Fashion Blogs

Lizzie: It’s a Sunday Afternoon, and you’re sitting at a coffee shop sipping a cappuccino, when you look up. What would be the object that catches your attention enough to inspire creativity?

J. Sandoval Gomez: Definitely the décor and the overall feeling that an environment evokes.

Nathan Kai: Yeah, We're really big on visual presence and creating a feeling through story telling with the pieces that we create and design.

JSG: I think that when a space can tell us a story and make us feel something through aesthetics alone we can't help but be inspired creatively.

Lizzie: Where would you say inspiration strikes you most?

NK: Most of our inspiration comes from traveling and, believe it or not, walks in the park. We love nature and all its beauty, so its easy for us to be inspired by everything from decadent flowers to the sound the wind makes as it flows through the leaves in a tree.

JSG: Honestly, it's those raw and unconventional nuances are always the most inspiring to us. It's beautiful how something as subtle as a sound or the way light hits a certain texture can spark something inside of you.

Lizzie: What made you decide that you wanted to be a jewelry designer? Has it always been a passion for you?

NK: I actually started designing jewelry by chance, and, honestly out of frustration. let me explain: I'm a fashion designer by trade and more often than not I found that I couldn't get my hands on the right accessories for the clothing I was producing. So, I took matters into my own hands and made things myself and just kept going with it since. I guess you can say its an acquired passion. 

Lizzie: What type of feeling was it when you completed your first piece?

NK: Hmm... Honestly? I was surprised because before that  even the thought of making a piece of jewelry was tedious. It was definitely a delightful type of shock.

JSG: I agree. You never really understand how time consuming and how much goes into making jewelry when you're shopping for it. So, the moment you finish you first handmade piece its definitely a mix of surprise, relief, and obviously happiness.

Lizzie: AndThat, a catchy name. What’s the story behind it?

-JSG: Have you ever asked someone what they're going to wear while you're getting ready at their place before going out and they reply, "This, this, and that."? Well typically the "and that" part is the piece of jewelry or the accessory, so we thought it'd be fitting to call the brand AndThat.

NK: What a great name, right?

Lizzie: As far as mixing and matching different types of pieces, what advice would you give?

JSG: Keep things young and contemporary by mixing juxtaposing styles and materials---there's really no right and wrong. In fact, chances are that if you think something would look bad together it's actually going to work!

NK:  Totally! And don't ever feel like too much is too much. Do layers...lots, and lots of layers!

Lizzie: In your personal style, what type of jewelry speaks to you most?

NK: Statement pieces. Things that get a reaction out of people. 

JSG: Timeless pieces with a twist. There's nothing better than the harmonious tension between something that has been done before that's infused with something unexpected.

Lizzie: If you could bring back any era of jewelry, which would it be and why? 

NK: The 1930's! The pieces designed back then held such beauty and individuality and were all quite exquisite. The sheer elegance and decadence alone was a statement in it self.