AFROPUNK 2016 x MADE BY MALYIA JEWELRY- POWER TO THE PARTY-RECAP

September 17, 2016Made by Malyia

We returned for Afropunk Brooklyn 2016 and this year was better than ever! I loved connecting with all the people who discovered our brand for the first time and the jewels who returned and remember us from last year. Leading up to Afropunk I was super nervous, even more than the first time I was selected from hundreds of applicants to be a vendor. This year my expectations were much higher because I wanted to improve from my freshman year and perfect my festival pop-up.

The love and energy was overwhelming and my main focus was engaging with everyone that stopped by the booth. I enlisted my best friend and girlboss wedding and event planner Michelle to keep me as sane and organized like she does her brides on their big day. The most popular pieces were our "Commitment Issues" nose cuff, "Boundless" Choker, "Perpetual" wrap necklace and "Venus" Body chain. By the end of day 1 most of the top sellers were sold out.

Afropunk is more than a festival it is a collective of individuals overflowing with creativity and self-love. The #BlackGirlMagic, #MelaninMagic, #CareFreeBlackGirl, #_____ add any collective self-love hashtag and chances are it's on full display and I'm here for all of it. One of my favorite things to do is venturing away from the booth to check out all the dope looks. This year everyone came with their fashion A game. In my opinion the fashion at Afropunk rivals that of fashion week and lets be honest the majority of designers draw inspirations from street style and events like Afropunk. This year their was no shortage of inspiration.

I missed most of the performers but had the chance to watch Ceelo and Ice Cube. They were amazing! Next year I'm posting "I'll be back in 20 minutes" sign so I can catch so more performances lol.

Thank you to everyone that stopped by to say hi and shop with us! Welcome to the Made by Malyia Jewelry tribe! See you next year!

Check out the pics below! Check out my feature with Refinery 29 Click HERE

Day 1 August 27,2016

Made by Malyia Brand Ambassador and friend Ryan "MuuFasa" rocking our "Splitsville" faux septum

A beautiful jewel rocking her new "Commitment Issues" nose cuff! Thank you for stopping by love!

The power puffs were a major hit! I loved this hairstyle. I felt powerful and playful!

Refinery 29 Portrait photographer Wayne Lawrence

Day 2 August 28, 2016

Soaking up some sun and recharging for Day 2? We see you queen!

Michelle's excited for Day 2 can you tell!

Show these beautiful people how you rock your Made by Malyia Jewelry Michelle!

There's always time for a selfie right? lol

categories Festivals, Girl Boss
tags Afropunk2016, AFROPUNK, Jewelry, brooklyn, vendor, noserings, designer, Madebymalyia, hand chain, hand made, 14k gold, Bodychains, body jewelry, cuffs, earcuffs, entrepreneur, girlboss, bossbabe, inspiration, refinery29, voguemagazine, vogue, MBM jewel, mbmpunk

Vogue.com "Best Street Style" x Afropunk Feature

September 03, 2015Made by Malyia

Every girls dream is to be in Vogue Magazine. The recognition from this iconic staple in the industry can propel your career. I never in a million years imagined I would be featured for "The Best Street Style" on Vogue.com.

As I began setting up my table for Afropunk with my nerves at all time high I hear my friend Michelle's voice faintly say "Vogue is here and they want to take a photo of you". The senior fashion writer for Vogue.com Marjon Carlos and Ruben Ramos were at my table and wanted to take a photo of me! I quickly introduced myself and headed over for the Polaroid shoot.

I was shocked to discover not only was my photo selected for Vogue.com but they posted my image on Vogue Magazines official Instagram. The picture has since received over 50,000 likes and glowing comments.

My outfit paid tribute to African tribal attire, featured mixed Ankara prints and custom designed converse I embellished with gold studs. I was draped in my jewelry and a Ankara wax print fabric my sister designed into a bandeau. I'm wearing the Shavon midi skirt by Reuben Reuel of Demestiks New York. He has designed for Beyonce! Visit Demestiks New York HERE. My PR Manager/Digital strategist Sherod Lewis executed this designer collaboration and I couldn't be happier.

Dreams do come true no matter how far away they may seem! Dream big jewels and gems!

Thank you to the entire Vogue.com team and photographer Benjamin Rasmussen.

I wanted to share behind the scenes photos of this fairy tale once in a lifetime moment. See the full Vogue.com story here