Israa Ayad has always been creative and has attributed the start of her obsession with Fashion with Barbie. A young Sri Lankan woman flying the Sri Lankan flag proudly in the United States, Israa says, “I adored making outfits for Barbie as a child growing up in Sri Lanka. After I was done with school, I knew I wanted to do something creative so I ventured into different fields of design - art, interior and fashion. It was while I was doing fashion design that I realized my passion lied not in draping silhouettes and cutting patterns but in the decorative aspects of clothing, in the detailed world of embellishment. I started exploring this with intricate embroidery techniques on clothing and purses.”
Completely self taught in the art of jewellery making, Israa moved to Los Angeles after marriage with her husband and it was around this time that costume jewellery was making a huge come back, particularly in the form of statement bib necklaces. “I made a few of my own and they got a lot of positive attention so I was motivated to start a jewellery line – EZZA EXCLUSIVE, and the rest is history. Three years down the line, my portfolio has expanded from bib necklaces to all kinds of dramatic statement jewellery and has been featured on US TV shows, several magazines and on celebrities like Joanna Krupa and Julia Lescova. I am constantly contacted by some of the best photographers and stylists in LA to be a part of many glamorous photo shoots, which I love being a part of,” gushes Israa. Her jewellery have been worn by supermodels on the cover of FHM and FHM Russia, features in InStyle Magazine, Tantalum Magazine, Bunker Hill Magazine, Papercut Magazine, hydrogen magazine and TV shows such as Real Housewives of Miami, Bachelor and Today show. Working with prominent photographers in the industry such as Allen Chu, Mark Sacro and Aubrey Chandler sure does add more glamour to her escalating career.
The majority of Israa’s signature jewellery are hand embroidered one of a kind pieces. She works with semi precious stones like turquoise, agate, amethyst and Swarovski crystals. “I like to hand pick my beads and materials individually for their luster and colour. I prefer to design my pieces after I have collected all the materials I want to work with as opposed to sketching before, I always choose to highlight the natural beauty of the materials I am working with,” adds Israa. What’s more interesting is that Israa creates all of her pieces in her studio/workspace at her home in Los Angeles.
(Text by Miranthi Dole)
0 Comments
Safwaan says:
Apr 02, 2012 at 06:02 amWell done Israa!! keep up the good work.
Safwaan says:
Apr 02, 2012 at 06:11 amGood work Israa!! keep it up
Badriya Al Ayad says:
Apr 12, 2012 at 03:54 amI am proud to see you enjoy your passion.
Lots of luck. Badriya
Waffa Hanim Zanoon says:
Apr 24, 2012 at 07:59 pmVery proud Good luck and all the best! for you Isra! you are gifted with your grandfather's talent!