Jewelry

Local jewelry designer, makeup artist take talents to New York runway show - Greenville Daily Reflector

“Shoes Speak Louder than Words” was the theme, but local jewelry designer Ileana Rojas-Bennett helped tell the story at a recent New York Fashion Week runway show.

The event, held Sept. 10, showcased the spring 2017 Authentic line of shoes designed by John Ashford, with Rojas-Bennett on site to select Maleku Jewelry pieces to complement each pair of featured shoes.

Authentic by John Ashford are hand-painted, one-of-a-kind shoes. Ashford makes paint from tree bark, leaves, rocks and elements of nature, blending fashion and art.

“I was excited when John asked me to partner with him for this show,” Rojas-Bennett said. “His shoe designs are organic, colorful and bold. Like his shoes, the statement jewelry pieces I design for Maleku Jewelry Designs are one of a kind, so they make a perfect pairing.”

Traveling with Rojas-Bennett was local makeup artist and Pitt Community College student Irena Pineda Ortega.

Jewelry pieces featured in the show are available at Maleku Jewelry Designs Studio at 684-C East Arlington Blvd. in Greenville, regionally at Neuse Sport Shop in Kinston and J. Nicholson in Jacksonville, the gift shop at Miami International Airport, and in nearly 50 airport and hotel gift shops throughout Costa Rica.

Rojas-Bennett’s designs are crafted from fine and sterling silver or 14-, 22- or 24-karat gold and semi-precious stones. A native of Costa Rica and a descendant of the Maleku Tribe, she is influenced by the colors and textures of the tropical rainforest of her home country. Her work frequently is featured on the runways of Miami, New York, Boston and London and has been worn by many celebrities.

In 2010, she became the first accessory designer — and first of Costa Rican descent — to win the “Beyond the Runway Award” for upcoming fashion designers, breaking a 24-year streak of dress designer winners.