BuDhaGirl Adds French Jewelry Brands to Form Zen Collective

By Karen Dybis | January 09, 2026

Jewelry company BuDhaGirl has leveled up as a lifestyle brand, acquiring two French jewelry lines, Kumali and ShanShan, and creating a holding company called Zen Collective.

Kumali will integrate as a collection within BuDhaGirl, while ShanShan will continue as a distinct Parisian house focused on demi-fine and costume jewelry.

“BuDhaGirl reached a point in its evolution where expansion felt not only natural but necessary,” says Jessica Jesse, founder, CEO, and creative director of the Dallas-based company.

“We had proved the brand’s strength and resonance, and it was the right moment to validate our ability to operate at a larger scale—not simply as a successful U.S. brand but as a truly global one,” Jesse says. “Expansion became a way to confirm what we already knew: that the language of ritual, beauty, and mindful living transcends borders, cultures, and lifestyles.”

BuDhaGirl’s motto: “Mindfulness is the new art de vivre”

Zen Collective takes a new approach to luxury, fostering brands that honor heritage, innovation, and the beauty of daily ritual, explains Jesse. It also highlights female artisans and their traditions and creates opportunities for meaningful work, she adds.

“Luxury has changed, but most brands haven’t caught up. I’ve watched luxury become louder, faster, and more about status, and I kept thinking, Something is missing. True luxury is well-being. It’s time. It’s freedom,” Jesse says.

“Zen Collective is built around that definition. Each brand in the ecosystem serves the same purpose—to guide people toward mindful living through beauty, intention, and daily ritual, so they can experience a more grounded version of what luxury actually means.”

Jesse says she chose the name Zen because it is a word that immediately evokes peace and calm. “But what fascinates me is that Zen isn’t passive—it’s powerful. Being Zen is the ability to remain centered, clear, and strong, even when life is busy, loud, or unpredictable,” she says.

“The word Collective reflects the community aspect. Zen is not something you do alone. It becomes a shared energy, a way of living that spreads through connection, inspiration, and the exchange of meaningful experiences. Zen Collective represents both the internal journey and the external community that supports it.”

Budhagirl jewelry — *All Weather Bangles are the jewelry pieces BuDhaGirl is best known for.*

The holding company includes a retail component, Spirit & Nest, a store for all Zen Collective’s brands. Its first prototype location opened in November in Bainbridge Island, Wash.

Jesse founded BuDhaGirl in 2013 as a lifestyle brand, though jewelry has always been its primary category—All Weather Bangles are BuDhaGirl’s signature product—and jewelry will be Zen Collective’s cornerstone, says Jesse.

ShanShan’s jewelry is crafted from brass with 18k gold inlay and a matte gold finish, and features semiprecious stones such as cultured pearls and labradorite. Kumali also uses brass and 18k gold inlays, as well as gold leaf, and makes bracelets from recycled PVC tubing.

“Jewelry is one of the most intimate and symbolic forms of luxury,” Jesse says. “Through BuDhaGirl’s All Weather Bangles, we’ve built an entire community of mindfully glamorous individuals who use jewelry not only for adornment, but for intention.

“Adding ShanShan expands that philosophy beautifully, bringing in sustainability through recycled brass and gold and reinforcing our belief that luxury should be conscious as well as beautiful. Jewelry is a magnificent vehicle for ritual. It is wearable intention, wearable energy, wearable strength,” she says.

Creating a family of businesses feels like a step toward establishing BuDhaGirl as a true global brand that extends across cultures, continents, and communities, says Jesse.

“What makes Zen Collective different from a typical brand portfolio is that it’s not product-led, it’s purpose-led, and that our customer is the hero,” she says. “Zen Collective exists to help her define her own luxury through ritual and intention.

“Zen Collective isn’t just a group of brands, it’s a destination—a complete lifestyle ecosystem where jewelry, ritual, sustainability, and community come together in one beautiful world.”

Top: Jewelry from BuDhaGirl (photos by Sarah Bakkas, courtesy of BuDhaGirl)