As you may know we hit up Vegas for Apparel Market Week at the end of August. We hung out with our homies from Milkshake Kicks [shouts to Court & Curve] while we were there and we met some very cool and interesting folks all around the S.L.A.T.E section of MAGIC. It was our first tradeshow and we were super excited to get to meet up with everyone and put faces to the names in the emails. Thanks to everyone who met up with us and gave a sneak peek at what's up and coming these seasons!
One of the highlights of our trip was meeting up with the sweet, lovely & home grown [Cub]Annie from Cubannie Links.
Relz x Chef x Annie
Annie & CoffeyRNDM: So how did it come about? How did the whole line come about and basically the whole idea for making jewelry come about?
ANNIE: At my last job, I couldn't stand my boss. One day I said, I need to do something for myself. I cannot see myself working for a boss for four more years. Dude did not care about me. I had never designed jewelry before that day. And it just happened. And now I don't have to work there anymore. [laughs] So, it basically started as an outlet out of working for somebody.
RNDM: Why jewelry?
ANNIE: Jewelry can relate to anybody. People get compliments on their accesories. Even men compliment women on their accesories or their dress or their hair... Jewelry is like a key to everything. It's conversational. It's the first thing people see. It's a lifestyle, like your Nikes, your graphic tees. And that was something like when I went into H&M I used to go nuts! Probably some stuff that I would never wear but I was obsessed with jewelry so it was something that I enjoyed.
RNDM: So, you're obviously born and raised in Miami.
ANNIE: Yuuup.
RNDM: Represent! What made you decide to leave Miami and base yourself in New York?
ANNIE: Well I never actually pictured moving to New York for this long but it just happened that way when I went to college. Miami's dope but it's not as many things to do in the fashion world. That's not a place you want to stay. You want to spread out. Living in New York, you can't fuck around. You have to go to college, you have to work and then go home. You can party but you learn how to structure your life.
RNDM: You just celebrated your one year anniversary...
ANNIE: Yaaaaaay!
RNDM: Congratulations on getting through that. Some people say that's the hardest part.
ANNIE: It's my first Cubannieversary!
RNDM: How does it feel to have gotten through your first year?
ANNIE: I think it's so exciting. The email that I sent [thanking all those people involved] was mad long and boring but without all those people, shit wouldn't happen. My boyfriend, my friends, people that I meet, blogs, fashion magazines... All these people matter. Even if you're blogging about me on myspace, whatever it is, it all helps me. I'm independent. I'm a little person in this world trying to be a big person and everything is so helpful to me. And all that matters is that people are supportive and that they care about you. That's the only reason why I'm doing so well.
RNDM: Which you are. Doing so very, very well. We're so proud of you.
ANNIE: Thank you! RANDUMB!
RNDM: During the year that you've been in business, what have been some of your biggest hurdles?
ANNIE: The biggest hurdle has been the business aspect of owning your own company. I'm still learning a lot, it's still my first year and the good outweighs the bad but it's still a lot for me. It's very difficult. It's like school everyday. I didn't go to business school but I gotta find my info somewhere. Learning how to make it grow... It's so much work guys. Everything else I love!
RNDM: So you handle the creative and get everybody else to do the finances.
ANNIE: One day I'll have everybody take care of their own things but right now I gotta do it and that's really, really hard. Really frustrating.
RNDM: So now that we've talked about the bad stuff, what have been some of your proudest moments?
ANNIE: [After making fun of my reporter skills... ha] One of the most exciting, well everything is exciting for me cause I'm new. But, all the artists that wear my stuff, features that I'm getting is excited. Alicia Keys, M.I.A., Rihanna, Mariah Carey.. things like that, it's crazy. They can rock million dollar studs and their rockin my stuff for like an hour or a day and that's so important. Salt -N- Pepa.. these people are icons in the hip hop world. They both wanted my jewelry. Pep saw it on Salt, Salt got mad that Pep had them... it was the cutest fight. The fact is that they wanted my jewelry and that's dope. M.I.A. put em on right when she got them. Tyra Banks is a huge fashion icon, business, she's beautiful. Alicia Keys is wearing a 32 dollar pair of earrings, that's crazy.
*credit: Cubannie's blogRNDM: So, how do you get in on these artist and all these covers?
ANNIE: Isn't it so exciting! A lot of it has to do with Coffey, my boyfriend, whose a stylist at XXL magazine who pretty much started me. But everything after that has been people who have been supportive. People go crazy when they see it, so of course they are going to put it on cause they like it. It relates so well. The stylists are my babies; they are going to get it to the right artists and the right magazine. They want to be the ones that put Cubannie Links on. They want to be the first ones to introduce it to the world.
RNDM: Besides your nameplate [that says Annie & Coffey] what else are wearing?
ANNIE: Well I'm wearing these triple braided pink & gold metallic hoops that you are actually the first to see. They are actually a version of my round leather hoops but these are triangular. They are so adorable. This is the hottest flavor right here. I'm also wearing my classic tupac rosary.
RNDM: So, what else do you usually wear?
ANNIE: I usually wear skinny legs, neon patent leather sandals... I don't like wearing sneakers in the summer cause I want to do my toes but I usually have some fresh dunks. A wife beater, jeans, dunks or my sandals... my hair up in a bun and I'm pretty much ready to go!
RNDM: Do you have any favorite brands that you like to wear or do you like to keep it simple?
ANNIE: Pretty much I'm an equal opportunist. I like anything that looks cute on me. I'm not really a label whore or anything. I like designer bags but that's pretty much draw the line where I care about who I'm wearing as far as what I'm wearing. I like anything that fits me. I need to feel comfortable and sexy. Oh but you guys definitely gotta check out my girl Lanie over at
Hellz Bellz.
RNDM: So what about music? What are you listening to right now?
ANNIE: I'm a little off the radar. I'm all over Lil Wayne's album now. I'm all over a Millie and Lollipop. And I listen to a lot of Spanish music. Alicia Keys, M.I.A., Santogold... I like Stevie Wonder and things like that too. I get stuck on certain playlists for a while and don't move on from there. I really like that Calabria song... like HELLO that song was hot last summer! But I just heard it when I went down to Miami last month. I love it!
RNDM: What do you consider a must have from your collection?
ANNIE: Every girl must have my coco knockers and, if they have the budget, they should go for the italian knockers which are italian acrylick. They are heavier than the coco knockers and they have these beautiful little texture on them. But number one are the coco knockers.
RNDM: Tell us a little more about the rest of your collection.
ANNIE: My rosary necklaces are classic and the bullet earrings, fuckin MacGyver status. My varadero hoops, they're small, they're adorable, they're lightweight. That's what I'm trying to promote is lightweight jewelry cause everybody in New York as I'm sure everyone in Miami has the bamboo which I would never knock, they're amazing, but they're heavy and people want to be light. They want light earrings but they want the big, fat, chunky effect. And my Cubannie Cami! Camiseta! My mom helped me make that up! It's so cute, so fuctional. It takes the racerbacks to a whole other level.
RNDM: Being that this is an idustry of collaborations, do you have any collabs in the works?
ANNIE: Karmaloop and Missbehave are doing
a pop up store which is so cute. It's going to be all exclusive pieces for the pop up store. That's where you will find the Cubannie Links "Sol" Tri-Color hoops which are in rasta colors.
RNDM: What are some of the things you have planned for the future?
ANNIE: I have a lot of work to do. I'm going to update my collection, hopefully grow. Cubannie Links is going to be on a bigger scale. I just want make jewelry and just flow.
RNDM: Anything else you want to add? Any advice? Shoutouts? Any one you want to thank?
ANNIE: Yea, I would thank my whole family. My Cuban family, my high school friends, my best friends. I thank everybody who had anything to do with my first year. My Coffey family, everybody who played a part in my life. I dont do this to make money or to make friends, I do this to have relationships. Your integrity is the most important thing. You could be broke and be a loyal person or be rich and a sneaky fuck and whose going to be your friend? Friendships mean a lot to me. This whole fashion thing, compared to everything in this world, is not that important but if you find the right people, that will take you far. If you don't have belief in yourself. What you put out is what people are going to see. If you put out something and you act like it's wack, people are going to be like "Oh, that's wack. I don't want fuck with her." Be true to yourself and be the best you can be.
We just want to thank Annie once again for taking the time to sit down with us and talk to us a little bit abotu her and her ill jewelry line. And you guys, seriously... GO AND BUY IT. It's the freshest accesories you'll ever have.
www.Cubannielinks.comcubannielinks.blogspot.comwww.myspace.com/cubannielinks*BONUS SHOTS FROM OUR TRIP!!!*
*love
