Cheryl Dufault Designs has been at Jophiel a little under 2 years and we are still spellbound by the play, the texture, the layers and the uniqueness. We really wanted to know more about the designer and her own style. Sitting down to talk shop with Cheryl Dufault, getting to know her a little better, we're bringing you the inside scoop.
Jophiel: “You talk a little about how close you are with your vendors. How long would you say you’ve been working with them.”
Cheryl Dufault: “The majority of them are probably 15 years and some of them are as little as 5 and 6. The longest vendors being from Kathmandu in Nepal.”
J: “You really get to foster the creative spirit the longer you get to work with someone.”
CD: “We used to do manufacturing over there [Nepal], but it’s more difficult, just because the country has changed a lot.”
J: “It’s harder to do what you want?”
CD: “Their artists all do hand work so the price has gotten driven up, because it’s all pure silver, and it’s super expensive. But we do a lot of production now in Kathmandu and Thailand.”
J: “How often do you meet your vendors?”
CD: “I first met them at an artists’ show and we’ve been working together ever since. I meet most of my big vendors in Tuscan because they only come once a year.”
J: “Do they bring the unique, one-of-a kind pieces and then you’re able to go through and see what speaks to you?”
CD: “Yes, that’s what they do for me.”
J: “Who or what is part of your design inspiration?”
CD: “I like old vintage stuff, I like refurbishing it giving it a new thing, making it look new, more accessible for people to wear, giving a different spin on it. I was kind of a flea market person, so it just evolved to other countries when I started looking at their artifacts.”
J: “One of my favorite things about your work is your symbolism. Those that recognize it can see them and latch onto them.”
CD: “This is true thank you, it’s one of the whole reasons. It’s been kind of a spiritual journey for me. I was born and raised in the Bible Belt where things were very rigid. Specific religions had their own specific beliefs and it was very confusing as a child, so this has just kind of been a spiritual journey for me to get to know people from other countries with different beliefs. I’m not a super religious person but I am spiritual. I connect with a lot of different philosophies and I just kind of meld them all into my own. That’s been the journey for me, and so it makes it accessible to a lot of people who have different beliefs or are open minded to looking at other ways of viewing things.”
J: “It’s interesting to see how vast people have adopted your look, how would you say your designs are appreciated or styled differently really depending on where they are sold and who’s wearing them?”
CD: “Well I sell it to men and women, which is really interesting. This collection was a shoot off from originally what was a concept that was just for women. So it’s very earthy, it’s old, so I say buy it when you’re 18 and wear it when you’re 80. It’s not trendy at all. I think they’re kind of timeless. You can dress them up or dress them down. That’s kind of the concept behind the diamonds, kind of dumb them down and make them more every day.”
J: “Do you use a rough cut?”
CD: “We use both.”
J: “Some of them are more a horizontal cut so you can see the crystallization in the stones.”
CD: “Yeah that’s what they call a druzy cut. That cut is just so you can see the crystals.”
J: “I think it’s a really unique way of making it feel like frosting without being in your face.”
CD: “What’s interesting is it’s not one of the precious stones, but it’s one of the top selling stones because of that, because it gives it that dimension.”
J: “So we have loved exploring Cheryl Dufault Designs with a lot of different designers and different feels and find that they communicate with every day. When you’re creating a piece how do you picture that it will work well with others or with what you do see out there on the market.”
CD: “Actually everything I do is sort layers into what we were doing before. So, like I have girls that probably own 50-60 pieces, so we get together and we find other things that can layer back in to give them a different look. We do a lot of different lengths so it makes it easier to layer and then we’re concentrating now on weight. Trying to do stuff that feels different to give them a layered look. We always try to add a different dimension or different color or something that’s going to layer back into something that they already own.”
J: “So when you’re designing, you’re definitely thinking of all the women that have purchased to discover what is it they’re missing.”
CD: “We have a lot of hard core Cheryl Dufault people and we’ve got to give them something new which can be challenging.”
J: “Tell me a little about your design process. Do you sometimes acquire a particular piece, a one-of-a kind or an antique, and sit with it a while and try to figure out how to show it or do you know right away?”
CD: “Both. We do get a lot of stuff and then we sit with it and try to figure out whether to cast it or if it’s gonna work, whether it’s part of the jewelry or the home section. Because we get really large pieces that sometimes work on jewelry and then are sometimes to big we use them in home jewelry.”
J: “You have interiors?”
CD: “Yeah, don’t you guys have some of that? Jophiel doesn’t have any home roseries? Ok, well you’ll have them for the trunk show. And then I have a showroom in Dallas that features pillows and vintage African baskets and then we do the vases with the leather on them.”
J: “Do you have any individuals that you look to for style inspiration?”
CD: “I don’t pay a lot of attention to a lot of other designers because I don’t want to be really super influenced by them, but I am inspired by clothing designers. Fashions that are really clean and with a little edge. I’m kind of a plain dresser, I dress in solid colors.
J: “Then you can show your layering!”
"I like refurbishing [vintage stuff], giving it a new thing."
"The druzy cut is one of the top selling stones because... it gives it that dimension."
"This has just kind of been a spiritural journey for me to get to know people from other countries with different beliefs."
"We do a lot of different lengths so it makes it easier to layer..."
J: “We have an upcoming trunk show with Cheryl Dufault Designs December 8-9th. Our second one this year! What can people get excited about for our upcoming Cheryl Dufault Designs collection?”
CD: “We have a lot of really cool new layering pieces that we’re sending on copper and brass chains, they’re very earthy. And then I think the home jewelry will be really cool for you guys. And then we’re also doing fur scarves, those have been really cool. We’re doing a little bit more ethnic too which is kind of a cool look, brass and cool lariats. Just a lot of different layering stuff.”
J: “Fort Wayne has fallen in love with your beaded bracelets and the ability to stack them and play. I have so many people that just look at my wrist and say “I just love those” and I get to tell them come to Jophiel.”
CD: “Well there’s a bunch of new bracelets coming your way that are a little bit more organic that have different stuff layered into them.”
J: “How would you describe the Cheryl Dufault Designs woman?”
CD: “Well I think she’s a little bit more evolved, she’s not trendy, she’s more earthy. I think she’s just a woman I would like to get to know, that I think is like minded like me. I’m not an overly impressed, Hollywood glamor kind of gal, but I like nice things and I appreciate old things. I think she’s a woman who inside stays very young at heart. Great style, but her own style. I think a lot of my woman can take the same necklace but wear it completely different. And make it fit them and fit their style.
J: “I love it.”
CD: “I think a lot of the line is very androgynous. Really I do.”
J: “So it can mold to so many personalities that we do take on in life, whether it’s when we’re 18 or 80 like you were saying.”
CD: “Exactly.”
J: “Well thank you so much for your time Cheryl.”
CD: “I’m sorry I won’t be with you guys.”
J: “I know! But we look forward to seeing the designs!”
Give the gift of Cheryl Dufault Designs this holiday season! Be sure to explore her collection December 8th and 9th and shop early.
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