The first time I saw her, she wore long gold earrings in the shape of planets, the next day they were hearts, and the next cherries. These earrings, the coolest I’ve ever seen, were designed by the up-and-coming artist Elizabeth (Elzie) Doyle, a freshman Design and Business major at Northeastern. To showcase her designs, Elzie created Elzie Store where she makes custom jewelry for customers all over the world. I sat down with her to delve into what inspires her to create and where she sees her store going in the future.
How long have you been designing?
I’ve been drawing and doing basic art since I was a little kid, but didn’t start designing until I started my store.
What inspired you to start Elzie Store?
Junior year, hoop earrings were a big trend — everyone was wearing them — but I was scared they would stretch out my ears. I thought it would be cool to design my own earrings using lightweight materials to try something different. I just dove in from there and a week later, I launched the store.
What’s one of your biggest accomplishments, in regards to design?
Participating in Omaha Fashion Week is one of my biggest accomplishments. My classmate was designing a clothing line as one of the emerging designers and asked me to design the earrings for the collection. I made seven sets of shirt and pants fashion earrings for the models. Getting to see the models go down the runway with my work on them was so special.
Where do you draw inspiration from for your designs?
I draw inspiration from basically anything I find cute or fun and sometimes people request designs too. I like to incorporate koi fish and flowers into my designs.
What’s your favorite piece you’ve ever made and why?
My favorite piece I’ve made is my cherry earrings. I think they’re really summery, fun, and vibey. My best friend gave me a cherry necklace and I like wearing them together and matching.
Who are your style icons?
For makeup I like Hunter Schafer from Euphoria, I think she’s really cool. I also draw inspiration from model and designer Lauren Tsai and Italian actress Alice Pagani.
Where do see yourself as a designer in the future?
I would eventually like to transition to designing clothing. I would like to thrift items to create something more personal. I like that unique fashion that not everybody has. I want to create special pieces that resonate with people.
What types of materials do you like to work with?
For earrings, I like to use gold wire. For clothing, I like to go thrifting for the fabric and instead of looking at what the item is, examine what it could be.
What’s the craziest/coolest design request you’ve gotten from a customer?
The fashion week earrings were pretty cool to design. Also, since I have personalized necklaces, I like seeing all the unique names of my customers.
Any advice for other up-and-coming artists?
Just throw yourself into it! You won’t get big super fast, but you have to start somewhere and try to spread your influence. If you’re passionate about it just start!