How Kylie Nakao Built Her Tarin Thomas Jewelry Brand in NYC

“This is created around my aesthetic… this is how I see the world, this is my perspective that I want to share with you,” says Kylie Nakao, the founder and designer of Tarin Thomas while discussing her story on building a brand in New York City and how she’s developed her business into a West Village hotspot.

Nakao launched her NYC-made jewelry brand, Tarin Thomas, in 2013 in response to a gap in the market for functional, unique pieces at accessible prices. Today, her store at 92 Perry St in the West Village is a chic display of Tarin Thomas' original jewelry, a thoughtful curation of homeware and vintage clothing and accessories. In addition, Nakao just opened the doors on a “Tarin Thomas Vintage” stand-alone pop-up store continuing through April and May 2025 at 228 Mott St.

Kylie’s Story

The Toronto native completed her undergrad at Sir Wilfred Laurier University in Ontario before moving to New York City to study Fashion Marketing at Parsons. Her experiences interning throughout school landed her a Senior Buying and Merchandising role post-grad in a locally owned boutique, where she managed the storefront, e-commerce, and social media: all tools that helped her learn what it takes to run a small business.

When she got the idea for Tarin Thomas, her already-established relationships with designers as a buyer helped her gain insight on starting a business in the jewelry industry. The name Tarin Thomas is a combination of Kylie and her brother Devin’s middle names.

Establishing tarin thomas

Tarin Thomas began as an e-commerce business as Nakao continued to work in the small business world. She credits her professional background outside of the jewelry industry as the reason her pieces are unlike other brands.

She told me, “I didn’t come from traditional jewelry training, so anything we created could be unique and interesting. It didn’t matter that [usually] it had to be like [you can’t] mix pearls with this stone or metal. Whatever I thought aesthetically looked good, we made it.”

In the early days, Kylie was a one-woman team, meeting with whomever she could on 47th Street, also known as the Diamond District. Since Kylie’s designs defy traditional rules of jewelry making, depending on the piece, she often uses multiple factories for different steps of the creation process to achieve a single design.

Nakao’s design inspiration for Tarin Thomas is her own aesthetic and lifestyle. She has always had a strong personal passion for vintage fashion and jewelry and has drawn inspiration from it since the beginning. However, most of her design inspiration comes from the people around her, “People, and things, and culture and New York. Like what’s that old grandpa on Mott Street wearing on his pinky…I’m definitely a people-watcher and an observer.”

Tarin Thomas jewelry is classic, wearable, timeless, and versatile. When I asked Nakao who the brand’s customer is, she struggled to choose one answer: “I think a 78-year-old woman could come in and love the checkered ring, or a 15-year-old girl wants it for her birthday present. I kind of design for myself and what I like, but I think that we also appeal to a 35-year-old man who loves the checkered ring.” Describing the staple collections, she says, “It’s easy to wear, anyone can put it on, it's well-rounded.”

Kylie’s mission when starting the brand was to bring fine jewelry to accessible price points. Her first collection was 7 rings made of solid gold or sterling silver, set with precious stones like sapphire, diamond, or emerald, “I wanted to bring fine jewelry to an accessible price point,” Kylie recalled, “We had a solid gold ring with a diamond in it for $298 while other stores were selling that for over $1000.”

Over time, the brand introduced additional metal options to make the brand even more accessible, with yellow brass and gold-filled metals. Tarin Thomas is able to create any design in the metal and stone that fits the customer’s price range and aesthetic. Because every piece is made in NYC, fulfilling customizations can be accomplished in only 7-10 business days.

A former intern of Tarin Thomas, who is now a fan of the brand, Alyssa Ramirez, spoke to me about the versatility and options offered, “The fact that you can mix and match different stones with different finishes of metal, I think that's just a cornerstone to the Tarin Thomas brand.”

Tarin Thomas’s most popular pieces are the Samuel ring, a flattop checkered design, and the Charles ring, a large oval with a stone at the bottom. “The pieces that are wearable and classic, but are different than what you’re seeing out there,” Nakao spoke of her bestsellers.

Ramirez listed a couple favorite Tarin Thomas pieces, “I am a ring person, so I would have to say the Marin ring and the Samuel ring. I like the Marin ring a lot because it's abstract. It doesn't go all the way around your finger, so it almost looks like it's floating in space… and I also really like the Samuel ring because I think it's just really core to the Tarin Thomas identity.”

In addition to rings, Tarin Thomas jewelry features earrings, ear cuffs, necklaces, bracelets, anklets and a good selection of unisex and masculine pieces. Pieces are also organized into collections allowing customers to indulge in the shape, material, design and aesthetic that speaks the most to them.

Opening brick and mortar

After five years of e-commerce success, in 2018, Nakao was ready to dip her toe into brick-and-mortar with a seasonal storefront in Montauk from May to September. “It was a great way to test what made sense for us in a retail space without committing to a full lease,” She returned the following summer season in 2019.

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While in Montauk, Nakao was approached by Brookfield Properties to rent a storefront in Manhattan. By the time she saw the space on Perry Street, it was 2020. Times were uncertain, but she was hopeful because the space needed no renovations. She reflected, “When I saw the space, I was like, we can make this happen.”

Due to the uncertainty of 2020, she and the real estate firm agreed on an unprecedented leasing structure for the first year, of a revenue share where a percentage of sales each month was the rent. Calling it the perfect fit, Nakao said, “I took the space as is, did some cleaning up, small zhuzhes… we were super fortunate that there was a glass case, there happened to be a rack, and that’s how I introduced vintage.”

Excited to bring her personal passion into the brick and mortar space, she elaborated, “I’ve always had a personal connection to vintage out of pure passion and joy, so once we had a physical space and room to introduce that… We brought in clothing, we brought in shoes, we brought in fine vintage jewelry, costume vintage jewelry, and homeware.”

tARIN thOMAS viNTAGE POP UP

After another successful five years, Nakao’s newest endeavor is a Tarin Thomas Vintage pop-up store. She told me it made sense for the brand because regulars come by weekly just to look through the vintage rack, “Once we saw that was doing so well, we were like, should we explore the opportunity of opening a vintage-focused store with some Tarin Thomas offerings?” And Tarin Thomas Vintage was born.

Nakao shared her West Village regulars were the first supporters to show face at the pop up, but also noted the pop up gives brand exposure in a whole new neighborhood. She even said that some dedicated customers made a day of vintage shopping by walking from one Tarin Thomas store to the other.

Sourcing vintage is a constant process, thanks to the ever-changing rack in the West Village store. The recent expansion has ramped up sourcing more than ever. Nakao, a blazer fanatic, is particularly fond of Dior, YSL, and Givenchy vintage suitwear and jewelry, and anything Escada. Other favorites include: Oscar de la Renta, Manolo, Donna Karen, Jean Paul Gaultier, Missoni, and Levi’s to name a few.

It’s also not always about the designer, as Nakao cites beads, sequins, interesting textures, and quality fabrics as catching her eye when sourcing. Pieces in the pop-up have come from all over; from Nakao’s recent trips to Japan and Paris, to local estate sales and flea markets, there is a style for everyone.

Integral to the brand's continued success is their dedicated social media presence and following. Advertising Tarin Thomas jewelry and vintage pieces on Instagram has been great for the brand because it lets followers know that coming into the store is worthwhile. “Instagram is the quickest and most direct way to reach people,” says Tarin Thomas associate Abbey Blakeman. Customers can direct message to buy posted items and pick them up in-store or have them delivered.

The brand often posts vintage items and pieces from limited collections where there is only one or a few of the piece, “creating a sense of urgency is definitely the thing that gets people to buy. So when they’re on the phone looking at something and there’s only one or there’s only 10 and we’re never gonna make them again, that’s the thing that gets people to click.”

A consistent brand identity and showing personability on social media keeps people following, “I think what makes a good brand Instagram is not only posting product, product, product, but giving the brand a little bit of a personality.”

Nakao frequently posts shots of the city, martini spots, and art between product posts. Blakeman continued, “it should almost be like a personal Instagram…Keeping people actually watching stories so they are engaged when we are posting product.”

For example, when Kylie visited Paris for a week of sourcing vintage she she chronicled the unique shops and one of a kind vintage finds via the Tarin Thomas Instagram to get viewers excited to shop upon her return. But she also sprinkled in a taste of her experience in Paris, including where she ate, and where she stayed, to nurture the personal connection with her followers and customers.

Another unique marketing approach that simultaneously supports other women owned businesses is hosting special events in the West Village store, where the other business owners can sell their products or demonstrate their services. Almost every weekend, customers can find an event to attend, ranging from tarot card readings and meditation to handcrafted broach/charm handbags.

Since 2013, Kylie Nakao has developed Tarin Thomas into a West Village boutique loved by neighborhood regulars and anyone who stops by. Manufacturing in NYC, consistent branding, and functional, unique pieces set the brand apart.

When I asked Nakao as a successful business owner, what advice she would give to aspiring entrepreneurs in the fashion space, she said,

“You need to do something that you are actually into and drawn to… You have to find the balance of ‘Is there longevity in this?’, ‘Can it transform into other things?’. It almost needs to be a part of your lifestyle. Like I expanded into vintage because this is something I personally love doing, and I love doing jewelry too, and I think they go hand in hand, and without that feeling, I wouldn’t continue to do it.”

Be sure to stop by the Tarin Thomas Vintage pop up on 228 Mott St now through May 2025, Tarin Thomas in the West Village at 92 Perry St. Follow @tarin_thomas and shop tarinthomas.com.