Sierra Winter Jewelry celebrates 10 years of Kansas-forward design
Courtesy of Sierra Winter Jewelry
If you’ve closely followed Kacey Musgraves’s Instagram while she’s been on her Middle of Nowhere tour, you might’ve noticed her frequently wearing a thick, silver horseshoe-shaped necklace. She wears it on-stage, backstage, and even as a part of her bull-inspired Halloween costume.
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The necklace she’s sporting is Sierra Winter Jewelry’s Easy Rider necklace, an homage to designer and founder Sierra Otto’s muse: her great aunt. This year, the brand is celebrating its tenth year of business. And after a decade, Otto sees no signs of slowing down, having firmly dedicated herself to her craft and releasing a collection every time inspiration strikes. Her latest two collections are merely about a month apart.
Walking into Sierra Winter’s brick-and-mortar is walking into a physical hodgepodge of Otto’s mind. The walls are peppered with Polaroids she’s taken, design mockups, photos of her and her family, and collages she’s pieced together. A box of wheat stalks sit amongst the display of her anniversary collection, Joy Ride, a nod to her roots in the central Kansas. When she talks about the Flint Hills, her eyes light up.
Sierra Otto wearing the Easy Rider necklace / Courtesy of Sierra Winter Jewelry
“When people hear me talk about the beauty of Kansas, they don’t really know what I’m talking about until they’re there,” Otto says. “The Flint Hills area is one of the most beautiful places in the world. I love the golden fields. It’s a really subtle beauty. I want to capture that elegance in my jewelry.”
Born and raised on a ranch outside of Manhattan, she began her journey in accessorizing by stringing together beaded jewelry in high school to sell to her classmates. Her great aunt, who lived in the Las Vegas area and loved to treat herself to jewelry after a win at the casino, passed her collection on to Otto. The motifs, metalwork and stones in the jewelry became the primary inspiration for Otto’s creative output as she earned a degree in metalsmithing from KU and later designed for Silpada.
Joy Ride collection on display at Sierra Winter Jewelry / Photo by Olivia Steele
Sierra Winter was established in 2016, made for people of all ages who want to gift themselves something unique, much like her aunt did. She’s also used her business to support local social justice and healthcare projects, collaborating with organizations such as Race Project KC, Planned Parenthood, and the Missouri Abortion Fund.
“We feel called to help our community out. I can do a lot more through my business than I can as an individual,” Otto says. “Kansas City is my community, and Brookside is my neighborhood. These are my friends and my kids’ friends affected by this administration. I want to do what I can to help.”
If you attended the Musgraves tour and had an…ahem…ball, or you couldn’t make it and want in on a similar party, Otto loves to host at the shop. Most recently, the brand hosted an event to celebrate its anniversary, complete with flash tattoos and embroidery inspired by the motifs of the Southwest and the Flint Hills that became the details of the Joy Ride collection. Regardless, the disco rodeo Otto’s got in Brookside is suited for any Musgraves fan, or for those with an eye for craft.
You can shop Sierra Winter Jewelry at its Brookside location at 6245 Brookside Blvd, or through its website.
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