A university student who taught herself jewellery making via YouTube during the Covid lockdown is now generating $40,000 a month in sales and preparing to debut a collection at New York Fashion Week (NYFW).
Nina Alston, now 22, started The Messy Archive in 2021 as a hobby to keep her 'brain busy' while completing her degree from home. She began selling on Depop and later her own website, creating gold-plated and gold-filled pieces that quickly gained traction among Australian women.
In July alone, Alston made $75,000 from necklaces, bracelets, rings and earrings. Influencers such as Tammy Hembrow and Isabelle Mathers have worn her designs. 'We went from $10,000 to $15,000 in sales per month at the start of the year to now generating on average $40,000 per month,' she told FEMAIL.
The NYFW collaboration came after Alston saw Australian brands like South St feature in Paris Fashion Week. She contacted a New York-based collective that works with multiple designers for runway shows. 'The process is lengthy and includes a few calls, interviews as well as imagery of the brand and any past work,' she said.
Alston is crafting a 30-piece collection from her kitchen bench, inspired by pearl heirlooms from her grandparents and style icons like Dua Lipa and Bella Hadid. 'My aim is to create pieces of jewellery that can be worn off the runway as statement pieces,' she said.
Starting with no money and using string found around the house, Alston reinvested all profits into materials. 'All the skills I know regarding jewellery making I learnt from YouTube,' she said. The collection will debut in mid-February.
