Michigan Made: Bespoke by Feldman

(CBS DETROIT) – Lightweight statement jewelry that shows off your style without giving you a headache. That’s the idea behind leather, hand-cut and handmade earrings being created on the east side of Detroit. 

“I moved to Detroit in 2010. And I’ve lived all over, in Arizona, LA, San Francisco, Seattle. When I moved to Detroit, it was the most at home I felt in any place. And I don’t have family here. I didn’t have an established network here. So being so welcomed into the community and really having my roots start to establish in Detroit was important to me. I settled down on the east side of Detroit and just fell in love with the city. So, I’m proud to represent it and now I’ve been in Detroit for longer than I’ve been in any other city,” said Sarah Feldman, the owner and creator of Bespoke by Feldman.

Sarah Feldman first moved to Detroit as an educator, but a severe back injury a few years later caused a change in plans. She began to hand-cut and create leather earrings to keep her mind off of the injury.

“It gave me a sense of both control and hope. When you have a big injury, you kind of have to reevaluate how you do everything. For me, it was my back. I had herniated a few discs. I didn’t feel like I had a lot of control in my life at that time. And so I felt empowered. When I was making jewelry, it was something that I was proud of that I could do without thinking of pain in that moment. And then to see how people reacted and responded to my jewelry really just gave me a sense of pride.”

The response was overwhelming.

“Last year, I left my job in education because I had built up bespoke by Feldman enough, and I actually came into the community and economic development as well.”

Especially her signature 3-1-3 statement pieces, allowing her to change careers.

“I would love to be able to open up a brick-and-mortar one day along the East Warren corridor. That’s where I live. That’s where I work. It’s a really important place to me.”

And leave her imprint on the local art scene in an area all her own.

“I think I’ve really found my niche and what works for me, especially in Detroit. I go to a lot of different markets. And I don’t see a lot of leather artists, and so that’s one of the reasons I love working with the material is because jewelry is beautiful and artists create so much incredible work, and I want to be able to contribute and not take away from someone else’s artistic mark. So, I love being able to work with leather.”