Let's ALL be running WILD & FREE

I am very excited to share with you one of my favorite designers and the very creator behind the brand Wild and free and her new vintage brand Coyote Canyon- Corina.

You would have noticed a wonderful brown leather dream catcher necklace that appears in many of my posts, also a beautiful feather ring- both in which I wear to death.

She is so inspiring through her genuine and loving nature, her talent in designing and making handmade jeweellery and accessories and last but not least how wonderful she is to her customers and friends.

You can see through her website HERE and facebook HERE, her instagram @wildandfreejewelry how dedicated she is to her beautiful work. Her edits on photos are so lovely and I am just amazed by this wonderful recent video of her brand - doesn't she just look stunning :) i wish i owned every single one of those hand made boots!

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You can purchase her wonderful pieces at her  stores here:

Wild and free

Coyote canyon

I got the most amazing chance to ask her a few questions about her life, style, brands and creations…

how did you finally begin your brand wild and free, how have you gotten to where you are now?

Wild & Free Jewelry on Etsy started in January 2011 as a result of photography class and a few simple feather necklaces that I had created for friends and family over the holiday season. A few of my friends had introduced me to Etsy and I thought it would be easy to use my photos from class to list some of the leftover necklaces I had made. Within four days of opening my shop on Etsy, I sold my first item, and since then, what I initially had viewed as a fun side hobby, has transformed into my entire life. Everything that happened with Wild & Free within the first few months was completely unexpected, and with each sale I felt more compelled to continue. This motivation and the positive feedback I have received from family, friends and customers has led Wild & Free to where it is today. Now, I feel completely motivated to introduce Wild & Free to the world and hope that it will continue to grow and develop with the same magnitude of support and success it has received in the past two years. 

what is the inspiration behind all of your collections? what do you get inspired by?

My main inspiration definitely comes from my family. Before my birth, my parents were married by a Chumash Chief from Santa Ynez, California. My mom's wedding dress was made of suede leather with a gorgeous bead and shell embroidery down the front. Her wedding shoes were moccasins and both my parents had their faces painted with subtle white dots. There is a single photograph from this ceremony that I would always stare at as a young girl, illustrating my two parents in their wedding attire, and the Chumash Chief in his gorgeous feather headdress and traditional regalia. This photo captures a moment in time that explains the following years of my birth and childhood perfectly. I can remember visting the Chumash Reservation in Santa Ynez, watching Pow Wows, and learning a select few words in Chumash as a young girl. In fact, my middle name, Alulquoy, is Chumash for "Dolphin." These memories of growing up with a Native American influenced culture, fuel my creativity and create a large part of my identity, inevitably reflecting through my designs. 

I also find great inspiration in my dad's artwork, my family history, my college Anthropology courses, and of couse other fashion designers and photographers from around the world. 

what would you consider your fashion style to be? whats your top 3 favourite brands?

I feel like my personal style changes everyday but I absolutely love vintage graphic tees, denim shorts and Jeffrey Campbell shoes and lots and lots of bracelets and silver cuffs. I also am obsessed with kimonos and pretty much anything with lots of fringe. If you were to run into me on the street, 9 times out of 10 I would probably be wearing some combination of those items.

My top favorite brands are ironically mostly Australian, which makes me wish I lived there! I adore Spell, One Teaspoon and the styling and vibe of Free People. 

what is your all time favourite piece of clothing and jewellery?

Favorite piece of clothing has got to be either my One Teaspoon shorts, or my black vintage Harley Davidson tee that I got in San Francisco. Favorite piece of jewelry is without a doubt my new bison skull ring from Spell. I've wanted it for so long and finally have one and I can't take it off. 

what was the idea behind starting your new brand coyote canyon? 

Coyote Canyon is all about taking vintage items and making them new and exciting for modern day style. Everything is one of a kind, which adds a special touch to every item. I'm constantly looking for ways to dress unique and have been reconstructing clothes ever since I discovered the beauty of thrift stores, so I figured it was time to introduce a vintage aspect to Wild & Free. At first all of the clothing items were just referred to as "The Vintage Shop" on Wild & Free's site, but with the help of my friend Leah, we decided to open a new shop called Coyote Canyon, inspired by the southwestern vibe of some of our vintage shorts. 

what do you see in the future for wild and free, and coyote canyon? where would you like it to take you?

I would love it if Wild & Free and Coyote Canyon would continue to grow and reach out to people around the world. My main focus is, of course, Wild & Free and I hope that no matter the obstacles, I can continue to run the photography and design alone. I really want to establish a connection between myself and Wild & Free in order to create a more personal feel to the name rather than the impression that Wild & Free is a large business or corporation. I want to offer something different in the realm of fashion that isn't focused on material possessions or a socially constructed perception of beauty, but rather a way to express yourself by living wild and free. In the end, I would hope that any customer could gather this message by simply viewing my blog or Etsy shop. I also anticipate that this journey will continue to inspire me to pursue the things I love and help unveil new aspects of my identity along the way.

Thank you so much Corina, you are amazing and i can't wait to see the future of your brands :)

love leana 

xxxx