A MODERN WOMAN WITH A TOUCH OF
ELEGANCE
Behind Skala Designs
DESIGNER: AMANI SKALACKI
les, chain link, industrial wire, vintage crystals, and other forgotten odds and ends to a place a little less explored. Mixing high and low materials such as recycled industrial chain with vintage crystals to create unique works of arts is a task she takes upon herself in every new creation.
WRITTEN BY: SOPHIA SANCHEZ LAYOUT BY: JENNIFER LEZAN
“
I see the comedy in things and I see the beauty in the misfits
”
What kind of world do you think it would be, if we could all take a moment to appreciate the beauty in those things that just don’t seem to belong? Perhaps a more vivid world? A more obscure world? Certainly, a more beautiful world… Just ask Amani Skalacki. A Chicago gal, now located in Kansas City, Missouri, Amani has always had an eye for detail; an eye for the beautifully mundane. Having spent the majority of her life as just another ‘corporate minion,’ Amani found herself drudging through life’s daily tasks not so long ago, and asking herself, “How did I get here?” Something was missing. Something had to change. It was through this manifestation in which Skala Designs was born. Vintage fasteners and buckles from the late 1800’s to unique buttons from the early 1900’s, Amani infuses new life into rare treasures, resulting in one of a kind, limited edition jewelry pieces that add classic elegance; exquisite and unique beauty to the modern woman. Made from recycled materials, Amani takes buttons, buck-
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It takes a special kind of person to be able to see the potential in those items having been long forgotten; so where does Amani pull her inspiration from? “Growing up, I spent a lot of time with my Grandmother. Everything was always beautifully and perfectly tailored and she had stacks and stacks of buttons. I can remember spending hours playing with and sorting through the endless supply and that is something that has always carried with me.” An art history major in college, it was through this exploration of materials that also came the interest in those objects no longer ordinary in today’s world. The antiquity and story behind each unique piece, only further drove her desire to not only create jewelry that would make a woman feel beautiful, but that would tell a tale of a time long gone. “There is a rare beauty in these buttons that can’t be replicated,” she beams, when asked about her reason for being drawn to these types of materials. Looking up to and pulling inspiration from designers such as Dolce & Gabbana, Marchesa, Rodarte and Somarta out of Japan, it’s easy to see why Amani’s own designs are inventive, original and modern with just the right spice of vintage. Amani’s atten-