Thursday, June 10, 2010

HOME GROWN Fun and Games to Fashion and Beauty created by clever local talent!

clockwise: Mistura
The Luminada®
Illuminating Moisturizer is $32.99. It’s
available at The Spa, The Loft, Synergy Spa,
Vivianna Day Spa, Fluid. www.misturabeauty.
com Blend Creations necklace Available
from $49-$157 through www.blendcreations.
com Ella Peru dress Available at both
Victoire locations (ByWard market and
Westboro), for $210. Karen McClintock
1 Strand Light Aqua Preciosa Crystal
Sterling Necklace, $345;
Light Aqua Preciosa
Teardrop Crystals with Sterling Filigree Cone
Earrings $125. Available at Holt Renfrew
and Shepherd’s Revolution Organics
Freedom lip gloss Available at Oresta
Skincare Confectionary, Lilou Organics, and
Green Tree, for $29 www.revolutionorganics.
com 20 Q Available at Tag Along Toys,
$19.99 We-Vibe Available at Tuesdays the
Romance Store, Aren’t we Naughty Ottawa,
and Venus Envy www.we-vibe.com Wine
Stuntman Stu Red Line Merlot VQA 2008
can be ordered for $19.95 a bottle at www.
stuntmanstu.com or www.savvycompany.ca

Monday, April 5, 2010

How she became a jewellery designer




She went from sports administrator to jewellery designer - after a flash of insight in the craft aisle. Here's how!

By:
Jane Boyd -More.ca












Who

Karen McClintock, 45

Where

Ottawa

What she was

Consignment shop owner and sports administrator

What she is

Jewellery designer

How she made the leap

Some things help when starting a new venture: timing, talent and, if you're lucky, a little serendipity. Karen McClintock seemed to have all three going for her as she rose to become a sought-after jewellery designer whose clients include the country's top fashion retailers. But when financial ruin and illness threatened to derail her burgeoning business, McClintock discovered she possessed another invaluable asset — fortitude.

And it began in a most unlikely place: Walmart.

Becoming a jewellery designer - in the craft section

In the summer of 2005, McClintock wanted to modify an old necklace she'd come across while hunting for garage sale items. She found herself in Walmart's craft section, where, she recalls, "it was as if a door had opened." Although she'd never tried her hand at jewellery making, she sold her first piece by the end of the week. Shortly thereafter, she was selling tems to friends and neighbours eager to know where they could get more.

The timing was right for a venture that would fit into McClintock's complicated life. In 2003, she'd married for a second time, and her husband, Jim, lived in Cambridge, Ont., with his two children. Meanwhile, she and her two kids, then nine and five, had a home in Ottawa. Managing the more than 500-kilometre trek between the two cities was demanding. "I was trying to balance my marriage with raising my children. I was driving back and forth and looking after two houses," she explains. "I couldn't land in one city for more than a week."

A former heptathlete with a master's degree in sports psychology, she'd also been feeling a distinct lack of purpose in her life. McClintock had once been technical director of Water Ski Canada and then owned a consignment shop, which she sold just before marrying Jim. "I was lost without a goal," she maintains. "I'd worked all my life and I'd always had goals. I'd always been driven. Suddenly, I had no identity."

That would soon change. Not long after her trip to Walmart, McClintock was filling orders for friends and buying supplies in Toronto shops and sourcing wholesalers. It was her husband who suggested she try the retail market. "I was sitting on the bedroom floor surrounded by the jewellery I'd been making all that summer. Jim came in and said, ‘You should find a place to sell all this.' " She approached Shepherd's, a well-known Ottawa retailer. "I felt I had nothing to lose, so why not shoot for the moon? The worst that could happen is someone would say no."

The retailer recommended she work in sterling silver and asked her to design a cruise wear collection; McClintock returned with 15 pieces and had her first retail sale.

So how did she tackle the next set of challenges?

Her competitive spirit emerged on hearing that a jewellery designer she'd met at a Toronto bead store had shown her own line to Holt Renfrew. "Why not me too?" McClintock wondered. "I think my being so naive and knowing so little was a blessing," she muses. "I kept thinking, I have no expectations, so I have absolutely nothing to lose."


"Classic with an edge" is how she describes her designs. She gets inspiration from nature, paintings and everyday objects, finding it easy to get lost in the design process. "I love it," she enthuses. "Sometimes I'm working in production and I have to stop to design because I can't get an idea out of my head."Her craftsmanship and enthusiasm struck a chord with the fashion powers that be; after impressing a manager of Holts in Ottawa, she met with a buyer in Toronto who advised her to develop a signature look. "I said, ‘If I do that, can I come back again?' And the buyer said yes." McClintock worked on refining her distinctive style, which features combinations of semi-precious stones, Swarovski crystals and antique coins.

By 2007, her collection was available in six Holts stores across Canada.

"In sports psychology, you learn to prepare mentally, physically and technically so at the start line of a race nothing's left to chance. And when I began this business, all that [theory] went out the window. I had no training. I didn't know what I was doing or where I was going," admits McClintock. "But everything seemed to come along as I needed it. I think things present themselves to you when you're ready."

Facing setbacks, one at a time

Yet, McClintock certainly wasn't prepared for the events of the next two years. By December 2008, due to the economic downturn, Holts carried her collection in just one store. Undaunted, she hired a sales agent who steered her to new retailers in Toronto and Montreal. Next came a huge personal challenge: Husband Jim was president of a publicly traded company and, in the wake of the market crash, he and McClintock suffered financially. Then Jim had a stroke and had to take time away from work.

"It was a wake-up call," believes McClintock, who was finding it increasingly difficult to live in two cities while managing a growing business and being there for her children. "Jim and I were both stretched to the limit, and the stress was crazy. We needed to restore balance in our lives." They put both homes on the market and today, living and working from a townhouse in Ottawa, McClintock is happy with her scaled-back life. Jim's health is back on track and "everything's simpler now," she says.

But no less busy. The day we spoke, orders for 100 pieces were due in three days. How much longer can she produce them herself? "When I need help, I hope that presents itself too," she laughs. "When the orders exceed my ability, I know I'll have a solution."

More.ca exclusive: Check out our slideshow of Karen's designs.

Meet other women making their dreams come true: A contractor turned art model, an administrator turned spice guru, and a stay-at-home mom turned sex toy entrepreneur.

This article originally appeared in the April 2010 issue of More

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Revive Magazine Fall Issue

www.ReviveMagazine.ca
Fall Issue 2009 - PG 108 - 111

Unique combinations of rich colours and textures are the trademark of Canadian jewellery designer Karen McClintock who, in just a few years, has become known as a designer to watch.

In 2005, a quest to improve a vintage coral necklace changed
the course of Karen’s life. Intrigued by the process of jewellerymaking,
Karen began creating her own pieces. Although she had
no art or fashion background, Karen discovered she had a natural
flair for design, and the pieces were quickly scooped up by
friends and neighbors. Soon Karen was sourcing the materials
that would become her signature: semi-precious stones, crystals
and pearls. In the fall of 2005 Karen launched her first collection
to instant success, with Ottawa store Shepherd’s the first retailer
to spot her talent. Within a year she had achieved the kind of
coup that many Canadian designers only dream about: her collection
was purchased by prestigious retailer Holt Renfrew. It was
an impressive debut; during the launch almost every piece sold in
one night. Within two years, Karen’s collection found its way to
Holt Renfrew stores across Canada.

Karen begins with themes and trends from the fashion runways
then takes further inspiration from colors found in photographs
– a diverse range of images from landscapes and architecture to
city scenes and fairy tales that give each piece a story to tell. “Often
I mix colours I might not have considered mixing on my own,
but which work beautifully in nature,” Karen explains. Combining
primarily sterling silver with semi-precious stones, Swarovski
crystals, exotic woods, mother-of-pearl, freshwater pearls and
antique coins, Karen creates necklaces, bracelets and earrings
of exceptional beauty, charm and sophistication; modern with a
timeless appeal. “I think of my jewellery as essentially classic in
style,” she says, “but there’s always a bit of an edge.”
Notable is the element of versatility found in many of her pieces.
For example, a three strand necklace can be transformed to a
single strand. “I love the value in having three necklaces for the
price of one,” says Karen, who sees her jewellery as a wonderful
way to enhance a wardrobe without having to buy a new outfit.
“Although,” she notes, “I’ve had women tell me that my jewellery
has changed the way they dress – they fall in love with a piece,
then go out and buy clothing to coordinate with it.”
Karen’s beautiful creations are now finding their way in such high
end stores as Ogilvy in Montreal, Holt Renfrew in Ottawa and
Quebec City, Circa Ici in Vancouver and Andrew’s in Toronto, as
well as the retail location, Shepherd’s in Ottawa.
Her new collection for Fall 2009 showcases the beauty of France.
Profiling rich, warm earth tones and accents of deep red combined
in a striking combinations highlighted with antique French
coins. A sleeping Winter Garden of muted moss and sage contrast
shimmering icy crystals and hammered silver, punctuated
with shades of lavender and amethyst. Completing this collection
is the crispness of a Canadian winter in Old Quebec with cool
hues that reflect glistening icicles and snowflakes that play against
rich neutrals and textural stone.

Presently working on her upcoming 2010 Spring Collection,
Karen continues to develop her talent and grow her impressive
following that include anchors on television, presidents of companies
and brides walking down the aisle. From our perspective,
she is definitely the “one to watch” in the Canadian fashion world!

Karen Recommends Jewellery – A Timeless Accessory…
1. A great accessory, such as a chunky necklace, can shake up
the look of many stand-by pieces in your wardrobe.
2. When wearing a beautiful piece of jewellery, keep it the focal
point and keep your clothing “simple”. Monochomatic colours
and a perfect neckline can bring the eye where you want it to go!
3. It is all about balance! If you have a lot of detail in your clothing,
think earrings only. If you want the eye to stay focused on
your face, keep the detail there, not any lower!
4. Buy what you love and wear it often! A great piece of jewellery
never goes out of style!
For more information on
Karen McClintock and her Collection, please visit her website
at
www.KarenMcclintock.com.
Photos by Valerie Keeler

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Jewelry designer says ‘I do’ to creating new line


By IRENE SEIBERLING
Leader-Post
One of Canada’s hottest up-and-coming jewelry designers has found yet another niche she can fill — jewelry for weddings and celebrations. “Over the past few months, I have been approached by various brides to do pieces for themselves and their bridal party,” Ottawa-
based Karen McClintock explained. “One in particular had been searching for quite some time and could not find what she was looking for in her price range. She wanted turquoise, brown and silver for her bridesmaids. 
“She was also living in Inuvik and was limited in where she could source out her pieces. She was getting married in Cuba,” McClintock recalled. 
“In the end, she got exactly what she wanted,” she proudly pointed out. 
Never shy about exploring unfamiliar territory, McClintock started to do some research. She checked out bridal magazines. She talked to people in the industry. And she decided she was up for yet another new challenge.
“I realized that there was a large gap that I could fill,” she said. 
What McClintock discovered was that there were lots of options in the lower price range — costume jewelry made overseas with metal, glass and paste. And reputable jewelers offered plenty of high-end pieces — at thousands of dollars. 
“In my price range — $280 to $425 — there was little,” she insisted.
Yet another selling feature is McClintock’s ability to incorporate the colours many brides look for when searching for pieces for their bridesmaids. “What makes my pieces unique is both
the richness of colours and the styles that can be worn long after the wedding or celebrations,”
she said. “They are contemporary designs and put an edge to what is traditionally a conservative look.”
For Spring 2009, McClintock is offering eight groups, inspired by friend Michelle Valberg’s floral photographs. There’s a white group, for the bride — white, silver, iridescent. The other groups are: taupe, yellow, purple, blue, green, red and pink. 
McClintock’s weddings and celebrations collection incorporates semi-precious stones, Swarovski crystals and pearls, freshwater pearls, sterling silver, pewter, mother-
of-pearl, and cubic zirconia. Prices are the same as for her regular collections,
which are available online at www.KarenMcclintock. com at select Holt Renfrew locations, and from Ottawa-based Shepherd’s Fashion
and Accessories. For example, a fivestrand, pearl, Swarovski crystal sterling necklace costs $365. Or, a one-strand sterling link with amethyst, mother-of-pearl, Swarovski crystal, pewter, and cubic zirconia is $325. Swarovski crystal sterling drop earrings are $75. And a teal Swarovski crystal sterling bracelet is $125. McClintock isn’t competing with herself with the new collection. On the contrary. Loyal fans of Karen McClintock jewelry will continue to see regular seasonal collections. The new collection is targeted at a new audience. That said, there’s no rule that says you have to be a bride or bridesmaid to wear a piece from the weddings and celebrations collection! For more information, visit McClintock’s Web site at
www.KarenMcclintock.com, or e-mail her
at Karen@KarenMcclintock.com

Monday, September 15, 2008

Karen McClintock Makes Waves in the Fashion and Jewelry World


by Stephanie Findlay photos by Valerie Keele

What began when Karen McClintock wanted to
improve a necklace to sell at a garage sale has
catapulted her to the forefront of Canadian jewelry
design. In just three years, McClintock has established
herself in the Canadian custom jewelry market, selling
pieces at six of the nine Holt Renfrews in Canada
as well as, the boutique clothing store, Shepherd’s in
Ottawa.
McClintock spent the summer of 2005, designing
and producing custom pieces. By October, her buyer
recommended that she try selling to Holt Renfrew.
In what she describes as a “huge learning curve”,
McClintock spent the next seven months traveling
back and forth from Toronto customizing and
refining her work for sale in the specialty department
store. After only 10 months in the business, Holt
Renfrew picked up her line. She was one of only
two Canadian designers launched by Holt Renfrew
in 2006. Since then, McClintock has shown no signs
of slowing down. She’s recently been to Paris with
veteran fashion designer Linda Lundstrom, and is
currently planning a bridal line as well as working on a
coffee table book with award-winning photographer
Michelle Valberg of Ottawa.
McClintock is animated about her new ventures. “It’s
kind of like I have two people in me,” she explains, “a
realistic side, oh-my-god-I’ve-got-so-many-ordersto-
fill, and another entrepreneurial side. And it’s
definitely that entrepreneurial side that takes over.”
“If you had asked me three years ago if I had
expected this, there is no way.” McClintlock relays
that her close attention to her buyer’s needs make
her different from everyone else, “she (the buyer) told
me what she’d like to see and I did exactly that. I
took it literally because I didn’t know any different.
I didn’t have my own preconceived ideas of what I
was doing.” Since then, McClintock says that she’s
been able to develop her own look. However it is
her commitment to her clients that gives her an edge
in this competitive industry. “I never back down
from a challenge,” she says. Her first assignment for
Holt Renfrew was to create pieces following various
themes, including Pop Art. “Pop art wasn’t me at all. I
was at first going ‘wow, that’s a huge leap for me’ but
it came out really well.” McClintock is able to work
within unknown parameters and achieve success
with her diverse talents in jewelry design.
When asked about her favourite client relationship
story, McClintock tells about a woman soon to
become grandmother, “She wanted to get something
that would make her feel young and vibrant. She
bought a piece of my jewelry because it made her
feel wonderful…I had touched a person, believe it or
not, in a way that I had no idea.” Governor General
Michaelle Jean, who is featured in the upcoming
McClintock-Valberg book collaboration, is one of
many Canadians to appreciate McClintock’s work
and McClintock says that she has received positive
feedback from Her Excellency.
For now, the book release is tentatively scheduled
for Earth Day, 2009. In the meantime, McClintock
is busy finishing up her first wedding collection and
continuing to design and produce other designs.
Expansion to the United States is also in the works,
“I don’t know how many times people have said that
I’m going to make Oprah,” she laughs. If she does, and
Oprah is in one of her gifting moods — we’d like to
be a member of that studio audience with hopes that
McClintock’s designs were in the offering! n
For more information or to shop on-line visit,
www.karenmcclintock.com.
Karen McClintock

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Jewelry that rocks


Jewelry that rocks
Photos by Michelle Valberg
Graphic designer LINDA REA-ROSSEKER/Leader-Post
By IRENE SEIBERLING
Leader-Post

Karen McClintock didn’t set out to become a jewelry designer.
In fact, no one could be more surprised by her success than McClintock herself. “I still can’t believe this is happening,” the 43- year-old Ottawa-based designer said repeatedly during the week we shared in Paris recently with Canadian fashion icon Linda Lundstrom.
“How did I get here? It’s surreal,” she said, her utter amazement — and delight — evident.
Things just seem to keep falling into place for McClintock, who has quickly become known as one of Canada’s hottest up-and-coming jewelry designers.
It all started about two years ago — as a bit of a fluke, actually. While getting ready for a garage sale, McClintock came across an old necklace, which she was convinced she could “improve”.
“I knew nothing (about making jewelry),” she admitted.
So she headed over to the craft department at her local Wal-Mart and picked up what she thought she’d need to re-string a few necklaces for the garage sale.
They sold like hot-cakes. And she was hooked.
At first, McClintock used stretchy string — at the recommendation of a shopper in the department
store’s crafts section — and beads.
“What did I know? I had no idea what I needed. This was all new to me,” she said.
After a bit of kidding about the stretchy string, a friend with experience in the jewelry business steered McClintock in a more professional direction — using wire and crimp beads. McClintock started using sterling silver, semi-precious stones, Swarovski crystals and antique silver coins to create hand-crafted necklaces, bracelets and earrings.
Her necklaces range in price from $200 to $400. Impressed with McClintock’s natural talent for combining colours and textures to create jewelry that makes a statement, her friend encouraged her to pursue her new “hobby”. The timing was perfect.
A divorced mother of two, McClintock was now married to a Cambridge, Ont. businessman, also with two children. Their “complicated” living arrangement — commuting between their two homes (hers in Ottawa and his in Cambridge), and their vacation home in Florida — made it impossible for her to commit to a 9-to-5 job. But she wanted to work. “It was more for my self-esteem,” said McClintock, who gave up a successful career running a consignment shop to raise their blended family. So she decided to re-invent herself, and create a job that would work with her current circumstances. “There was no intention to start a business,” she said frankly. But one thing just kept leading to another. And in no time at all, her creations were being showcased in six of the nine Holt Renfrew locations. (Her designs aren’t in Holt Renfrew’s Toronto Bloor Street location, Vancouver or Montreal — yet.)
Marlene Shepherd, co-owner of an upscale ladies’ clothing and accessories boutique in Ottawa, also carries McClintock’s collection (www.shepherdsfashions.com). “She has a good sense of colour and a good sense of balance,” Shepherd said in a telephone interview from Shepherd’s Fashion and Accessories. “She takes direction well and criticism well. She’s not too proud or too snobbish to accept some ideas. That’s a wonderful thing about her — you can work with her, and give her suggestions,” Shepherd said. “Combine her creativity with my (30 years of) experience, and we are able to come up with something that we are both happy with.”
Shepherd praised the new designer’s versatility. “Everybody has their status handbag — the Prada or the Gucci. Her necklace is sort of along the same line — the status necklace that you can wear for a couple of seasons,” Shepherd said. “It’s the necklace of the season, and you wear it with lots of different things, depending on how you combine it. She even has some that have detachable pendants.”
That sentiment was echoed by Kate Chartrand of Holt Renfrew. “Her work has the potential to evolve and stay fresh with every season, which is what will keep our customers coming back for more,” she explained. “Karen takes elements of bohemian trends and develops them into more tailored and sophisticated designs that really resonate with our clientele and offer them longevity,” Chartrand said. Not having any formal training in jewelry design seems to have worked in McClintock’s favor.
“I absorb everything. I’m like a human sponge — I suck up ideas and direction,” the tenacious former competitive athlete said. No one could ever accuse McClintock of lacking determination.
While in Paris recently, she got pointers on production from veteran fashion designer Linda Lundstrom, who introduced McClintock to Miles Socha, Paris bureau chief for Women’s Wear Daily. When McClintock mentioned she was hoping to get her designs into the U.S. market, Socha arranged a meeting with his friend, Mindy Prugnaud, a fashion merchandising specialist for Saks. “I’m excited,” Prugnaud said as she viewed samples of McClintock’s collection in the lounge of the Paris hotel where McClintock was staying. Conveniently, the hotel was located in the fashionable residential area where Prugnaud lives. McClintock was asked to supply photos, within days, which Prugnaud said she would include in a booklet she’d put together to pitch the collection to Saks. “How amazing is this,” McClintock said, beaming after the meeting.
The incredibly rapid rise of her career still has McClintock pinching herself, wondering if this is really
a dream. “If it comes gradually, you work into it,” she said. “When it comes fast, you keep questioning ‘when is it going to stop?” No time soon, if demand for her designs continue at the current rate.
When described as a successful Canadian jewelry designer, McClintock smiles. “I still can’t believe people actually call me that.” “I really have no idea where this is going to go, but I am enjoying the journey,” she said.
For more information about Karen’s
designs, go to www.KarenMcClintock.com