This week’s Campus Celebrity proves that you can have brains and beauty. Annah Todd, a stunning 21-year-old is the Co-Founder of Pomp Pearls. She and Jack Callahan together launched their own pearl company in January of 2014. Together they explored the manufacturing side as well as documed the growth of their brand. They used their blog to advertise their product using photos and short films. The final product are high quality, fresh water cultured white pearls strung together with a pop of color, and lets not forget the sterling silver clasp. Read below Her Campus’s exclusive interview with this young entrepreneur.
Name: Annah Todd
Year: Senior
Major: Journalism
What is Pomp Pearls? Simply put, it is an e-commerce business I co-founded. Pomp Pearls is geared towards disrupting the international pearl market by dealing directly with the consumer.
Who is the other co-founder? Jack Callahan, a UNH alum.
When was Pomp Pearls founded? January 2014.
(Jack Callahan and Annah Todd, Co-Founders of Pomp Pearls)
How did Pomp start? It was winter break last year and my family was in the Abacos. Jack was visiting me in New Hampshire from Cambridge. We were cooped up in the house due to the snow and the idea just sort of happened before we realized the potential. Not even a week later, we’d purchased the domain name and were talking to manufacturers.
How did you start Pomp? Jack’s family is in the jewelry business, so we had a fantastic connection to establish a relationship with a pearl manufacturer in Hong Kong who was able to create exactly what we had in mind. I spent a ridiculous amount of time selecting our first round of colors through market research and trend projections because color is what makes Pomp so different, I knew how important it was to get it right.
(Photo taken by Neville Caulfield @nevillle)
Why did you decide on pearls instead of something else? We were in the right place at the right time. Pearls just made sense. They are a pliable design: effortlessly classic yet very undiscriminatory. Everyone has plain pearls, so they were the perfect thing to recreate and make cool.
You’ve built a unique aesthetic on your blog. Where does that creative direction come from and how do you make it happen? The ethos behind Pomp is infusing cool into the classic. The products you see grew out of a lifestyle that placed an importance on that same idea. On the blog we try to communicate that lifestyle in ways that interest us, we’re really just having fun and trying new things. We use a lot of local talent, like our go-to photographer is Kevin Hardman, also a UNH alum. We film and produce our own short films – check them out: http://vimeo.com/pomppearls
(Photo taken by Molly Shapiro @thepreppyhostess)
Give us some details on the necklaces: Pomp Pearls are very high quality, fresh water cultured white pearls with a sterling silver clasp. They are created in a pearl manufacturing house that strings the necklaces for us.
What colors are coming out for fall and winter? We have dark purple, charcoal grey, red and dark forest green coming out for winter. We have also added bracelets and pearl studs to match.
What are your favorite color pearls to wear? I love them all. I often wear two strands twisted together for a statement.
Where do you see the company in 5 years? If all things going according to plan, Pomp will be my invite to sit next to Kanye at Paris fashion week 2020.
Any advice you would give to other young entrepreneurs? Just get started! It’s easy to get muddled in the details at the beginning, so don’t try and make everything perfect – it never works that way.
What’s in your near future? I am graduating early this December, which is a bit nerve-racking but I feel well poised to handle the “real world.”
If you could live anywhere next year where would you live and why? I had my heart set on California up until very recently. I love the tech start up environment, and I was eager to move to San Fran and get involved with a fledging company where I could utilize my digital marketing and creative skills. However, I realized that I’ve already done that. The west coast isn’t off the table but for now, Pomp is grounded in the culture of the east coast and this is where I will stay. I am relocating to Manhattan immediately after graduation in December and hopefully Nantucket by the summer.
What is your favorite clothing line? I’m pretty equally obsessed with Rag & Bone, Vince, Allsaints, and Celine.
Tell us a fun fact about Pomp: The bright string between the pearls is actually double knotted to increase visibility and create a strong strand.
Follow Pomp on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!
From now until October 17th Pomp Pearls is giving all readers a 15% discount by using the code ‘UNHHerCampus’ at check out!!!
Here are exclusive pictures from a Pomp Pearl and UNH Her Campus Photoshoot taken by Annah Todd herself!!!