Kerry Washington is an Emmy-winning actress, producer and philanthropist. AlwaysA leading lady. Her resume is growing. Next up: Aurate, a female-founded sustainable jewelry brand, will release her third jewelry line this holiday season. Featuring Art Deco details, gold finishes, and a touch of topaz, the “Be the Lead” collection consists of five stunning pieces—all sustainably sourced, and made to be worn by all genders.
Washington spoke exclusively to ELLE.com about her partnership, her beauty routine and fashion during the pandemic and why jewelry is gender-fluid.
This is your third collaboration. What’s your favorite part about working with the brand?
I take my partnership very seriously. Life is too short to partner with people who you don’t want to be creating with. Sofi was the founders I met. [Kahn]Bouchra [Ezzahraoui]They were simply amazing. They’re incredibly inspiring and impressive women. Their vision to decentralize fine jewelry was something I loved. I love working for a luxury brand that makes fine jewelry more affordable for everyone.
I also love their female-driven mission. Ninety percent are women customers, and we draw a lot from the success of our female customers. Don’t get me wrong, we love our male customers too. Since jewelry is gender-fluid you can identify yourself as male and love jewelry. At first we were going to name the collection “Leading Ladies,” inspired by leading ladies in Hollywood, but we decided to name the collection “Be The Lead” to be inclusive of all our customers.
It’s also known for using ethical and sustainable materials.
Aurate is committed to sustainability. All pieces are handmade from ethically sourced, sustainable 18 karat or 14 karat gold vermeil. We use 100% recycled gold. Gold is an incredible resource that can be reused multiple times without compromising its quality or causing environmental damage. We may only think about reusing and recycling when we’re thinking about paper plates or office materials, but gold is a place where we can have a very good impact on the environment.
And to top it off, it’s female-owned.
It’s so important to work with marginalized and disenfranchised communities. Women in the entrepreneurial space face many different challenges than men. In some ways, you have to be twice the good to face the challenges. These women [Kahn and Ezzahraoui]You are strong and fearless in all of these ways. I love being a partner with women entrepreneurs, founders, and other women. I love finding women to partner. I believe in the power and potential of partnership, and I believe in supporting female entrepreneurs.
How does Aurate use its platform for giving back?
Aurate has always believed in giving back. This is how Aurate defines success. Since Aurate was founded in 2015 there has been a strong focus on giving back and helping others. I’ve always looked up to their partnership with Mastery Charter, which donates thousands of books every year to support literacy and build children’s imaginations all across the country.
What is it about jewelry which makes us feel instantly beautiful
During the pandemic, I didn’t wear my Louboutins for a year and a half. Many things went astray, including shoes, bags, and clothes below waistline for many people. Jewellery was an integral part of my beauty and fashion rituals that survived the pandemic. It’s one of the most intimate forms of fashion because it’s so close to our bodies. It’s the part of fashion that many of us sleep in and bathe in. Jewelry is a very important possession for many of us. It’s a really special place to play in for me, because there’s such added sentiment and emotion around jewelry. It’s a way to play with trends and play with fashion in very meaningful and intimate ways.
AZIONE
How do you choose which areas to explore?
It is important for me to be open with myself about my passions and interests. If I’m chasing different areas of interest in order to chase after success or impress other people or to meet other people’s expectations, that doesn’t usually work out well for me. When I look to go into new areas out of a genuine sense of my own curiosity, my own passion, my own sense of what I want to do next, that’s a better approach for me. It’s all about looking within and asking yourself what are my interests and what are my goals. It tends that I will go in the right direction when I start there. It’s important [for me]To be certain [that] I am not walking through life trying to fulfill a bunch of “shoulds,” but that I’m walking through life with as much integrity and authenticity as I can, moment to moment.
What’s coming up next for you?
Simpson Street Productions has so many things going on. I am about to direct a pilot that we’re doing for Hulu for a really exciting new project called Reasonable DoubtI am also producing and directing. I’m also an actor on a couple of other series, as well as a few features that are located in different locations. There is so much going on! It’s going to be a busy year.
This interview was lightly edited and condensed to improve clarity.
Source: elle