Laila Farcas-Ionescu’s Pussy Bites Back Jewelry Collection

NEW YORK. Like many U.S. residents, designer Laila Farcas-Ionescu had strong feelings after last year’s presidential election. And on the eve of the anniversary of it, she decided to unveil her fierce fine jewelry reaction to it, a collection she’d been working on all year: Pussy Bites Back (PBB).

Seeing how the pussy-hat phenomenon took off in response to myriad women’s feelings about the admitted actions of President Trump, she took the kitty imagery idea a step further through her own craft. To wit, PBB offerings include sterling silver rings, earrings, bracelets, tie tacks, and pendants with colorful nano-ceramic coatings with diamonds or white sapphires, or in Lucite in the shape of cat claws or fangs stationed on the heads of snarling felines. (T-shirts, stickers, and temporary tattoos are also available online.) A kick-off party at form & concept in Santa Fe on Halloween helped to celebrate the super-feminist story that aims to make buyers think. “It’s a visceral response to our political situation,” Farcas-Ionescu says. It’s also a little funny.

“There’s something cathartic about Laila’s new line that inspired us,” explained Clara Holiday, sales director at form & concept, to the press about the pieces. “There’s a genuine sense of humor there that’s been missing from much of the national discourse over the past year.”