After eight years at Reformation, where she rose to senior director of merchandising and led a team of 12, Liz Fryett has debuted her own jewelry brand in Los Angeles.
Each piece is handmade from gemstones, pearls, and new and vintage glass beads, finished with sterling silver or 14k gold-filled components. Prices run from $58 to $348, and the collection is released in small drops, with select styles returning in new colors. Fryett talked with us about merchandising as a creative tool, naming pearl necklaces for women writers, and what comes next.
After eight years at Reformation, what made now the right time to launch your own jewelry line?
I wanted to challenge myself in a different way! My background is in merchandising which sits somewhere between art and science, and you really have to learn to balance the two.… It felt like the right time to evolve my career, take a risk, and build something from the ground up around an idea that was entirely my own.
How do your influences show up in the collection?
Nature and memory show up throughout the collection. The Bridge to Nowhere Necklace, for example, was inspired by a hike of the same name that winds along a river. The riverstone beads I used for the necklace reminded me of the stones in the water that day.… The pearl pieces are all named after women writers I love like Margaret Atwood, Joan Didion, Octavia Butler, and Sylvia Plath.
What does your process look like from sketch to finished piece?
I actually rarely sketch. I design directly with the materials, working through color, texture, proportion, and contrast as I go, making and remaking pieces until they are just right.… I build a line plan so I understand what the collection needs in terms of different lengths, materials, price points, and so on, then let the individual designs develop more intuitively within that framework.
How did you approach balancing accessibility with craftsmanship?
I wanted the collection to feel elevated, special, and trend-forward while still being relatively accessible.… The standard of craftsmanship stays consistent throughout the collection, though, no matter the price. I always knew I wanted to use nice metals—I don’t love gold-plated or silver-plated metal.
Who is the Liz Fryett customer, and how do you hope she wears the pieces?
I think of her as someone strong and independent. She cares about fashion, art, and design, but she isn’t necessarily interested in being overly styled. She might mix something vintage, something designer, and something everyday.
What did you take from your time at Ref, and what’s next for the collection?
I got an early read that The Marina Necklace was going to be a fan favorite, so I started developing it in more colors. It will never be about letting data dictate the product, but it can tell you when something is resonating and worth exploring further, or when something is not.… For what’s next, I’m continuing to develop and broaden the current collection while learning metalsmithing, with the goal of bringing more metalwork and new forms and categories into an upcoming modernist-inspired collection.
Top: The Mary pearl bracelet, $198 (photos courtesy of Liz Fryett)
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