Jessie Kirk: Behind Her Painted Pendant Collection with Maya Jade Art
Her impeccable fashion sense and all-around good vibes have built a thriving community of over 200,000 followers who come for the fashion and stay for the feeling – it’s Jessie Kirk!
We sat down with Jessie to dive into her new wearable art collection, the inspiration behind the items, what’s brought her to this moment and the exciting things she has planned for the future.
No Sad Cowboys: Congratulations on releasing your wearable art collection with Maya Jade Art!
How did the idea come about and where did it begin?
Jessie: Maya and I actually became online friends back in 2022 when she gifted me one of her mugs. We connected not only by our love for a good cup but also fashion. We have been supporting each other online ever since and when moving to Christchurch she was someone I was so excited to meet IRL!
She so kindly invited Joel (my partner) and I to one of her workshops where we had the opportunity to paint a mug. I had the best time and so I asked Maya a few days later if she would ever consider a collaboration with me and she said yes straight away.
After a bit of brainstorming we landed on wearable ceramic pendants that could be worn in multiple ways. A perfect merge of what initially brought us together as friends!
NSC: You hand painted some of the pieces yourself, that’s incredible!
What inspired the designs?
Jessie: From the 42 piece collection, 6 were limited edition hand-painted designs by me. Shoutout to Maya for her incredible work making and painting the bulk of the collection.
My designs were inspired by a mix of what's trending (polka dots - in my opinion are timeless) and what I just felt in the moment. I just picked up a pendant, chose a colour and let my mind run wild.
‘Jessie’s Star #1’ really surprised me and I'm super jealous of the lovely Em who snapped it up.
NSC: You’re so good at accessorising and levelling up outfits with jewellery and more. What are your favourite ways to wear your collection?
Jessie: Awww, you’re too kind! Thank you. We wanted this collection to be super versatile and customisable and we did this by offering 3 shapes in 4 colours with the choice of 2 strings available in 5 colours.
This allows customers to really have fun with their picks and that's exactly what I’ve been doing! Two ways I’ve been loving wearing my pendants is as a pop of colour to a more simple outfit either in necklace or belt form and also as a bag accessory too. My favourite combo is my Polka Dot Spiral with the Petal string colour!
“My designs were inspired by a mix of what's trending and what I just felt in the moment.” – Jessie
NSC: When you first started creating content on social media, did you ever imagine yourself launching your own fashion pieces?
Jessie: Those who have followed me from the start will know that I kind of fell into this career. I was actually a weight loss account for the first year and a half of being on social media and when I felt like I had done that journey justice, I started to create more fashion focused content.
It took me a good few years to find my stride in not only my personal style but also the content I wanted to create and how I wanted to represent myself online. I couldn’t be prouder of what I have been able to build over this time, especially the last two years and I really do feel like I’ve made a name for myself in the fashion industry here in Aotearoa.
So, a collaboration like this really did develop over time. Years really, but more recently I’ve been wanting to create something to better connect with my beautiful community and I couldn’t think of a better first collaboration to do that with.
NSC: This feels like just the beginning! What’s next for Jessie Kirk?
Jessie: I feel that way too! I have made a lot of dress recommendations so I think my dream collaboration would be to design a dress with Apres Studio. I had ordered a custom dress from them last year in an existing fabric they already had and when I shared it the videos went viral. Apres Studio then reached out and asked if they could name it the Jessie Dress, which I of course said yes to!
I would love to take this one step further and create a whole new design in a brand new fabric too – so I guess the Jessie Dress 2.0.
Along with that in the background, I’ve been building up my tools and taking an online class to create my own fine jewellery using the lost wax method. This is a journey I'm super excited to share and see where it might take me!
“I really do feel like I’ve made a name for myself in the fashion industry here in Aotearoa.” – Jessie
Jessie’s journey has been an incredible one to watch. From upbeat vlogs, to high-quality clothing finds and try-ons, jewellery looks, and everyday life with her husband and pets, we’re so proud to have her as part of the No Sad Cowboys crew!
To see more of Jessie, visit her on social media or check out her talent page.
