Our campus celebrity for this week is Montrealer Melanie Vandersluis, founder of the bracelet company Melanie Audrey. Founded in October of 2013, Melanie Audrey has become a huge success, invoking inspiration and encouraging people to travel and to always carry their stories and experiences with them wherever they may be. Melanie is currently traveling in Bali and I had the chance to interview her to find out more about the collection.
Tina Arani for Her Campus McGill (HC McGill): What inspired you to start your own bracelet company?
Melanie Vandersluis (MV): Basically, I was inspired to start a company while I was traveling. I had just graduated university and I really had no idea what my next step was. I had graduated with a major in psychology, and I had the option of either going back to school and practicing psychology or to pick a different route and I was just kind of lost. So, I ended up traveling and I came back and decided that going back to my job was just not enough anymore. I needed something to challenge me, and something that I really felt passionate about. That’s when I committed to starting Melanie Audrey.
HC McGill: How did you start up your bracelet company? Did anyone help you along the way?
MV: I spoke to quite a few people, asked around, and did quite a bit of research. Even just Googling simple things like, “How To Start an eCommerce Business.” There are so many platforms out there now to make it accessible for people to sell things online and the one that stuck out to me the most was Shopify, and that’s the one that I ended up going with. It’s been a lot of research and talking to different entrepeneurs to see how they got started. I had a lot of support in that area. A lot of it was also self research.
HC McGill: What is the process behind desinging each bracelet?
MV: I get inspired by certain colors and color palettes, or certain objects or even just places. Part of the story behind the brand is a lot of travel. So I always try to incorporate turquoise because it reminds me of the ocean. For the design process, basically I’ll look up the colors that are in season and then I’ll see if there are certain gemstones to match up with that. If there aren’t, the inspiration pretty much comes out of anywhere; it could be from walking down the street or looking through magazines or looking at travel pictures, anything like that. It may not be the most put together way of doing it, but I just keep myself very open to inspiration to see what comes up. There are certain bracelets that are more specific to people. For example, for someone who is in love with ladybugs, the bracelet will be tailored to that quality and I’ll add a charm to signify that person. Other bracelets are matched with a person after they are made based on the properties, the look, and the feel of the bracelet. If there is someone I already have in mind, the bracelet will be made tailored to that person. So the story is made about the person, and often times I will reach out to people who are close to the person the bracelet was inspired by to contribute stories about him or her. I never reveal who the person is in case they want to remain anonymous. Then, the first made bracelet is sent out as a gift to the person it was inspired by as a thank you for being you and for inspiring the people around you. Otherwise, it’s just finding inspiration wherever I go.
HC McGill: Your bracelets are meant to encourage travel and evoke memories a person has had while traveling with their bracelets. What are some of the best memories you’ve had while traveling with your bracelets?
MV: Honestly, my best memories are meeting the most incredible people, and that’s a lot of the motivation behind Melanie Audrey: being inspired by people. Melanie Audrey is travel related and also meant to inspire people. I want people to go on the website and be like, “I totally identify with that” or, “I’m really inspired by this story and when I look down at my bracelet I’ll be reminded of it.” As for a specific story, there is a volcano here [in Bali], called Mount Batur. We basically trekked up this volcano and they picked us up at 2 am, we climbed for about two and a half hours. We got to the very top of this mountain to catch the sunrise at 6 am. I was with two amazing people. It was one of those moments where you just experience such a beautiful thing. It’s almost like being in the desert looking up at the stars. That’s something else I experienced in Israel. It’s literally pitch black and you look up and see billions of stars and you just don’t get that experience at home. We don’t have those kinds of conditions. To be able to experience real “awe” moments is so amazing. The volcano was really taxing, there were certain parts that were flat and other parts that were like walking up a hill and certain parts were very steep. At the top, at first the clouds came rolling and you’re above the clouds which is the most incredile thing. Then the clouds went away and it was perfectly clear and the sun came up and it was just amazing.
Melanie photographed at the top of Mount Batur
HC McGill: Are you thinking of adding any new jewelry items to your line?
MV: It’s definitely on the table. There’s a part of me that definitely likes to collaborate with other brands that are along the same lines and have the same values at my brand. I want the focus to remain on bracelets, but if I do find that ideal company to collaborate with then all the better. It’s definitely in the works.
HC McGill: What are your hopes for your company in the coming years?
MV: Right now we are looking into wholesale. We’re trying to see if that is something that the brand really wants to do because I want to keep it personal. We are going to start out with a couple of yoga studios just to try it out and see and if that all works out. I would love to take Melanie Audrey global and to offer that inspiration to everybody.
To learn more about Melanie and to see her beautifully made bracelets for yourself, visit her website.
You can also follow her on Facebook and on Instagram.
Images provided by interviewee.