Words by SamSun

Photography by Nakeya B.

You’ve already heard our take on W.O.E. (Women Of Excellence), so allow us an introduction to a woman who’s worthy of such a title. Tamara Albertini hails from the almighty BK, but finds residence nowadays in Long Island. She’s 1/2 of the fashion duo of Albertini Addiction (AA), a jewelery/style brand that she founded along with her twin sister, Tamika (together, they’re known as the Albertini Twinz). They tackle anything from original jewelry pieces to accessories (including hair clips, headbands and bags), and even some clothing, debuting their first collection this fall. On top of that, their services also include wardrobe styling and the artistic direction for photoshoots. You might have already been acquainted with them in their photo spreads in OneWay2 Magazine and various fashion shows, including their most recent showcase at the StonyBrook’s Black Womyn’s Movement. We weren’t able to interview Tamika, who handles the clothing design aspect of AA, but we were fortunate enough to shoot Tamara and have her let us in on the secrets and future plans for Albertini Addiction…

When did you start AA?

We started about a year and a half ago while sitting at our computer and brainstorming ideas for our next move. We have always been business-minded and ambitious young ladies, so we decided to merge our talents to form a fashion line. I actually started my own jewelry line called T. Albertini Jewelry about 4 years ago and Tamika was part of a design team for a clothing line. After seeing how well we worked together as a team by combining our passions, Albertini Addiction was born!

Where do you draw influences from when you’re designing?

The streets, all media outlets (magazines, TV, etc.), paintings, photography and our mom’s stash of her old-school pics. Our main influence comes from different cultures. It amazes us how each culture has their own sense of what fashion is and we incorporate their sense of style in our designs.

Who’s your favorite designer?

We love Etro & Emilio Pucci because of their use of colors, patterns and geometric shapes. We love Chloe for their simplistic but retro style. Last but not least, Melody Ehsani and Dime Piece for their “IM A BAD-ASS CHICK” appeal. We really love them!

Where do you get your materials from?

From all over. I mean, we travel from bead stores, to fabric stores, to thrift shops, to arts and craft stores. Wherever they sell items or materials that catch our eye, we’re buying!

Who are your clients, for the most part?

Well, we have Raye 6 (http://www.myspace.com/rayesheen) wearing our jewelry. Her music is fire! Other than that, vintage addicts, fashion whores and fun and fearless chicks–so if you’re a bad bitch, you need to “Get Wit, Get Fresh and Get Addicted!” Become an AA Junkie!

How do you beat out the rest in establishing yourself as a jewelry designer?

Well for me, designing jewelry is not all about following trends. It’s about setting them and having other designers want to follow you. It’s also about creating a piece that will draw attention and make people’s jaws drop. As for AA as a whole, we’re not your average designers. We want to send out the message that you are who you are and nobody can change that. Our message is to embrace your awkwardness, dress as you please and still keep it sexy because you’re a bad bitch!

Where do people buy AA pieces?

You can purchase AA Jewelry & Accessories on our online store at AlbertiniAddiction.etsy.com, on our blog site (TheAlbertiniAddiction.blogspot.com) and also look out for our website coming this fall. You can also check us out on Myspace and look each of us up on Facebook (www.myspace.com/Albertini_Addiction).