TINA FORBEZ | IG: @tinaforbezofficial 

Mother. Daughter. Light-Bearer. Creative. Veteran. Founder.

Tina conjured the idea of an accessible platform for culture & tradition while serving in the United States Armed Forces. Being a female service member of color, her hair’s appearance was policed by military regulations. She often abused her God-given mane to pacify an organization’s ethnic insensitive standard. When not in uniform, she fancied protective yet stylish scarves to cover her hair as it recuperated from a day’s work. Serendipitously, she discovered the intimacy in cloaking her curls as well as an undeniable sense of sovereignty. She wanted to invest in her new regal sentiment but quickly discovered that it wasn’t as simple to find as she assumed. The lack of depth in buying options inspired her to relieve other women with similar ancestry and style from the same frustrations. She didn’t stop there though. She took a good look at herself and noticed her entire image was not something commonly reflected. So, she expounded her vision of the crown. Thus, adding the jewels- waistbeads & other heritage inspired accessories to emphasize the beauty already inside of each & every one of us. 

*C & J was originally scheduled to debut in 2020. Unfortunately, the unexpected pandemic of Covid-19 struck the world, disrupting life as we all knew it. After two long years of facing sourcing issues, vendor shortages, delivery disruptions, the chaos of survival in uncertain times, to just maintaining our family & mental health- we are elated to finally take the training wheels off of this dream come reality. In exchange for your much appreciated patience, we introduce to you Crowns & Jewels.