Former Ralph Lauren Design Director Wendy Duffy Debuts New Jewelry Line

Fashion industry veteran Wendy Duffy, a former senior design director for Ralph Lauren, has launched an eponymous collection of bold jewelry that pairs brass and leather.

The summer-ready capsule collection includes necklaces, earrings, and a keychain featuring oxidized brass curb-link chain accented by black leather cord. Duffy said in a statement that she strives to “create pieces that are modern explorations of traditional and vintage jewelry, with an edge.”

Prices for the collection range from $28 for the fringed keychain to $105 for the Lark necklace—a bold, open piece that’s half leather, half chain (and so lengthy, it can extend past the waistline if it’s casually draped around the neck). The designer is currently retailing the collection exclusively on her website, wendyduffy.com.

Wendy Duffy
Designer Wendy Duffy

The brand also has a charitable angle: 10 percent of the profits from sales are donated to the Alzheimer’s Association and the Association of Frontotemporal Degeneration (AFTD) in memory of Wendy’s parents, Edward and Barbara Nichols.

Duffy said her parents were hugely influential in her becoming a creative professional: “Together, they provided an environment where creativity was a way of life,” she added. Her mother, an interior designer, taught her sewing basics and her father, an engineer, taught her about how things were built. As a child, she made skirts and prom dresses for friends out of humble items like jeans and fabric bags.

Wendy Duffy Wren necklace
Wendy Duffy Wren necklace, $78

 

Wendy Duffy Wren earrings
Wendy Duffy Wren earrings, $45

At Ralph Lauren, Duffy designed knitwear for the global brands Black Label, Collection, Golf, and Pink Pony.  Before her stint there, she worked as fabric director for Norma Kamali’s Everlast line, where she worked directly with Kamali to source fabrics and prints. Kamali, said the designer, was instrumental in her career path.

“Working for Ralph Lauren and Norma Kamali gave me an invaluable source of experience and insight, ultimately providing me with a platform from which to build my brand,” said Duffy. “I’m always looking for a new approach with a modern aesthetic. My designs allow the wearer to add their personal style.”

(Top image: Wendy Duffy necklaces, $105)

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JCK Senior Editor

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