Saturday, May 9, 2009

Jesse Utt

As the rain continued to pour down in Brooklyn this week the clouds parted for us at Flirt when Jesse Utt, the prolific designer behind jewelry line Zachary Pryor, stopped by to show us his newest designs.


Jesse has been selling his one-of-kind creations to Flirt for years now. The always popular, and somewhat wicked, hand-painted cuffs and earrings feature images from pop culture, nature, and the wild mind of the artist himself. Many of his urban-inspired necklaces and earrings are made from lost or forgotten vintage jewelery. Just when I'm convinced I've found my favorite piece, he reaches into his box of wares, and I am wowed by another tiny masterpiece!

Jesse began designing accessories after he put his foot through one of his favorite paintings (a depiction of his version of Queen Esther from the Bible and Ganymedes from Greek mythology). Not wanting to lose the most important part of his painting, he fashioned it into a canvas wrist cuff with some jewel snaps. On the subway and on the streets of New York, everyone would ask where he got this cuff and where they could get one. And so, Zachary Pryor, urban inspired accessories was born. Zachary, from the name his mother had wanted him to name him so badly and Pryor, from the maiden name of his most loved relative, with whom he felt a strong soul connection, his grandmother, Queva.

No comments: