Najwa Moses: Salte

The agent, the stylist, the bff, and the blogger have all staked their claim in the Hollywood/fashion hierarchy. And now, you too can get in on the game thanks to a new jewelry line, Salte, designed by Styleaholic Najwa Moses. Her most recent collection, The Hollywood Set, pays homage to the unsung heroes of the celeb-obsessed fashion business and is filled with designs that are bold enough to play the starring role in any wardrobe.

Q: What’s behind the line’s name Salte? The tag line for the collection is: “Giving you instant flavor upon wearing.” Salte (pronounced like salty) is a line of accessories that immediately pop an outfit. Whether it be a basic, colorful logo tee and skinny jeans with high tops or a sexy, strapless silk black dress, with a beaded clutch and stilettos—any pair of my earrings will immediately give you stylish flavor.

Q: We read that this jewelry line has been five years in the making, what were you doing to prepare for the launch of Salte during this time? What finally made you step out and just do it? I really started making the line for fun, for myself and friends and I did attempt to sell it in the past but got frustrated with flea markets and going door to door to boutiques, and selling them at nightclubs (yup I would be posted up in the bathrooms and selling earrings to chicks for $5/$10/$15/$20; so I would be out partying and then just go to the bathroom and sell them—or sometimes let people pay me in drinks—that was honestly the most fun. I decided to launch them last year because I felt that I’d finally had enough relationships both on and off line (the blogsphere has shown me mad love) and enough of a buzz to sell my pieces without having to go through the whole song and dance of traditional sales; this also allows me to test my product directly with the consumer and keep the price a bit more cost effective—as I make every piece by hand.

Q: Your dynamic style and personality seems to translate into your design aesthetic; was that your intention? Hmmm . . . not necessarily but I’ve worked with tons of designers especially indie ones and ALL designers ultimately design for themselves—they all do—we all do. DVF just happened to make a dress that was actually quite universal to the female figure—that being said when you create pieces it’s always going to reflect your personality, naturally—it’s very similar to having a child (though I don’t have any.)

Q: We love your theme for the current collection “The Hollywood Set” how did you come up with the idea? I love being creative and having ideas; I also love marketing. I work in the world of entertainment and so my thoughts with this collection was to give kudos to the ground crew folks in entertainment (pr, agent, etc) and the star, as well as the online world, where new stars are born every day; plus from a marketing standpoint I knew the names and themes would be easily relatable to the press.

Q: What celeb (if any) would you be thrilled to see wearing your line?
Gwen Stefani, Iman and a few others. It used to be Kelis until that recent Grammy stunt.

Q: What do you feel your jewelry brings to the table that no other line is doing currently?
It’s leather earrings, that are super lightweight, bold and fun—and men love them!

Q: In five words, describe Salte. Bold, funky, flavorful, original, stylish

Q: Where do you find inspiration for your pieces? Subcultures—music, food, ethnic meanings, the 80s, the mixing of fabrics; people’s occupations, neighborhoods, quirky stereotypes, personalities and the NYC nightlife.

Q: You’re obviously a fashion-lover, who are a few of your favorite designers or fashion personalities? Fashion Personalities: Pat Field, Andre J, Lynn Yeagar, June Ambrose, Kimora Lee Simmons (yes, you read correctly lol). Favorite designers: love my girls Harriet’s Alter Ego, Karen Brown of Idyllic Couture, Yana Handbags, DETNY shoes (guys Shawn and Shane Ward).

Q: What are you up to when you’re not blogging or creating jewelry? Out at great events networking my butt off, trying to negotiate better opportunities for myself and sleeping.

Q: Fast forward 5 years, where do you see yourself and your line?
My own TV show where I’m selling Styleaholic branded products.

[Photo credits: Piper Carter and Nicole Marie Polec]

To learn more about Najwa Moses please log-on to www.styleaholics.com, www.youtube.com/najwamoses and myspace.com/styleaholics To purchase Salte please log-on to www.styleaholics.com/shop