Media Kit
Designer Biography:
Omi Woods founder Ashley Alexis McFarlane developed and released her first jewelry collection in the Fall of 2018 as a finalist in the Joe Fresh Centre for Fashion Innovation. The award-winning collection was inspired by her late grandmother Doreen Salmon and the jewelry that was passed on to her mothers and aunts when she passed away. The collection aimed to create fine jewelry pieces that celebrated Africa and the African Diaspora and widen the limited availability for cultural designs that could be worn every day in precious metals.
Omi Woods Biography:
Omi Woods jewelry are contemporary heirlooms that celebrate all of our connections to Africa and her diaspora. Our jewelry is individually and ethically handmade in Toronto, Canada by local jewellers and casting houses with fairly sourced African gold and recycled fine metals. Omi Woods jewelry is intended to be collected, worn every day, gifted for special occasions, and passed down to future generations so its meaning can live on for generations to come.
"As a descendant of enslaved Africans, who ran into the hills of Jamaica to form Maroon communities with the Indigenous peoples of the island. Who fought an 84 year war with the British for their freedom and sovereignty. Whose ancestors were likely sold into slavery as a result of gold. As a person who can trace her lineage not only to the Akan people of West Africa, but the Bamileke of Cameroon, along the Nile to Sudan and a heritage that spans some of the most vibrant silver and gold producing ethnic groups on the continent of Africa, it is important to me to be telling the ongoing interconnected story of Africa and diasporic Africans through ethical fine metals and gold."
- Ashley Alexis McFarlane, Founder and CEO of Omi Woods
Omi Woods Mission:
Gold is not just a raw material, it is a metal that is used to back financial systems, structure trade, and leverage economics. As a result, mined gold will always be in demand. Omi Woods understands this and aims to balance the environmental benefits of recycled gold, with the realities of the gold mining market in a way that encourages fair and ethical gold extraction in African and Indigenous Communities.
Our gold is sourced through projects run by Canadian-based non-profit IMPACT. IMPACT organizes initiatives aimed at empowering small scale artisanal miners, and specifically women, in fair and just gold supply chains. Omi Woods continually works with organizations, individuals, and suppliers in efforts to contribute to and maintain just and fair gold and fine metal supply chains.
Achievements:
Omi Woods designs have been featured in publications like Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, Essence and GQ. They’ve also been nominated for international awards and featured as one of Oprah’s Favourite Things and are a regular part of magazine lists highlighting global black and ethical jewelry companies.
In 2022 Fashion Magazine Canada featured the design house in a publication that highlighted the brand’s inclusion as staple pieces worn by various characters in the award-winning Insecure Series, with a number of pieces worn by cast throughout the season and in the final episode that made headlines for its celebration of black designers from around the globe.
Omi Woods has also been featured on the cover of Ebony Magazine worn by Viola Davis to highlight her memoir Becoming Myself and her film The Woman King. Surface Magazine selected Omi Woods as part of their Surface Approved List of brands to watch in the contemporary art and design space.
New and Noteworthy - Fall 2023 Rolls-Royce Celebrates 20 Years at Goodwood
“We are waking up from a dream”
-Indigenous First Nations Chief Bob Lovelace
We are all effected by climate change, brought about as a result of colonization and industrialization. Next on the horizon is the technological age.
What have we learned from history and how are we to enter this age in a more sustainable way?
Join us on a journey as Omi Woods explores the intersections between ethical mining, human rights, sustainability and the future of luxury craftsmanship and design with the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts Club and St James’s House as they host the celebration of 20 years of Rolls-Royce’s production at Goodwood.
For Immediate Release:
Omi Woods is pleased to announce that it has been selected as a brand to be showcased in Strive for Perfection: Celebrating 20 Years of Goodwood – an official publication of the International Club for Rolls-Royce and Bentley Enthusiasts and St James's House to commemorate two decades of Rolls-Royce’s Goodwood production plant, and celebrate sustainability in luxury design and craftsmanship.
The hardback, fully illustrated publication will be authored by award-winning writers and feature documentation of Rolls-Royce’s 110 year heritage and its commitment to the future of sustainable luxury. The book will include glimpses into the electrification of Rolls-Royce's new and classic models and a selection of luxury brands from around the world that share its core values.
The publication will be distributed in Rolls-Royce dealerships across the globe and to the celebration's guests, dignitaries and official partners.
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To commemorate this event, Omi Woods will be releasing exclusive limited edition hallmarked pieces inspired by an intersection of African art, Rolls-Royce designs, and our ongoing commitment to sustainable production and craftsmanship. The collection will be made with fairly sourced gold and re-refined platinum.
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Contact:
info@omiwoods.com
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