Small Biz Saturdays: Jewelry Line Anna Kikue
Meet Brooklyn's rising designer Anna Levenson with her line Anna Kikue. Focused on evolving homage to mixed identity, unconventional lived experiences, and bold individuality.
It's never too late to learn
It’s never too late to learn, and to not let perfectionism prevent you from trying new things. I’ve spent many years not trying things because I thought I was starting too late or I wouldn’t be good at them. There is so much fraudulent messaging we internalize: that people should somehow innately know their calling or that creativity means a handful of things, but that’s not true if we never experiment. Our calling can evolve and it can also be many simultaneous things if we give it the care and patience it warrants. Creativity also resides within all of us, and that’s something that should be honored and freed with less self judgement or rigidity. These are daily reminders I make to myself—and the people around me.
What's your favorite piece right now?
The floral details from my pieces in my new collection, Make Yourself! I created it in 2019 and never did anything with it, but started playing with it during quarantine when I was feeling extremely nostalgic and wondering what my younger self (my 8th grade self, specifically) would tell my current self. She'd tell me to stop taking everything SO seriously 🙂
ABOUT
ANNA KIKUE is an evolving and aesthetic homage to mixed identity, unconventional lived experiences, and bold individuality. From statement pieces to signature renditions of timeless staples, Anna Kikue jewelry amplifies the personal style and unique energy of its wearers. The debut collection first appeared as part of Chromat SS19 Saturation, highlighted at New York Fashion Week and the CFDA/Vogue Paris Showroom in 2018. Designed and handcrafted in NYC by Anna Levenson, each piece is created with recycled or ethically sourced materials. Anna's dynamic compositions evoke movement and fluidity, and translate kinesis into vibrant, playful expressions that defy gender norms. Anna is a partner at Lady Fancy Nails, a nail art brand rooted in creative expressions of individuality and self-care. She also serves as an advisor to Scope of Work (SOW), a talent development agency for young creatives of color. Anna has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Berkeley.
