How 2 Young Entrepreneurs Launched Their Unisex Jewelry Brand

Anwar Hadid knows he’s fortunate. As the son of Mohamed Hadid, a luxury real estate developer, and Yolanda Hadid, the television personality and model, he and his siblings are in a league of their own. Oh yeah, have we mentioned two of his sisters are Bella and Gigi Hadid, the world-famous supermodels?

When this particular Hadid met artist Yoni Laham drinking coffee at Croft Alley on Melrose Place in West Hollywood, Hadid’s fit sparked a curious conversation. How could they encapsulate Hadid’s enviable punk rock street style into a business?

Two years later, the two young creatives have joined forces to launch Martyre, a unisex jewelry line whose campaign features Hadid himself. ONE37pm interviewed the duo, about whether they’ve capitalized on their family’s resources, how important the business marketing plan is to them and their top advice for young entrepreneurs.

Have you always worn jewelry?

Anwar Hadid: I've always worn accessories, from a very young age. When I was little I used to ask to wear my mom's jewelry and I think that's when my initial love for it began. The idea of "family heirlooms" and passing down jewelry from generation to generation is super special to me.

Yoni Laham: We both have an appreciation for the timelessness and symbolism that jewelry has versus other categories in fashion. Only recently did I start wearing jewelry as part of my everyday style, but I've always had special pieces that were given to me throughout the years.

Describe the moment when you knew you wanted to start this venture.

Hadid: Yoni and I became fast friends and shortly after that we started brainstorming ways for us to create something together, we just hadn't pinpointed what that was.

Laham: One day, we were sitting and drinking coffee at Croft Alley, and I looked at Anwar and he had this punk rock fit on and this perfect mix of accessories and we both had the same thought: jewelry. Everything kind of spiraled from there and that moment. That was a little over 2 years ago.

None of your pieces have an assigned gender. Why?

Laham and Hadid: We never wanted to assign an archetype to either the “man” or “woman” that wears our jewelry—we never thought it mattered. We intentionally design our pieces to be inclusive, everyone can wear it, no matter your gender.

What resources that are available to you have you used to help launch your business?

Laham: Our shared network has definitely been a helpful resource for the business.

Hadid: We'd be remiss not to say our friends and family have helped guide us during this process. We're very fortunate to have so many mentors and around us that have achieved great success—it's super inspiring for us.

The campaign images are beautiful. How important was the marketing plan in your allocation of resources?

Laham: The campaign and the imagery we continue to create is of the highest importance to us. We actually don't view this as part of our marketing plan, but rather a part of our brand identity.

Hadid: Working in fashion, I've come to learn the importance and power a single image can have over a brand. From day one, we wanted to prioritize the content we create alongside the product we design.

Do you have any advice for young entrepreneurs who’d like to make their dream business a reality?

Laham and Hadid: WORK HARD. Nothing comes easy, even when it appears to be so, but hard work will always pay off one way or another.