The “Cool” Friendship Bracelet

Have you heard?! Friendship bracelets are cool again! Well, I’ve always thought they were cool but they are EXTRA COOL if it’s an Amiche friendship bracelet! I’m so excited about sharing this company because I love having the opportunity to showcase companies that have a bigger purpose and Amiche is so much more than a bracelet.

My new friend, Rachelle Palasota, started Amiche a little less than a year ago with the hope of creating a company that encouraged female friendship. And that’s exactly what she has done! I had the pleasure of interviewing her and am so excited to welcome her to The sTORIbook. To shop these beautiful Amiche bracelets click here.

I loved the ones I received and gave mine to my gal and awesome sTORIbook photographer, Candace! She is one of those female friendships of mine that I’ll cherish forever!

When did you launch Amiche and how did the concept of a company focused on encouraging female friendship come about?

Amiche started a little less than a year ago. Prior, I curated a jewelry collection using the name Love, Rachelle, where I wrote letters of encouragement to my customers to accompany their piece. It was through this that I realized the power of women supporting women. Over time, I was led to hand-make my own pieces. While I was looking for some serious direction, I started to become aware of female friendships and how they have dwindled in the lives of many women.

I saw a huge opportunity to unite with other women in sharing the importance of female support and to bring to light the beauty of celebrating and prioritizing our relationships. There are tons of female-related initiatives in the world, but there isn’t one that specifically highlights the simplicity of supporting female friendships, which I believe is essential. In a technology-driven world, there is a human element that I really miss and I’ve found that many women feel the same. We need more teatime, shopping days and girls’ nights. This newfound awareness and passion is the fuel behind the development of Amiche.

Tell me about the Amiche bracelet design (inspiration behind it and meaning).

Everything we create has our Ally charm. Ally is short for alliance, and means to join together in support of one another. We want every woman that wears our pieces to know that she is not alone and we consider her a daily representative of our mission.

Our pieces are meticulously crafted and our Ally charms are hand cut in India. I love to incorporate semi-precious stones. You will also notice a touch of crystal, turquoise, and rosewood throughout our line, as I can’t get over my love for Mediterranean Sea!

Who are some women that have impacted your life the most and how?

Far too many to count! Women impact and inspire me every single day, seriously. I am out shopping and some lady will start talking to me about shoes. Before I know it we are laughing and talking like we have known each other for years. I am playing tennis and the girl on the next court totally misses the ball and looks across at me and starts laughing. These women inspire me because they don’t know a stranger. And they aren’t afraid to be themselves. My mother inspires me because she is hilarious, supportive and can be very comforting. It isn’t often I can’t find something about another woman that doesn’t inspire me. It happens every single day!
When did you know you wanted to become a jewelry designer?

I don’t really consider myself a jewelry designer but more of a community builder. I work meticulously to design gorgeous pieces–that is very true! I melt over the finished product! I LOVE jewelry. But at the end of the day, there is nothing more rewarding than seeing women share our message with others, that is what Amiche is all about.

How do you juggle being an entrepreneur as well as working full-time?

I am not a believer in being a workaholic so it is very hard for me because I am very a busy person. I have learned how to take one thing in my work and apply it to the other which has been very helpful. I have to make quick decisions and once I know what direction I want to go, I run with it!

Thankfully, the Amiche team is growing! I have Natalie Saldana doing my PR, Nadia De La Garza working with me on a variety of things, and a few other secret-weapon mentors. I can’t do it on my own, so I am very grateful of our little team.

What is next for Amiche? An expansion of the collection?

We are working on ways to better tell our story, grow our collection, and unite with more women in our mission.
Do you have any tips or recommendations for women wanting to be a designer?

I would say to stay really focused on telling a story. It is easy to get lost and want to go a million different ways with design. In order for you to communicate your story or message with others, you have to be consistent. In my opinion, noteworthy design takes patience and discipline.

Wanna win some Amiche designs for yourself? They have a wonderful giveaway going on…

For the whole month of June, Amiche is hosting their first Girlfriend Giveaway [GiGi for short]! We are looking for like-minded women who believe in our message and want to help us in our mission! Our goal is to get at least 1,500 women signed up to our Amiche network [by July 1], where we can share stories of female friendships, highlight women in our community, share new products and other news! We need as much support as we can get! For every woman that signs up, she will get her name in our drawing to win a basket full of Amiche product. We are talking limited edition pieces, items we have never sold before and new pieces too! The basket will include several bracelets, new earrings and necklaces!

Every time a woman gets others to sign up using her personal link she will get her name in the drawing again and again! We are so excited about GiGi and we are hoping to partner with all of the women who have supported us and helped us grow to what we are today. We have a journey ahead of us in fulfilling our vision as a lifestyle brand, and now more than ever we need YOUR participation!

TO ENTER CLICK HERE: https://wls.io/r/3qc4sey

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