We had the good fortune of connecting with Sheila Szulanski and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sheila, what is the most important factor behind your success?
Finding the right path to scale. Balancing marketing and operations considerations, new product development and bringing existing products out there, experimenting and managing the day to day, prioritizing projects while keeping your voice consistent. Social media plays an important role in how clients discover, research and share information about products. For a fashion business, it allows for direct connection with a target market, freedom to express brand values and create a streamlined experience for clients to purchase products. The ability to target across platforms, reach a global audience and create many types of content creates a great environment for an independent jewelry business.
Nowadays the fashion industry is highlighting more small businesses and pushing towards slow fashion, authenticity, and sustainability.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Szulanski is a jewelry boutique aiming to provide you with everyday essential pieces handcrafted in an ethical way and with the finest materials. Founded in 2020 by Sheila Szulanski, our design process begins first with high-quality materials and meticulous craftsmanship that can only be done by artisan hands. Our jewels are contemporary creations and we take maximum care of the details.
We offer everyday essentials and affordable luxury to last, aiming to be different from the traditional speech: jewelry is about being an accessory to be worn every day.
All the pieces have a different meaning and each one is unique, giving our customers something individual with each purchase. These are pieces you will wear and love for a lifetime.
Making our customers feel special is our goal here at Szulanski.
We are proud to use recycled metal in all of our sterling silver and solid gold jewelry. This means that we can offer you accessible luxury jewelry that is both affordable and ethical. We are a sustainable company working with fair trade suppliers.
Our pieces are designed to be sustainable, wearable and timeless classics, using traditional and artisanal techniques alongside new technologies.

My creative process is often a little unstructured. A lot happens with my subconscious taking inspiration from my surroundings, from patterns, nature, themes. Then it materializes in shapes, sometimes built literally on my couch, while others it requires more exploration and iteration.
I build most of the original shapes in wax, I then have them casted in sterling silver and do all the finishing (filing, sanding, buffing etc). What is great about jewelry is that if a prototype is not good it can always be remelted and turned into a new product, making the creative process very “circular” and more experimental.

The most challenging aspect of starting and developing an independent brand is reaching our target audience and building brand loyalty with these new and prospective clients. As we reach new clients, the challenge is creating brand loyalty and a sense of alignment to our values.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My family and my clients!

Website: https://szulanski.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/szulanskijewelry/

Image Credits
Photography: Ezequiel Salvatierra Styling: Shei Szulanski Model: Sofia Toledo MUA: Ania Taniguchi

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutMiami is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.