From the Founder/Creative Director, Elena Schimming:
I have always loved being creative. In 2009, after almost a decade designing women's clothing and accessories that graced the runways globally, I realized that I wanted to create a jewelry brand that focused on the fashion conscious, but not trend obsessed, shoppers I have always identified with. Whether your style is contemporary, bohemian, preppy, chic, trendy or classic, my goal is to design pieces that help you express your everyday style.
In my opinion, jewelry is the easiest way to accessorize and the most fun way to change your look from day to day. It's layerable even in the heat of summer, can be worn in any setting, and doesn't discriminate.
In 2016, after hundreds of trunk shows, trade shows, and pop-up appearances, I came to realize: Not everyone wants to buy jewelry. Some ladies don't even like jewelry. I LOVE a new challenge... What would they want instead? How could I reach the accessory loving, non-jewelry customers?! I needed to find a complimentary product to the jewelry so the collection made sense as a whole. That spring I made a simple fold over clutch in 6 colors to test the response. Ladies were fighting over them! At that moment, I knew I had my next product category and that the brand name had to change.
So, who is Helene Thomas? It's me, in a way, and also a tribute...
Helene = Helen + E. Who is Helen? Helen is my mom's oldest sister, who I'm named for, with an E at the end for Elena. (Elena is Spanish for Helen). She helped fund the first large production run, enabling me to fulfill orders from Lord & Taylor and Saks in the beginning.
Thomas is my husband's middle name. He and I have been together since 2010, although we only got married in August 2018. He is consistently supportive and encouraging. I could not have asked for a better spouse.
Both of our families have been wonderful and extraordinarily supportive of me. I wouldn't be here without any of them. I have been very fortunate. I am and will be eternally grateful.
All my best,
