under $50 so that people could get multiple bracelets without breaking the bank,” she said.
While sticking to the vintage glam, Epner's stretched her wings a little by creating pieces for new moms with monogrammed-initial charms of their child’s name. She also makes other custom jewelry for her customers. “Moms love it”, she said. “It’s such a cute thing to give to a new mom.”
A third line is set to debut around the holidays. It will keep with Epner’s style, but has a big retro-glam feel with dark, rich colors like burgundy, gold and black. She's still thinking of what to name the collection.
Epner's passion runs in the family, as her parents made jewelry in the 1970s, though their pieces – which were more bohemian with bone, shells and feathers – were a big contrast from Epner’s. “I like to play with textures and tones, dark and light, smooth and rough,” she said.
“It can take hours or days to make one of her pieces,” said Epner, who also handles public relations and marketing for several Orange County companies, including Analog, Gravis Footwear and Split.
It’s this work and her graphic design past that has helped her find her eye for fashion and accessories. She previously held stints at Quiksilver, Split and SG: Surf/Skate/Snow Girl Magazine. While at SG magazine, she really learned about styling and photo shoots. “It honed my eye for putting things together,” Epner said.
While she makes jewelry, Epner's still always combing through flea markets, vintage stores and elsewhere for old, big stones that give off a super glam feel. “I’ve always been obsessed with accessories, jewelry, belts,” Epner said. “And I’m always partial to vintage, even as a young girl playing dress-up in my great aunt’s hat collection.”
Starting the jewelry line filled a void she was feeling. “I found myself in a bit of a rut, feeling lackluster, like there was no creativity in my life,” she said. “I’ve always admired different types of jewelry, and I’ve always loved vintage pieces. I loved looking through my grandma’s old jewelry box.”
Epner finds inspiration just about everywhere, including living in California (she hails from Florida). She’s also tapped books on vintage jewelry and old movies as muses.
“I like to make stuff that I’d want to buy,” she said. “Or stuff I am looking for – the perfect necklace to wear with a T-shirt or cocktail dress. Or an armload of bracelets you can wear to the beach or out on a date.”
For more info, visit www.cleeocollection.com.
