In the thick of a wildly successful career in branding, Izabela Domachowski fled all that was familiar and safe in Vancouver to follow her dreams on the Indonesian island of Bali.
Domachowski found more than just the raw sterling silver materials for the jewelry she was designing, she also found herself. The result is her first collection, called Before the Dawn.
“I feel different as an entrepreneur, as a woman,” Domachowski says, reflecting on the last three years, during an interview at a Hastings Street coffee shop.
Domachowski needed more in her life – a creative outlet, a way to express the nomadic artist inside of her.
“I need to do something with my hands,” a beaming Domachowski says.
What Domachowski has done with her hands is create a stunning collection of tomboy-inspired sterling silver and gold-plated rings, necklaces, bracelets, and earrings for her new line, Iza Jewelry (prices range from $130 to $180).
After her travels to Bali, Domachowski temporarily walked away from the in-demand branding and creative business, called Domogeneous, which she ran with her brother Daniel Domachowski, and moved across the world for a new challenge.
“I had so much anxiety,” she says, recalling her stressed state of mind before she left. “I was picking fights with everybody. I was going through a massive change.”
It’s only now that Domachowski says she feels settled – mostly because she is so happy with her collection. And she should be. The designs are exactly the kind of modern pieces women want to wear – sizable rings, dagger earrings, darling pendants. More than just pretty, the designs are also strong.
Domachowski first tried her hand at making jewelry five years ago. She crafted a single ring that she’s never taken off. It sat on her finger as a reminder of what she could do. It also garnered a lot of compliments. When people found out she made it, they asked her for one of their own.
It was her brother Daniel who encouraged her to focus on jewelry design. Domachowski is the oldest with three younger brothers – hence the tomboy influence.
“I’ve always been a girlie girl, I love pretty things, but in the summer my favourite memories are when we were riding our bikes through the mud. I never played with girls, I always played with my brothers,” she explains. “I have a close circle of girlfriends, but most of my friends are dudes. I prefer male company – I just like the banter.”
The Iza Jewelry website and stunning lookbook, which evokes the mystery and dark beauty of night, puts Domachowski’s branding power on full display. Next up, she is, not surprisingly, launching a men’s line in the summer.
Domachowski is working on getting her collection into boutiques, but with her reach in the creative community, it likely won’t be long till it turns up somewhere. She recently held a launch for the collection in Gastown. More than 200 people attended to support her latest act.
