I am very excited to be starting off this series in the blog, especially with one of my absolute favorite small businesses: CoutuKitsch. They are a Calgary-based jewelry company, run by some pretty awesome people. I met the owner, Dorian Kitsch, at the Make it Show when it was in St. Albert 2013, according to my instagram, and I’ve been buying the majority of my jewelry from them ever since. I figured I wouldn’t really be able to start my small business series until I’m back in Canada, but I actually brought quite a few of my CoutuKitsch pieces to South Korea with me, so WHY WAIT. (Also, thank god for the written word, because I STILL haven’t figured out how to pronounce their name. Cuh-too? Coo-too? Every time I think I have it right, I hear someone else pronounce it the other way and I just don’t know. Their website says it’s pronounced ku - 'tü, but it’s been a long time since I took a linguistics class sooo please help me.)
This is the collection of pieces I brought, but make no mistake, this is by no means all of it. Not even close. I left behind a couple of necklaces, several sets of earrings, as well as a few rings. This was my attempt at packing light. I mostly brought the kinds of jewelry I can wear on a daily basis, and then a few pieces that I could wear if I needed to dress up (which really hasn’t happened - thanks Covid!). That’s what I love about their collections. They have plenty of casual everyday pieces, and then some really fun pieces and some more elegant styles as well. There’s basically always something for every occasion. They even have the right pieces to level up the sweat suit look, because let’s be honest - 2020 was definitely the year of the sweat suit.
Because I’ve been shopping from them for years, most of these pieces are actually discontinued (I’m sorry!) but there are many similar styles in the current collection and my all-time favourite piece, the hand-stamped initial necklace, is a permanent part of their collection (THANK GOD, should I ever need to replace it). They carry earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rings, hair accessories, and even a mask chain. Right now one of their big launches includes interchangeable charms and mix-and-match “bijou” earrings. I’m going to drop a few pictures of some things I’ve been eyeing in their current collection below!
So besides making gorgeous and fun jewelry, Dorian, along with her husband Kofi and the rest of her team, are super sweet and helpful and are always ready to help you find pieces that work together - not to mention they also have killer style themselves. I often ask them for advice on how best to layer necklaces, because somehow I manage to tangle them into oblivion when I’m left to my own devices. I’m also annoyingly active on their instagram and they always finds time to respond to my messages, which is super nice. Their shop is located at The Livery Shop, which I actually just saw on their stories was voted Best Jewelry store in Calgary. If you’re not in the area, you can always try to catch them at the Make It Show in Edmonton (assuming that’s still a thing post-covid), or order online. They also have a handful of stockists across the country, which you can find here.
Well, I think that about sums it up. I’ll leave you with some shots of CoutuKitsch IN THE WILD. I hope you love this company as much as I do and if you’ve never had the chance - check them out!
All of the necklaces and earrings pictured are CoutuKitsch!