Behind The Brand: BaYou With Love
What if we said that you could make sustainable lifestyle choices through your jewelry, without compromising quality or appearance? Would you believe us? Celebrity and dear friend of Rachel Zoe, Nikki Reed, has done so for the fashion industry through her jewelry brand BaYou with Love. She designed the gorgeous gold chain linked bracelet seen in our spring curation and we are so excited to share with you the story behind it all. Follow along for more on why Nikki started a sustainable jewelry line and how you can make small lifestyle choices to support the ecosystem.
Box of Style: What inspired you to create BaYou with Love?
BaYou with Love: BaYou with Love was inspired by my love for nature and my desire to create eco-conscious products that I couldn’t find anywhere else. I was pregnant when I dreamt the idea of having a company that focused on sustainable, U.S. made products that are as considerate of the planet as they are beautiful.
Box of Style: What makes the products so unique?
BaYou with Love: To the best of my knowledge, we are currently the only company making fine jewelry out of 100% recycled gold found in technology (through our partnership with Dell). We love the idea of taking what was once waste and turning it into luxury—showing the world that sustainable products can also be elevated products. You don't have to compromise luxury when making conscious choices.
What makes us unique is that we don't just focus on selling our own products. We try to highlight and celebrate the hard work that doesn't always get seen by other female founders that may not have our platform.
Box of Style: What three words best describe your line?
BaYou with Love: When people ask how I would describe Bayou with Love in a sentence, I like to say we are, “Attainable luxury with a story.”
Box of Style: What inspired you to collaborate with Rachel Zoe and her Box of Style? What makes it so special?
BaYou with Love: Box of Style is special because Rachel is so special. It has her heart and soul in every box and we are honored to be included. Rachel has championed BaYou since the beginning. One of the things I admire most about her is her desire to uplift other women in an industry that often overlooks the power of togetherness. She is a dream to work with and an incredible friend.
Box of Style: What is your favorite way to style the BaYou with Love bracelet and do you have any jewelry layering tricks you rely upon?
BaYou with Love: At BaYou, we love versatility. A chunky everyday bracelet that can also be worn on its own is my favorite. I love pieces that don’t have an occasion because to me, multi-purpose pieces are sustainable purchases.You can layer BaYou with pieces you already own. My favorites (and I think they look fabulous worn together) are our Large and Medium Oval chain bracelets—because stacking is always fun!
Box of Style: What is your daily uniform?
BaYou with Love: My daily uniform is vintage jeans and a white t-shirt, plus great accessories. It’ll never go out of style. I am letting go of trends because I think they typically support disposable fashion and I want pieces to last a lifetime.
Box of Style: What is your go-to evening look?
BaYou with Love: My go to evening look is probably the same as my everyday look but with a great pea coat and my mom's boots.
Box of Style: What are some easy ways anyone can live more sustainably?
BaYou with Love: Conscious living is a journey. It is your mind opening up to the possibility that you can make a difference even with small, everyday choices. It doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Feeling overwhelmed is usually what keeps people from trying it for themselves. I like to start with the tiny efforts, like turning off the water while brushing teeth, soaking dishes instead of letting the water run while you scrub them, and being conscious when shopping at the supermarket. Bringing your own bags is great, but also buying from the bulk section makes a huge difference. Think about how much trash is produced every day, and multiply that times 8 billion. We can do better than that. Educating yourself on what can actually be recycled (most things can’t!) so that you only purchase the right plastics. By starting there, you’ll quickly feel inspired to do more. That's the thing—once you see your impact, you can’t unsee it and you’ll keep trying.
Box of Style: Why are you excited to be a part of Box of Style? What are your favorite features of the service?
BaYou with Love: Being a part of this box means more people are getting the chance to try a sustainable product. They can fall in love with it and trust brands like BaYou to create pieces that they will love forever. I think the toughest part of transitioning to conscious consumerism is the amount of distrust involved. People don’t want to spend money on products they feel are second hand and that is why we moved our sustainable mission into the jewelry space. Gold is gold, no matter where it comes from. So, we might as well use something that is less harmful to the environment to create beauty!
Box of Style: What is next for BaYou With Love?
BaYou with Love: At BaYou, we are really focusing on the Bridal and Engagement Rings this year. People want to wear pieces that consider the planet and something they are proud of—a ring with a story to tell their children. We feel so inspired by that!