Celeb-Favorite Lana Jewelry Fetes 20th Anniversary, Eyes Expansion

What do Rihanna, Madonna, Jennifer Lopez, Cameron Diaz and Lizzo all have in common? Two words: Lana Jewelry.

Designer Lana Bramlette knew she was onto something major when she launched her Chicago-based fine jewelry brand in 2002.

“My goal was to have a jewelry empire,” Bramlette says. “This was a full-blown strategy of creating a really big business.”

Her multimillion-dollar business, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary with model Charli Howard as the face of the campaign, took off in full throttle speed after the designer couldn’t find what she was looking for: the perfect pair of hoops. “Luckily, then 27-year-old Lana never found them,” her website reads.

Her now-iconic gold hoops have earned her the appropriate nickname “Queen of the Hoop,” and her jewelry collection spans everything from $300 14K-gold hoop earrings, $1330 “Love” nameplate necklaces to $60,000 emerald hoops. Lana Jewelry is sold in premier luxury retailers like Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom
JWN
and Saks Fifth Avenue.

Yet the brand’s early days were very grass roots. In fact, the designer took her first order in the elevator in the 900 North Michigan Shops in Chicago. Nameplate necklaces had started to gain popularity in the era of “Sex and the City,” and the designer was wearing a “Rob” nameplate necklace she made about her then-boyfriend, now husband to let people know she was taken.

“[The woman] was like ‘what does your necklace say?’ She said she was looking everywhere to have a necklace with her dog’s name,” Bramlette recalls. “Long story short, I made up a number and shipped it to her.”

Real retail store orders ensued and P.45 in Chicago was one of her first accounts. “At the time I had five samples. A week later, they said it was sold out,” Bramlette recalls. “The owner said to me ‘this is bigger than Chicago. You need to go to LA.’”

And so she did.

“We went to LA and got into Fred Segal. We had no appointment,” Bramlette says. “We’d go to restaurants, parties and people would be like ‘we love your necklace—what is this?’ You have to have guts and have this confidence that this is going to be the greatest thing at the same time you have to have credibility.”

It was obvious to Bramlette, that her idea filled a void in the jewelry market. The designer, who previously worked in marketing and fashion, noticed that none of her friends were wearing fine jewelry while they splurged on everything else.

“I would say ‘why would you wear a $1000 bag, engagement ring and then you put on costume jewelry?” she says.

Bramlette believes gold is the best investment anyone can make as it never loses its value. “I remember in 2005 when gold shot up from $275 to $500 an ounce. Now you just learn it’s part of the business,” she says.

The designer still operates her business, now a family business, in Chicago. Her father, Naum Fertelmeister, a former Motorola marketing executive, co-owns the business. “We call him Charlie to the Angels,” she says. “He’s the voice of reason.” Her daughter Blake is the inspiration behind a new collection geared toward the next generation called Lana Girl.

And she never viewed her Windy City headquarters as a drawback.

“I always saw the world as part of the deal. I always believed we must be outside of Chicago,” Bramlette says. “Get on a plane and go to Seattle and meet with Nordstrom, or go to Dallas and meet with Neimans or to New York.”

Her business philosophy is simple: it’s never how do you do it, it’s just do it.

“It all started with grass roots, grab your product, wear your product, talk about what you do, ask opinions,” she says. “If you have a really good product, it takes 90 days for it be successful. If it’s good, you’ll know it.”

Without giving actual figures, retail sales are exceeding expectations, she says.

“Everybody in this world is trying to get their business back from Covid. We’re surpassing it,” she says.

Looking ahead, Bramlette says the focus will be on building the business, eyeing retail locations and branching into different product lines.

“Our business is strong on the coasts, in Texas, California and Florida,” Bramlette says.

And there may be opportunity beyond jewelry.

“I’m always thinking our clients who love our jewelry might like clothing,” Bramlette says. “There’s so much opportunity right now. Is it home accessories? Is it candles? Perfume? Is it skincare and makeup?”