Stories

Nelli Tombor knows how to turn dreams into reality. Beyond a successful modeling career, she also performs stunning culinary feats as a professional chef. Sparked by her childhood love of cooking, her dishes always seek to evoke a taste of home. And after traveling across the world as a model, she also knows more than just a thing or two about connecting with others and sharing the love. We got the chance to speak with Nelli to hear about her journey, advice on following one’s passions, and hopes for the future.

Sara Ziff has been an icon to many in the modeling realm. Scouted while still in high school, she used modeling to pay for college, and soon became a strong advocate for models’ rights. She started the organization Model Alliance as a platform for herself and her peers to come together to shed light on and take action against injustices in the modeling industry. Recently, she has been instrumental in passing landmark legislation that gives underage models protections including working hours, trust accounts, and chaperones. We had the chance to catch up with her to learn more about her journey, what inspires her, and her advice for younger girls. 

I remember the first time my great grandmother was really sick; I walked into her hospital room and tried as hard as I could not to cry. I was shocked by the breathing tubes the doctors had her hooked up to. Her vibrant glow, which had been a pillar of the first twelve years of my life, was clouded by exhaustion, and she was pale - as white as a ghost.

But, even then, my Grammy’s golden heart necklace sat below the nape of her neck. It caught a glimmer of light and illuminated her whole face.

Alison Syrett didn’t plan on being a fashion writer. Drawn toward art as a child, she initially wanted to be a children’s book illustrator, and pursued that when she entered college at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. After working various jobs in fashion, including working at boutiques and for designers, she decided to pursue a career in the field. Now, she writes and edits fashion features for one of the top magazines in the country. We got a chance to chat with her about her journey, having an untraditional college experience, and her meaningful jewelry.

Annie Wang and her two Her Campus co-founders saw a void in the media industry in 2009: There weren’t any destinations for lifestyle content for college women by college women. So, they launched HerCampus.com, which soon took off as the #1 website and community for college women everywhere. Her Campus has since grown into a sisterhood with a presence at over 380 chapters at colleges all over the world and is now the leading lifestyle content platform for millenial and Gen Z women. Annie sat down with us to talk about the early beginnings of Her Campus, her business advice, and of course, her favorite jewelry!

“It's just like learning alchemy,” says Gillian Steinhardt of the process of creating jewelry. A master in one-of-a-kind, meaningful jewelry design, Steinhardt has become known for the signature hand motif in her pieces. As someone who studied textiles and art history in school, she married her love for form and shape to her interest in the ancient to create pieces with a unique reimagining of architecture and history that are intricate in their simplicity. Her work has even been worn on the CW historical drama Reign. We got the chance to visit her at home to look at her beautiful collections and discuss how she got to where she is today, her design process, and advice for budding jewelry entrepreneurs.