About the Designer...

Sharona Nissan is a New York designer who attributes her Film & Art background as major influences in her work. In college, an ambitious film student, Sharona assembled a film crew and ventured out to shoot a documentary on New York nightlife. “It was fierce. At the time it was wild, Peter Gatian’s night clubs dominated the scene, dressing up and being ‘fabulous’ was a way of life, and in more ways than one, we were a part of that.” she recalls. Post graduation she began working for a film producer. She describes this experience a close rub with the industry, and a far cry from what she really wanted to do. As a result, she spent the bulk of the years to come, working in the downtown Soho art world. At the same time, her need to take a more active role in the creative process began surfacing once again and she began beading and experimenting with silver wire. This of course, marks the beginning of her career in design.

Although making an abstract idea work in tangible form is rewarding enough for Sharona, it didn’t take long for her to work to get noticed. While shopping for stones one afternoon, a woman with a nearby showroom, noticed the pearl and wire choker that Sharona was wearing. The woman was so taken with the piece, that she insisted that Sharona pursue design as a full time career. “Whether she was convincing, or was just telling me what I needed to hear, the more I thought of it, the more it seemed like a good idea.” Sharona explained.

At first, Sharona’s work sold mainly through private contacts. However, in a very short time, she signed with a NY rep company. At the Accessory Circuit Holiday/Resort ‘98/’99, her very first collection, received a tremendous response from retailers and the press. Since then, her work continues to be well received and is sold in fine specialty stores and galleries nationwide and in Europe. Among her clients are ASHANTI, ABC’s ALL MY CHILDREN, pop superstars JANET JACKSON, BRITANY SPEARS, CHER, and MARY J. BLIGE.