Off the ej is a jewelry design company founded by third-year student Emma Halenko through Enterprise Co-op. Her motive is to redefine the culture of the fashion industry by creating jewelry with sustainable making practices. She takes items and materials that are retired or exhausted and reinvents them into wearable jewelry.
She kickstarted her business with an entrepreneurship grant, and sold jewelry online and at markets throughout the summer.
Here’s a peek inside her world of design, fabrication, and fashion.
[BRIDGE] How did you get into jewelry making?
[Emma Halenko] I started making jewellery when I was a child, but never very avidly, it was just one of my many hobbies. After a couple years of architecture school, I realized I wanted to develop my love for design in other ways. I really liked the idea of fashion, so I retreated to my childhood past time to try it as a possible career.
[BRIDGE] In what ways has your background in architecture influenced your design?
[Emma] Architecture has taught me to look at structure, shape and space as experiences. The design process I follow in architecture school is something I found mimicked in my jewellery design process. I am always open to stray away from my original idea, and constantly rework until I feel fully satisfied with the outcome.
[BRIDGE] What drew you to recycled materials?
[Emma] I joined an activist movement called Food not Bombs during a previous co-op term. Their motive is to salvage food that is about to be thrown out from grocery stores and make meals for the local community. Being a part of that ignited my interest in the raw materials that we have all around us and made me want to explore and be a part of the up-cycling movement.
Verona from the Music to My Body collection
[Emma] Music to my Body. One day when I was stuck and frustrated, I went on a run and came across a household throwing away a box of vinyls. I immediately came up with thousands of ideas! It’s also such a widespread collection, and I feel like it represents me as a designer pretty well.
[BRIDGE] What’s next? What’s your vision for the practice now that you’ve returned to school?
[Emma] Honestly, this one I’m not too sure. I keep going back and forth as to where I want to take this. But what I do know is that I’ve learned so much that I can take with me moving forward into school and a potential career.
Off the ej was a recipient of this year’s Norman Esch Enterprise Co-op Award. Emma has been featured on CBC Radio’s What a Waste and the Waterloo Conrad Centre’s entrepreneurship blog.
To see more Off the ej, you can pay a visit to the online shop or follow the company on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.
Michelle is a MArch ('20) and HBAS ('16) graduate from Waterloo's School of Architecture. She was an author & editor with BRIDGE from 2013-2019.
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