Nothing exists in a vacuum. As designers, we are all inspired by what came before us, and what’s around us— and ideally put our own mark on it.
For me, the creative process is about starting with something vintage, and then interpreting it in a fresh new way. I pay attention to trends because I want you to feel at ease and in style wearing our jewelry; but I am not restricted by them. And the greatest compliment I can receive is that my designs are unique–‘different from everything that’s out there.”
When I first found our sorority gal initials in a dusty old New England factory, the owner laughed and said “John, no one has ordered these in 30 years!” That was all I needed to hear…I knew they were ripe for reinvention. I brought some back to the studio and what can I say? A star was born!
Several years later, you may have noticed that our look has inspired other designers to put out similar initial designs. Well, what can I say? That’s the way it works—When something is hot, people pay attention…and they want a piece of it.
Please know that all of our designs come out of our studio in Philadelphia, and while we do create private label work that isn’t branded…we have never outsourced our designs to other manufacturers. Companies that are so bold as to use our name are doing so illegally. As for those companies that are simply following our trends- they may not be breaking the law, but they are certainly not acting with integrity.
This has happened to us with a dozen best-selling styles over the years, and Robbin’s and my philosophy has always been to be original, to make the best product we can at the right price, and to keep on innovating—encouraging our loyal stores to keep moving along with us. As they say…imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
But the truth is that imitation hurts our business and hurts the fashion industry as a whole. And we’re sharing this reality with all of you for one simple reason: we never want our customers to be confused about where something comes from.
Back in the 1980’s, when our multiple watch bracelets were causing a fashion sensation, we had a nice surprise—in addition to lower price copies of our ‘4 face watch’, Movado and Andy Warhol went upscale with this limited edition, 5 face New York City watch. And because I’m such a Warhol fan, in that case, imitation really was flattering!
Maximally,
John & Everyone at Maximal Art