home  »
award winning aromatherapy jewelry and accessories
 

Aromawear: wellness you take with you


February 19, 9:23 PM
by Christa Avampato, NY Business Strategies Examiner

I had the pleasure of talking to Cathy Gins, Founder of Aromawear, this week. Cathy designs fully customizable aromatic jewelry that combines her 17 years of design experience at Avon with her work as a practitioner of Therapeutic Touch, Reconnection Healing, and Clinical Aromatherapy. Inside each piece is space for a small felt wick that is designed to be scented with a therapeutic oil. The wicks pop in and out of the jewelry very easily, without causing any damage to the jewelry, so that you can adjust the scent you want around you depending on your need at the time. Stressed? You might want to try some lavender. Need to feel motivated? peppermint, lemon, or a citrus scent will help. Feeling under the weather? Try eucalyptus cold relief or a blend called Thieves, which has antibacterial properties and was used by medical workers during the Plague to provide relief. And all of these wicks can be packed into a convenient, pocket-sized traveling case.

It is immediately apparent upon meeting Cathy that she has great energy and is tremendously gifted at tapping into the energy of others. She began her career as a designer and then found that the further she advanced into executive roles in the design world, the less designing she actually did. She missed working with her hands. She started taking a sculpture class, but then through a pottery class she met someone involved in the practice of Therapeutic Touch. She was a little skeptical at first, though she went to a practitioner to help her resolve a health problem she was dealing with at the time. After experiencing the results first-hand, she decided to study that instead and eventually started a practice of her own.

In September 2007, she combined her talents in design and her Aromatherapy work to launch Aromawear. She wanted to give her clients a way to extend the benefits they were getting from their treatments once they left the session. Aromawear was the answer to that wish. Just a year and a half after she started her company, she won the Rising Star Award in the Beauty Entrepreneur category. "Feeling good is a new fashion basic," said Cathy. "This is the first accessory-ceutical on the market."

Aside from her talents as a designer and as a wellness practitioner, I am inspired by Cathy's motivation for starting Aromawear. "I like to be in tune with the world. I pay close attention to what's happening around me and I like feeling a sense of connection. Starting Aromawear gave me the opportunity to help my clients tune into their own energy and talents. It's extremely gratifying work. It's wellness, in a beautiful package, that you can carry with you."

"So why did you make the jump?" I asked. "How did you know that it was time to go your own way and start your own business?"

"I have a vision for my company and I'm able to tell my story my own way now. I don't have to worry about getting a lot of other people on board with my idea in order to bring it to life. I can be as creative and as innovative as I want to be. The internet really gave me a vehicle to sell my product and connect with a community."

Cathy's business is completely on-trend. She's creating beautiful, classic designs of jewelry, and incorporating our need and desire for portable wellness. It's so ingenious, so elegant, that I wonder why this company wasn't started sooner. Given Cathy's passion for her work, I wondered if she regretted working for big companies for so long. Her answer: a decisive "no".

"Big companies provide a lot of resources and the chance to collaborate with a wide variety of talented, motivated people. The trade-off for those benefits is design by committee and creative compromise. I learned so much during my corporate career and every piece was a valuable experience that helped me launch Aromawear. I'm really grateful for all of the opportunities I've had."

18K Gold Vermeil Collection
» Secret Locket
» Royal Locket
» Royal Bracelet
» Royal Key Ring
» Card Case

Sterling Silver Collection
» Secret Locket
» Royal Locket
» Royal Bracelet
» Royal Key Ring
» Card Case

New and
Special Order

» Royal Radiance Locket
» The Enchanted Necklace
» Pure Gold-14 & 18K

Accessories
» Wick Refills
» Wick Cases
» Wick Sets