Giving back through crystal-infused handbags

The accessories of OmLuxe, a Miami Beach company, were recently displayed at The Katie Fong Boutique in Greenwich, boasting bold designs that are hand-stitched by a women’s sewing collective in India.

It’s hard to miss the vivid designs of OmLuxe accessories.

The bright colors and dazzling beads that adorn its banjaras (a type of hobo bag), totes and clutches are charming with an exotic flair. But that’s because all of the merchandise is hand-stitched by a collective of women in India, who directly benefit from each sale.

The company, which is based in Miami Beach, showcased its products during a trunk show at The Katie Fong Boutique in Greenwich. The lovely fabrics — which included shades of turquoise, yellow, fuchsia and royal blue — contrasted with the stark whiteness of the wintry setting. It seemed like OmLuxe had brought a hint of Florida with it, and we weren’t opposed to it. 

But aside from using shades bright enough to coax a smile, all of the company’s products, as well as its mission, are deeply rooted in spirituality. 

Left, Pamela Jones and far right, back row, Elizabeth Scullin, the founders of Omluxe, with some of the sewers in the OmLuxe Collective in India. Courtesy OmLuxe.

Founded by Pamela Jones and Elizabeth Scullin — a former New Yorker — OmLuxe helps employ and empower women while spreading positive vibes through style. The idea was born from the OmLuxe Yoga Retreat, which Jones led to India in 2015. Inspired by the women surrounding her, Jones and her group raised enough money to help 25 Indian women start a sewing collective. With available machines and fabric, the women became self-sufficient by selling their goods in a village in Kerala. Eventually, they began sewing for OmLuxe — hence the Indian beading techniques — with the company committed to donating 10 percent of all proceeds to these women, known as the OmLuxe Collective. 

But Jones wanted to take OmLuxe’s accessories a step further, drawing from her experiences with OmLuxe’s Divine Destinations for the Conscious Connoisseur — her “sacred travel company” — to do so. As a yoga instructor, Reiki master and advocate for social change, Jones has been to 30 countries and six continents, including four retreat destinations (Cambodia, Machu Picchu in Peru, India and Africa). She has donated efforts to Operation Smile in Southeast Asia and, along with OmLuxe participants, helped raise $100,000 for nonprofits, including Somaly Mam Foundation, Water.org, The Big Life Foundation and the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, which WAG covered in April 2017. She’s also a member of One Percent for the Planet, an organization whose members donate one percent of their annual sales to worldwide environmental organizations. 

So naturally, Jones envisioned OmLuxe as another way to give back — not just to the OmLuxe Collective but also to women everywhere.

The owners decided to incorporate healing crystals in all of their products. The crystals, which are placed in special carrying pouches, are used to stabilize balance, alignment and energy along the seven chakras — root (base of spine), sacral (lower abdomen), solar plexus (upper abdomen), heart (center of the chest), throat, third eye (between the eyes), and crown (the top of the head). These chakras are believed to represent emotional well-being as related to financial autonomy, happiness, self-worth, love and inner peace, communication, intuition and knowledge and our connection to spirituality. 

And when the chakras are aligned, peace manifests itself.

The OmLuxe yoga mat ($95), the OmLuxe Shavasana Eye Pillow ($40) and the pouch containing seven healing crystals for the seven chakras. Courtesy OmLuxe.

Not only are these crystals sold with the handbags, but with the yoga accessories as well. One particular item includes a meditation cushion, which is handmade and filled with organic buckwheat hulls and a crushed crystal of the client’s choosing, along with a personal meditation and a mantra to use while meditating ($450). To complement the cushion is a yoga mat, which is 100-percent recycled, eco-friendly and designed to promote alignment of the chakras ($95). (The Omluxe Yoga Element Set includes a yoga mat, a carrying strap, and a pouch with seven crystals, $250.) 

The company also connects its customers to a spiritual experience by offering 45-minute private crystal energy readings. OmLuxe works with an expert crystal reader who uses color therapy, sound healing, crystal therapy, guided meditation and Reiki to stimulate the senses, raise vibration levels and promote serenity. Customers are provided with a pouch of specially selected crystals based on their personal vibration. 

And to think that it all started with the power of sisterhood — one woman’s desire to help others.

For more about OmLuxe, visit omluxecollection.com. For more about the OmLuxe retreats, visit omluxe.com

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