Paulina Otero, a 28-year-old artist who founded her own jewelry and accessory brand, did not expect for her business to skyrocket as it has over the past five years.
“A lot of people like my work because it’s bright and colorful, but then they find out that these symbols have a story and a meaning, and then it’s almost like a fun surprise,” Otero said.
Otero, who works out of her studio in the West Bottoms, makes earrings, claw clips, charm necklaces and bracelets out of acrylics, metal, stones and beads, using inspiration for her childhood swimming in the ocean. She has expanded her business to selling a lot of her products wholesale and hosts monthly workshops for those wanting to learn how to make jewelry in her style.
Starting Paulina Otero jewelry and her inspiration
Otero, a Kansas City Art Institute alumna, has a background in textiles and loves combining different textures. She stumbled into making jewelry toward the end of her undergrad years, when found she had a lot of acrylic left over from her projects and made earrings out of it…