We were lucky to catch up with Farah Severin recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Farah , thanks for joining us today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

I’m of Haitian descent, and growing up my parents instilled a great pride in me for Haiti. I grew up speaking both Haitian Creole and English. Haitian Creole is such a beautiful language; as is the Haitian culture. I chose to name my business Kreyol Soul Pieces in honor of a culture I’m so proud to be a part of.

Farah , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Farah. I am the owner and creator of Kreyol Soul Pieces. I’m a self-taught jewelry designer. I started my jewelry business in September of 2012. My business manifested after I decided to cut off my chemically relaxed hair and transition back to my natural hair during the summer of 2012.

I remember struggling with feeling confident about my new short hair. I realized that I needed to add some bold earrings to help me feel confident and lovingly embrace my short natural hair. So, I went to Michael’s and sourced other materials online to make my own jewelry. It wasn’t too long after that I decided to make and sell my earrings online.

I’m of Haitian descent and I wanted the name of my business to honor my culture.
Kreyol is the primary language spoken in Haiti. My family raised me to be proud of my heritage and so the name of my business also pays homage to them.

The earrings and other accessories in my shop are all handcrafted either by myself or sourced from other artisans. I strive to create a beautiful piece of jewelry that you can wear for years to come.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

A few years ago, I remember applying for a high profile pop-up event. I wasn’t chosen to be a vendor. I remember feeling really down and harshly criticizing my work. I ended up speaking with a friend and her words really resonated with me. She said “every event isn’t going to be for you, and that’s okay. The right event that aligns with your values and vision is out there.” Her words of encouragement led me to finding and applying for events with the Brooklyn Pop-Up. I’ve experienced some of my highest sales via their platform.

I let go of this tunnel vision that I had developed and focused on really being
more intentional about the events I sign up for.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

I keep in touch with my clients via Instagram. I often times share posts expressing gratitude for the support they’ve shown me. I ask my clients for their permission to share their photos in the posts. I don’t ever want my clients to feel like I’m taking them for granted.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kreyolsoulpieces.etsy.com
• Instagram: _kreyolsoulpieces_
• Facebook: Kreyol Soul Pieces

Image Credits
The photograph with the model was taken by Diaja.