Rachel Bravman

Jewelry Designer,
CEO of Rachel Leigh

New York City

Prior to launching Rachel Leigh, I was a fashion publicist at Yves Saint Laurent. I handled all of the men’s, women’s and accessory line editorial placement as well as celebrity dressing.

I was trying to buy my mom a birthday gift and could not find any jewelry that was both artistic and chic at an affordable price point.

For the first year and a half I handmade every single piece of jewelry myself as I did not know where to find the right people to produce my collection. This resulted in many sleepless nights and fingers that were not worthy of a manicure for over a year.

I was sitting at my desk at YSL when the credit department from Lucky magazine called. They told me I would be featured as “one to watch” (hot up-and-coming designers) and asked what the name of my line was. At the time I didn’t even have “a line” nor a name so I quickly said “Rachel Leigh” which is my first and middle name.

My biggest inspiration comes from a combination of runway (Chanel, Lanvin, Proenza Schouler, J. Mendel, and Bottega Veneta), vintage jewelry, contemporary art and art installation and of course all of the uniquely chic and eclectic women in NYC.

Rachel Leigh is handmade in New York City by extremely experienced and meticulous craftsman. The design is unique in that it is a combination of luxury concepts, wearable styles and unique materials.

Designing the line is definitely the most challenging. At the beginning of the season I always have so many ideas and I have to force myself to edit, edit, edit. I used to present collections upwards of 300 pieces which was both overwhelming for the customer as it was for production. Now I do my best to keep the collection concise and specific. Fortunately the “it” girls keep coming, and we are constantly appreciative of the recognition!

Designed for the girl with confidence, who is always in command, does not take herself too seriously and is the life of the party. She’s versatile with an ever changing look to fit her mood; one night she is uptown chic sophistication with a bit of an edge, the next night she is downtown trendy glamour and by day she is refined casual. She mixes it up with the perfect balance, always feeling confident and making a statement. The Rachel Leigh girl knows who she is and uses her wardrobe and jewelry to play off of her personality.

Rachel Leigh is constantly striving to build a brand and to be a household name. We are focused on being the best we can be in the contemporary fashion jewelry market. We plan to expand shortly into fine jewelry.

Hot pink! And, no city girl can live without black.