Client spotlight | Luv Aj
Meet the people building businesses with Lawyerly: their industries, their decisions, their successes and the valuable insights they’ve gained along the way.
Amanda Thomas, Owner + Designer | Luv Aj
Amanda Thomas started Luv Aj at 14, selling handmade jewelry to classmates before a chance encounter with a buyer at LA boutique Fred Segal changed everything. Today, Luv Aj is stocked at Nordstrom, ShopBop, and Target, has been worn by Beyoncé, Bella Hadid, and Hailey Bieber, and is about to expand into all Target retail locations nationwide.
In this conversation, Amanda talks about going from hand-making every piece to mass production almost overnight, how celebrity placements actually work, what founders consistently miss before pitching major retailers, and what's coming next for Luv Aj.
Amanda Thomas, Owner + Designer | Luv Aj
Take us back to the beginning: how did Luv Aj actually start?
Amanda: I started Luv Aj when I was a sophomore in high school at 14. I got an afterschool job with a jewelry designer who taught me the basics of making jewelry and I absolutely fell in love with the process. I started making pieces for fun, selling them at school to my peers, and after a chance encounter with a buyer at LA Boutique Fred Segal, Luv Aj was born.
You went from making jewellery by hand in high school to stocking Nordstrom and ShopBop almost overnight. What was that scaling moment actually like?
Amanda: Scaling to produce for larger retails, was definitely one of the most challenging shifts in my business throughout the entire entirety of my career. I went from making every piece by hand to essentially having to figure out how to do mass production over a three month period. It was definitely one of those growing pains that was worth it, because it allowed me to scale my business to the volume it is today.
Growing fast is exciting, but it also means contracts, partnerships, and decisions you probably weren't prepared for at 16. How did you figure that side of things out?
Amanda: I have to give a huge shoutout to my mom, she was my guiding force in figuring all of this out! She was an entrepreneur herself, and started a production company with really no formal business background. She put me in touch with a lot of the people on her team to help me get my LLC formed, handle accounting and invoicing, and also legal. I am forever grateful for my mom’s incredible network because it’s what helped me get started.
You've had your work on Beyoncé, Bella Hadid, and Hailey Bieber. How do celebrity placements actually happen, and what do people get wrong about how that world works?
Amanda: Celebrity placements are always about relationships with their stylist. You can build these through social media, through Instagram messages, reaching out and sending gifting to their clients. It’s definitely a long play because sometimes it takes years to get a specific celebrity placement. I think people forget that it is a personal relationship at the end of the day and you need to maintain that relationship if it’s an important client for you!
What's the business decision you're most proud of?
Amanda: Getting into Target is definitely my proud accomplishment so far. It has been at the top of my list for so many years, and I just think it’s the perfect retail partner for Luv Aj. They align exactly with where I want the brand to go and I’m so excited to keep building our business with them.
“I went from making every piece by hand to essentially having to figure out how to do mass production over a three month period.”
What does a founder actually need to have in place — legally, commercially, structurally — before they're ready to pitch to major retailers?
Amanda: First and foremost, you need to have your production dialed in. You need to be ready to handle any volume of orders and have had many seasons of working with your factory under your belt so you can already anticipate how you work together. You definitely want to have some place with all of your factories and vendors in case anything goes awry. And something that brands sometimes forget about is making sure you have a great agreement with the store you’re selling to! Make sure you read the fine print about markdowns, return to vendor agreements, and potentially hidden fees that can eat away at your margin.
What's next for Luv Aj?
Amanda: We’re expanding into all Target retail locations by December! And we are also launching our NFL licensed jewelry in September, which will expand our sports licensed jewelry division.
