Inspiring Conversations with Kathleen Grebe of Bold Standard

Hi Kathleen, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.

During the first 15 years of my career, I worked with brands like Adidas and Nike where my graphic design degree was put to good use. I designed logos, created ad campaigns, and art-directed commercials. But over the years, my desire for creative control intensified. An invisible force kept tugging at me, pulling me off the corporate ladder and pointing me towards a more artistic path.

Yearning for creative freedom, I started designing jewelry on the side. Being in complete creative control, well, it suited me. My jewelry hobby led to an artist residency at Savannah College of Art & Design (my alma mater) where I was given access to materials and tools, specifically a laser cutter.

It was one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life. With practical and financial barriers out of the way, I seized the opportunity. I pushed myself daily, trying to apply my 2d skills to a new 3d world. With an appetite for curiosity and a steadfast work ethic, I forced myself onto the fast track to becoming a jewelry artist.

Back home, I built my own laser cutting lab and began transforming flat sheets of material, like lucite and wood, into statement jewelry.

Now my brand, Bold Standard, is my career.

The name Bold Standard is a play on two expressions: ‘the gold standard’ and ‘to take a bold stand.’ With the mission of being the ‘the gold standard of bold,’ my jewelry is striking in appearance and meaningful  in concept. And with themes of empowerment and equality, it takes a bold stand on issues of today.

As I continue to reinterpret the meaning of bold—aesthetically and philosophically—my ultimate goal is to bring wearers fearlessness in style and thought.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As someone who had created logos and layouts for 15 years, I wasn’t sure my 2d skills would support my endeavors in the physical world. I could design a magazine ad in my sleep, but making a tangible object—producing a physical product—that was not in my wheelhouse.

I was right to be doubtful! There was so much more to the construction and engineering of jewelry than I had expected. Even with years of experience, I sometimes struggle to turn the vision in my head into a physical reality.

But makers are problem solvers and hustlers. And I’m a DIY-till-I-die kinda girl.

When I spent thousands of dollars on a laser cutter, I had no idea how it worked. I thought I’d ‘hit play’ and my laser cutter would gracefully bring my designs to life. In reality, laser cutting is technical and finicky—an art unto itself. Nothing goes right the first time.

But once that 500-pound machine was in my garage, it was up to me to figure it out. The internet was my teacher. Failure was my modus operandi.

Years later, my relationship with my machine is still a love-hate one. Of course, now I understand how the laser beam bounces off three mirrors to reach the material. How the air assist and a honeycomb bed prevent fires. And how to replace tubes, belts, pulleys, and hoses.

Mastering my machine while utilizing my past design skills made way for unexpected creations. And I’m thankful every time someone says, ‘I’ve never seen anything like it.’

We’ve been impressed with Bold Standard, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The ArchiText Collection is arguably my most innovative line. The individual pieces of these necklaces are actually laser-cut words. You have to look closely to see the hidden text, but viewers are delighted when they discover the secret.

These necklaces take ‘statement piece’ to a whole new—literal—level, transforming powerful words like ‘persist’ and ‘love’ into meaningful fashion.

Last year’s most exciting project involved designing jewelry based on the work of Czech artist Alphonse Mucha, the Art Nouveau master. Collaborating with the Mucha Foundation and the North Carolina Museum of Art was such an honor. The project was even more meaningful because Mucha was my favorite artist growing up—and because I have relatives who live in Czechia. On top of all that, I’m a total museum nerd and have always wanted to create customized work for an exhibit.

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?

In addition to food, animals, and travel, the creative process offers me some of life’s greatest highs. There is nothing like bringing your own vision to life. Nothing is as satisfying as seeing all the pieces click into place. Nothing like answering ‘yes’ when someone says, you made that?!

But the creative process is a rollercoaster. Doubt, frustration—even desperation—are part of the everyday routine. Each time I reach into my laser cutter, I’m anxious—in a good and bad kinda way. I’m often disappointed. But being hard on myself means it’s all that much more joyous when I finally get it right.

What do you find meaningful about your work?

Fashion is fun. And it can bring us together. It sounds simplistic, but the fact that two people like the same necklace or earrings shows they have something in common. That similarity may seem superficial but it’s often rooted in something deeper, something meaningful about who we are as people.

Common ground can be hard to find these days, so I value the moments when I witness humanity ‘overlapping’—when a common thread is discovered among us—be it as thin as silk or thick as a rope.