Our Story
"After 20 years of supporting sustainability, power, clean water and recycling initiatives for businesses and utilities, I made the leap into jewelry design. It is so fun to be part of the sustainable fashion movement after all these years of 'talking trash'."
Our Origin Story
HOW IT ALL BEGAN
The first Kaden & Kai bracelet was created in 2020 on my Cricut! As a consultant in the green sector for over a decade, I was constantly on the hunt for cool, upcycled fashion accessories to flaunt at the next company outing. While on vacation I saw a bracelet that I thought was made out of bicycle tubes. Turns out it wasn't, but it sparked an idea. I should try making a bracelet out of bicycle tubes!
After heating, then flattening a few tubes under several books for about two weeks, I made what is now the precursor to the Daisy Bicycle Tube Bracelet. It worked on the first try!
Perfecting the
PROCESS
Although the first bracelet was an instant success, that would be one of the few times that making a bicycle tube bracelet on my Cricut would be that easy. Because tubes have a natural curve to them, and used tubes come in a variety of thicknesses, I would spend the next year trying to figure out how to make a bicycle tube bracelets without jamming or ripping them in my Cricut.
Fortunately, I managed to get just enough created to attend the art markets in Boston. Thanks to the kindness of many makers, engineers and crafts people, I was able to create a process that is now reliable, scalable and much more efficient.
ASSESSING
DEMAND
During that first season at the Boston area art markets, I must have spoke to a few thousand people. I learned that there was a lot of interest in what I was doing. People loved the idea of bicycle tube jewerly and were willing to give them a try. I also learned that there was some things that I needed to fix.
The three most critical things I learned from potential buyers was that I needed a variety of bracelet sizes, the clasps needed to be strong enough to withstand pulling and bracelets needed to be adjustable to accommodate a variety of wrist sizes, since so many were purchased as gifts.
Fortunately, it all eventually came together.
Our Mission
At Kaden & Kai, we believe it is important to extend the useful life of materials that can be recycled and repurposed. Our vibrant, stylish, high quality bracelets, necklaces and earrings were created to be beautiful and, most importantly, purposeful.
We also believe it is important to drive demand for eco products in the broader marketplace and to incorporate sustainable business practices throughout our business and the businesses we work with. Our goal is to "do good" while "doing well" so we can continue to grow, expand and evolve.
Causes We Support
1% for the Planet represents a global network of businesses, individuals and nonprofit organizations tackling our planet's most pressing environmental issues. Kaden & Kai is proud to be part of this exclusive group. We have been a member since 2020.
We have also been supporting The Water Project since 2019.
About Our Name
Kaden & Kai are the two middle names of my sons. I liked the idea of using a name that sounded like a fashion brand, but had some personal meaning. Kaden stands for companion or friend and Kai means sea. It was a great fit for the vibe I wanted to create for the shop (and it didn't hurt that the domain name was available! ;).
Video Tour
In this 10 minute video, I walk you through how the initial Kaden & Kai bracelets were made, changes I made along the way and how I prepare orders.
