Katie Schloss of Three Jane

I am excited to share with you our latest Lemon Lady: Katie Schloss, creator and owner of the jewelry line, Three Jane.

Ms. Schloss launched her collection in November of 2012 and has already been featured in top media outlets including Cosmopolitan, Lucky, Martha Stewart Weddings, New York Magazine, People StyleWatch, the “Today” show, and US Weekly.  On top of their own collection, the company continues to do custom work for premier industry leaders, such as Cynthia Rowley.  Quite the busy Lemon Lady!

In the past year Three Jane has become known for their signature Map Necklace, a 14K gold plated piece of customizable jewelry in which customers take any address in the world, and the Three Jane team engraves the map, marking the exact location with a small diamond.  Super cute, right?  We were lucky enough to find some time with Katie to hear a little more about her story and wise words for all you budding entrepreneurs out there!

SLM: When did you first decide that you were going to start your own jewelry company?

KS:  I knew that I wanted to be a jewelry designer probably freshman year of college.  At NYU, I was afforded opportunities to intern for fashion designers, PR departments, buying offices, as well as jewelry designers, and I just felt like out of each facet of the fashion industry, jewelry designers had the best work/life balance.  In life, I want a career that I can always maintain, an ability to always be creative, while fostering meaningful relationships.  Lisa Kerson of Lisa K. Jewelry and Rachel Leigh Blumenthal of Rachel Leigh, quickly became my role models, and the lessons they taught me at 18 still very much resonate on a day-to-day basis at 26.

SLM: Did you attend design school?  What would you say to someone who says you need a design degree to become a success?

KS:  I did not attend design school.  I went to the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at NYU, which means I created my own major.  I took most of my classes at Stern, the business school at NYU, and supplemented my coursework with classes taught by Parsons & FIT professors.  I disagree that you need a design degree to become successful; you need tenacity to become successful.  After all, it’s pretty difficult to beat the person who never gives up.

In general though, if you are starting a shoe company, you should take a class on making shoes.  And if you are starting a jewelry company, you should take a class on making jewelry.  All entrepreneurs should be educated in their fields, that way you know what you are asking people to do once you get to the manufacturing process.  Once you start a business, there will be too much going on to make the pieces yourself, so as long as you are able to communicate an idea to others, that’s the main thing.

SLM: Where does your inspiration come from?  Any muses we should know about?

KS:  I’m inspired by way too much!  I’m inspired by consumer behavior, bloggers (particularly The Blonde Salad & Atlantic Pacific), commonly-found objects… The list goes on. So, right now I’m really concentrating on editing myself down.  All collections moving forward will be 10 pieces inspired by different places from all around the world, all relating back to the centralized Map Necklace concept.

Our signature, the Three Jane Map Necklace, is a 14K gold plated piece of customizable jewelry in which customers take any address in the world, and we engrave the map, marking the customer’s location with a small diamond, which is why I want the travel motif to be central to the Three Jane brand image.

 

SLM: What is your creative process like?

KS:  My creative process looks a lot like Pinterest! I have boards for each “collection” now, so I can gather images of different places from around the world, and then I visualize the pieces from there.

SLM: What is the one accessory every girl needs to invest in? Other than Three Jane, obviously

KS:  Besides a Map Necklace!? Oh, boy… Let’s see… I think every girl should invest in one really amazing bib necklace.  I love Fiona Paxton & Lara Bohinc (both found at Henri Bendel).  You can wear a strapless dress, throw on one piece of jewelry & instantly be stylish.

SLM: How did you decide on the name, Three Jane?

KS:  Three Jane is an imaginary address in the West Village.  Jane Street skips from one to five, so three works in conjunction with the brand’s map concept, in that one can take any address in the world, and make it one’s own.

SLM: What has been your most rewarding moment since starting Three Jane?

KS:  Too many to count! I loved working with Cynthia Rowley in developing her Flask Bangle (it was pretty incredible to see pieces I helped manufacture on a runway, too!).  It’s been so exciting to see our products on the “Today Show,” New York Magazine, People StyleWatch, US Weekly, and to become a featured designer at Henri Bendel’s flagship store within 10 months.  I think what’s great about Three Jane and starting a business in general is that every moment is rewarding in its own way, and there’s a new challenge to conquer every single day.

SLM: What has been the mistake that you have learned from the most?

KS:  While I make mistakes all the time, there’s no particular one I learned the most from.  Instead, I learn a little bit each time, and I make my product and brand a tiny bit better with each one.  One of the most important things to keep in mind when starting a new business is that you are going to make mistakes, plenty of them in fact.  Because when you are doing something new, there’s no one to say, “You are doing this incorrectly.” It’s a lot of trial & error, but eventually, if you keep on trying, you are bound to get it right.

SLM: And finally, what is the one piece of advice you have for all of the young entrepreneurs out there…

KS:  Create a product that fulfills a need.  Ask yourself, does anyone else do this yet?  Is there a market for it?  And if competition does pop up, what am I going to do to be the best brand out there?  Once you have that figured out, keep going.  Some days won’t be easy, but just continue getting better.  As I said, it’s really difficult to beat the person who never gives up.

 

Taylor Ivey