Clare Vivier & Maya Brenner—friends, moms, entrepreneurs and now, collaborators. The two L.A.-based designers have partnered on a charming capsule of pendant necklaces, blending Maya's signature letters with Clare's classic Parisian charm, blending the two complementary aesthetics into the ultimate cool-girl collab. We caught up with Maya to discuss the origin of the partnership and share photos from our launch event in Silverlake.
Q: How long have you and how do you know Clare specifically? I think it’s been about 7 or 8 years. A mutual friend brought me to one of her early sales at the Soho House and we just connected right away.
Maya and Clare circa 2012
Q: What was the inspiration behind working with Clare on this capsule of necklaces? Honestly I heard grumblings that her and my boyfriend (Dustin Lancaster of L&E oyster bar and Hotel Covell etc..) were thinking of doing a collaboration together and the competitor in me just thought “Whoa, not before me!” So I texted her.
Q: How did you two conceive of the designs? We knew we wanted to do the OUI right off the bat. I went to her office and we had lunch and came up with the other nameplate sayings to round out the collection. It was a pretty quick and easy brainstorm over sandwiches.
Q: What do you think it is about both of your brands that lends itself to collaborating? Both of our styles are versatile and easy to wear. Sometimes fashion can be intimidating to some and I think our brands are very approachable for all types.
Q: What is the significance behind these particular designs? We really wanted to take some of the French words that are already incorporated into Clare’s brand and transfer them to jewelry. We focused on positivity and loving all aspects of who we are as women especially in these times.
Q: What's your favorite way to wear these designs? With a simple white tee/jeans or a black dress. Yellow gold just looks good with everything…
Q: Any standout CV Fall '17 favorites? And how will you wear those (what will you wear them with?) I’m loving the Patchwork Petit Henri and the Midi Sac in Georgia Midi Stripe. I’m pregnant right now so my wardrobe is a bit more limited so I love the multi-colors for punching up my outfits a bit.
All photos: Emma Feil