Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Crogier.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I started off dabbling in photography. I became very fond of retro clothing and accessories. At the time, I couldn’t find lucite jewelry. In the ’50s and ’60s, women wore a lot of lucite and acrylic accessories. I decided to start creating my own jewelry for my photoshoots. People complimented my jewelry a lot and even wanted to buy it. I declined and let them know I was not a jewelry designer I was a photographer. I kept getting more and more compliments. More and more women were asking me to make them duplicates of what I was wearing.
I finally gave in and started selling jewelry. After reading and researching my jewelry design style progressed at a rapid pace. I stopped doing photography and became a jewelry designer. I moved away from the vintage styles to more edgy designs. I started participating in fashion shows and photoshoots.
I opened a store in a local mall named St. Louis Union Station. I closed it after my 1-year lease was up. They were planning to transform the mall into an indoor aquarium. I learned from that experience that I didn’t want another store any time soon. I didn’t have a lot of help at the store and I was stuck there from morning until night.
My sales dropped drastically after I closed my store. I wanted to give up. But I loved creating. I decided to take a break from trying to get consumers to buy my designs. I started focusing on creating larger pieces that I could submit to magazines. My crowns, body pieces, and handpieces took the internet and runway by storm. People were in awe that in just a few months I went from conservative designs to designs that demanded attention.
I started getting magazine placements and celebrity placements. My first celebrity placement was with Jason Derulo. We connected through a mutual friend. I was even able to meet him backstage and hand-deliver his crown to him. After that, the placements with magazines and celebrities kept coming.
Now, Vauje is a well-known brand in Hollywood. This year, I plan on quitting my 9-5 job and finally going all in. I now have a supportive (handsome) husband who is pushing me to go all the way in my business. What a blessing!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The biggest challenge has been the manufacturing process. Working with raw materials has been frustrating. Preparing the metal is a very time-consuming process. When I first started making jewelry, I was buying premade pieces from the craft store and linking them together. As time went on I started making my designs from scratch.
The process of prepping the metal included cleaning, stripping, using sandpaper, buffing, and polishing, stripping the oils, then hand painting a coating to keep the metal from tarnishing. The process was so long I couldn’t make a lot of designs in a short period of time. I was limited on how much I could advertise because I didn’t want to overwhelm myself with orders. I had three stores to keep stocked plus my own online store.
I recently decided to work with a contractor to handle my metal prepping. I just received my first batch of material back and I am super excited. I pretty much cut out all of the time I was spending to prep metal.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I create jewelry, crowns, body pieces, and now art. I’m mostly known for my crowns.
At the moment I am proud of my new adventure in the art world. I released a ten-piece wall art collection at the end of 2021. I believe what sets Vauje apart from others is my attention to detail, my overall style, and my remaining true to my creative identity.
I love the renaissance time period. I love kings, queens, castles, large dresses, and corsets. It’s very intoxicating. I was extremely happy to get a placement on the TV show Reign. It was the perfect place for my crowns. It was also my favorite show.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
I’ve learned that in business you have to adapt to the environment. Everything is moving over to digital. A lot of brick-and-mortar stores went out of business. People love shopping online and through social media.
Contact Info:
- Email: vauje1@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.vaujejewelry.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vauje
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vauje
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/vaujejewelry
