MELISSA TYSON never doubted her vision for a jewelry business. Not during her college career in metalsmithing, not when she made jewelry all night while working two other jobs, and certainly not when she participated in this year’s Paris Fashion Week.
Tyson owns Melissa Tyson Designs, a custom engagement ring company run out of her home office. Her space is decorated with tools, a workbench in the corner, and dog toys abandoned under her desk – a reminder she is equal parts entrepreneur and mother in a full household.
“She has a very clear vision,” says JOURNEE DAVIS, Tyson’s friend, and owner of Tropez Salon on Sir Tyler Drive.
“Typically, when I set my heart to something, I find a way,” Tyson says.
Case in point.
Davis has always admired Tyson’s designs; she’s gotten a front-row seat to witness her friend’s business evolve from a general jewelry line to a custom engagement ring business. The two business owners have been friends for twenty years, Davis says, and as their friendship matured, so did their businesses.
Tyson’s first storefront was a studio she shared with a of couple other East Carolina University art school grads in 1999. They opened a little shop next to Lumina Station and lived by Wrightsville Beach: the post-grad dream.
Tyson worked two other jobs to pay the bills. She was able to live off her jewelry business about two years later, she says.
“I knew that it was going to take time to build a business out of it, and I was willing to do whatever it took for that to happen,” she says.
At first, she made all kinds of jewelry and sold it in stores across the country. But she scaled back when she started her family. She’s recalibrated multiple times to achieve her desired work-life schedule. This is something Davis says she admires about her friend.
Tyson sold metal scraps she had saved from fifteen years of projects and used the funds to create a gold engagement ring line, which set Tyson’s business down its current path. She says this experience inspired her to sell her more unique, personal designs.
Now, her artisan flair is the signature of Melissa Tyson Designs. It also caught the eye of Flying Solo, a company that curates collaborative fashion shows for fashion weeks in New York and Paris. The company asked if Tyson would like to participate in this year’s show in October.
Tyson told Davis about the offer, and the two shared in Tyson’s excitement, just like they did when British Vogue featured Tyson’s designs about ten years ago, Davis says.
“All along the way, we were like, ‘Is this really real?’” she says.
After six months of curating, interviewing, and waiting, Tyson learned she would be included in the show and paired with another designer for the runway.
“I don’t often give myself a lot of space and time to just create for the love of creating anymore,” Tyson says. “This opened that up for me.”
She stuck to her authentic style, not making anything too outrageous for the occasion. She wanted her classic engagement rings to stand on their own, Tyson says.
As Tyson’s go-to hair stylist, Davis was in charge of her friend’s Paris look. They decided on Tropez Salon extensions, which created a wild look that aligns with Tyson’s style, Davis says.
“It’s really fun to go anywhere with her,” Davis says. “She has such a unique look.”
Tyson wanted to represent Wilmington businesses while in Paris, so she paired her Tropez extensions with clothing from Tusc, a Wilmington boutique on Town Center Drive, owned by another of her friends CARISSA LONG.
“I love that she is wanting to involve as many of the other small businesses to be in the limelight with her,” Davis says. “That’s just how the Wilmington women-owned business culture is, and Melissa is the most of that of anyone I’ve ever met.”
When Tyson got to Paris, she was paired with clothing designers Sheetol Chawla and Odet for the two shows she was featured in. She resonated deeply with Chawla and her designs.
“I just started to cry, and then (Chawla) started to cry, and we had this connection,” Tyson says.
She says the fashion show was a resounding success, and she and Chawla have already made plans to collaborate in the future.
Also up next for Tyson: showing at Milan Fashion Week in February.
“There are just so many connections to be made,” Tyson says, “so hopefully, those connections will remain.”
To view more of photographer and stylists Drewe & Kate’s work, go to dreweandkate.com
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