A few months ago, I found out a fellow Her Campus Blogger Network member named Amna Ali started her own boutique online. Amna is a Chicago-based blogger, engineer, fashionista, and jewelry designer. Her boutique, called The Amna Ali Boutique, sells gorgeous handmade bracelets in fun vibrant colors.

I asked her if she wanted to be featured on my blog and she not only agreed, but she also decided to send me a bracelet set and name it after my blog!

The set is called “Whisper Box Bella,” and you can get it here. Keep reading for the interview I did with Amna!

Me: Why did you decide to start a collection?

Amna Ali: Ever since I can remember, I always have had a love for designing. Whether it’s designing my room, my own website, logos, my graduation card… I just love designing it! I honestly could say I have an eye for these things. I love playing with colors and putting things together. If I don’t like the color combination, I’ll start all over again from scratch. Even though I took the route to be a software engineer in life, I secretly have always wanted to be the next top designer! Every child has a dream. They want to be a super star, an actress, a model…it sounds crazy when we say it as we get older, but I never believed it was impossible. When I was overweight and over 200 pounds, I thought it was impossible to ever lose it, and drop 65 pounds, but I did it. I had a goal, I wanted it so badly, and I didn’t stop working towards it until I reached my goal. Even when I reached it, I set myself higher goals. I never gave up. Now, when it comes to my outfit and the accessories I wear with it is what truly shows off my style. One thing I caught myself always wearing is bracelets! But sometimes, they didn’t match my outfits, or I wish I had a certain type of bracelet…and I am always buying evil eye bracelets if I see them when I am shopping, but every time I bought a bracelet, I was always wishing it was a certain way, so I decided to make my own. I designed a bracelet I wanted to wear, made out of beads, and turned it into reality. Surprisingly, I had a lot of compliments on that one bracelet I made, and my friends and co-workers were asking what store I got it from. This gave me the idea to start my own collection. I knew it wasn’t impossible, but it would be a lot of work. I always love a fun challenge, so, I set myself a new goal. This sounds cheesy, but the truth is, I decided to chase my dream. Where this will go? I still have yet to find out!

Me: Tell me about your design process. How do you decide on which pieces to use for your designs?

AA: Truthfully, I don’t have a process when I am designing! If I go somewhere, I see something, I always wonder if it’ll look good if I turned it into a bracelet. I am always curious about everything. Just the other day, I looked at a wine bottle and I wondered if there was a way to turn the cork screws into a bracelet! I research, go shopping for beads, and buy them. When they come in, I play with them, and put pieces together until I love it! I have taken a part a bracelet probably over 50 times just because there was something I didn’t like about it. I just don’t want the bracelets to look good, I want them to be amazing. If I love it, then I know others will too!

Me: Which piece from your collection is your favorite?

AA: I can’t just pick one that is my favorite. Each piece I make has a different story to how I came up with the design, that makes me love each piece for it’s own. Although, I love my evil eye collection, because of the meaning behind ‘evil eyes’, and wearing them for protection. I love the tassel collection, because I remember playing around with string and different colors for hours and trying to tie gold thread around it, until I finally made the perfect tassel.

Me: If you could design a piece for any celebrity or model who would it be, what would you make for them, and why?

AA: I would say either Priyanka Chopra or Kim Kardashian. I would make an evil eye bracelet, because I feel like they believe in the meaning behind it, and would appreciate an evil eye bracelet design that no one else has.

 

Be sure to check out The Amna Ali Boutique and Amna’s blog! Her bracelet sets make great Christmas gifts!