It’s been 15 years since Lizzie Fortunato founded her namesake jewelry collection in her Lower East Side walkup with the help of her twin sister Kathryn.

She has seen much growth since, but the mission of the brand has remained the same: luxurious pieces that tell a story and champion intentional production – values that have become even more paramount in their importance since.

Looking back at this landmark milestone, the CFDA member said, “It’s really exciting to be at the 15-year mark. So many of the peer brands we launched with in 2008 – many of whom I loved and revered – no longer exist or exist in a different form, so I’m really proud of our longevity. To have survived the coming and going of so many trends and economic cycles makes us really proud, especially because we produce a large portion of our collection domestically, so it’s been wonderful to employ so many local crafts people for this long period of time.”

Within little time of launching her brand, Lizzie became known for mixing unexpected materials in statement silhouettes. She sourced deadstock components and  used hundreds of materials – sometimes in a single necklace – while building a team to manage the design and production of our complex styles.

“Our aesthetic has evolved but not fundamentally changed,” she said. “We still aim to innovate with our materials, and source really limited-edition stones and components, but scaling – while remaining sustainable – has become more of the focus over recent years.”

To mark the anniversary, Fortunate created limited edition products including collaboration jewelry rolls and boxes with calligrapher Stephanie Fishwick that were embroidered by the brand’s artisan partners in India. “After 15 years of loyal customers collecting our pieces, we figured that they might need somewhere to store them!” she said.

Fortunato also launched a capsule of limited edition 14k fine charms made of shells and stones with diamonds and semiprecious stones.

Building a business from the ground up almost always comes with challenges, and Fortunato’s trajectory was no different. There was a  studio flood, a hacking incident, and early Covid, but, as she put it, “it seems like there’s always a highlight just when the going gets really tough that encourages us to stick it out a little bit longer. Incredible press credits, entrance into the CFDA, two NYC pop-up shops, and runway collaborations give Kathryn and me a lot of adrenaline. It’s this kind of industry recognition and collaboration that really inspires us to keep going and growing.”

And being part of the the New York fashion industry, she added, “there’s an element of wanting to make the community proud and continue to support New York vendors that has motivated us along the way.”

Here’s to the next 15 years and beyond, Lizzie!