This Spring 2016, we had the pleasure to collaborate with California Artists and Fashion Bloggers Juliana and Asha from Valentina&Francesca.

Our paths crossed a few months back while we were attending the 2016 SF SheTalks Conference about women entrepreneurs in the Fashion Industry.

We were naturally drawn to their kind personalities, artistic flair and colorful palette distinctly influenced by their Fine Arts background, their love for fashion and Silicon Valley living.

Through technology and social media, Valentina&Francesca aspires to create a dialog between the arts and fashion resulting in slick allegorical compositions unlike any others in their field.

We sat down again recently to discuss what it is like to be a Fashion Blogger and a Premium Jewelry Startup in an industry saturated with our kinds. We quickly came to realize that our growing pains, challenges and rewards were in fact very similar.

For Juliana and Asha, planning stories and photoshoots is a very private and intuitive process, which requires long hours and dedication. They always discuss ideas together and deliberate as a team before embarking on a new project. They trust and naturally complement each other, bringing two distinct personalities in a cohesive aesthetic universe. Artists by trade, they have a strong sense of composition, colors and whimsy. For them, it is about a good location, a good look and a good feeling.

Creating beautiful and elevated looks day in and day out, during a bad acne breakout, under the heat of the summer or in a sudden snowstorm can be grueling and defeating at times. Overcoming daily hurdles to offer compelling stories and striking visuals that make people dream is very transformative and gratifying.

Maintaining a business mindset is also crucial when creating a brand for yourself. Developing relationships within your industry, being abreast of the latest trends, seeking out opportunities, understanding technology and social media are a few things the job of a Fashion Blogger entails.

They’ve come to learn that wins are not always literal or lucrative for that matter. Expressing themselves freely and creatively, having a great social support, collaborating with talented people give greater meaning and purpose to their work.

Also having companies like Apple, Facebook and Instagram nearby makes them all the more aware of how technology has helped the rise of fashion bloggers. They are eager to work more closely with the high-tech industry to bridge the gap between technology, the arts and fashion.

Premium fashion brands are starting to understand the importance of incorporating technology in their designs and fabrics to facilitate women's active lives while looking their best.

Valentina&Francesca capture our myths and their muses in our Dualitas Elixir collection.

The collection is inspired by the curative properties of gemstones and designed with natural stones to be in direct contact with the skin. 

Dualitas