At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Maranda Pear was walking to her merchandising job when she saw a Black Lives Matter protest. Helicopters buzzed overhead, sirens wailing, and she felt like the country had gone backwards. A year of turmoil led the Richmond native to find a creative outlet to vent her emotions.
“I love peace, love, and good vibes,” she says. “I felt a need to represent beauty in the chaos.” The pair started making earrings for their mother and family, but then friends and followers started requesting specific styles. “It just happened to me organically,” she says. “I’m not just going to make earrings.” This was the start of her business. Ginger’s Love.
“Ginger’s Love is a brand you can feel. It’s not just accessories or jewelry, it’s spreading peace and love in the world,” Pear says. “I’ve had people tell me that just wearing Ginger’s Love makes you feel good.” [earrings] It helped make them feel better.”
The name of the shop was born from a night out just before the pandemic lockdown – “I used to go out a lot,” Pear said, adding that her spicy personality led friends to call her Ginger, who is “cool and good for the soul.”
“Two of my friends call me Ginger and one of them even has my name saved in their phone as ‘Ginger Love’ so I thought it would be a good choice.”
The pair, who graduated from Old Dominion University with a degree in fashion merchandising, have launched a collection of four earrings: Introducing Ginger’s Love, We’re Black Everyday, and Freedom and Pride. Each earring is named after something – Strength, Peace, Forgiveness, and Light – and is meant to bring a sense of peace to the wearer.
Pear hopes her earrings will help her customers not just feel good, but to be healthier, which she describes as inner peace. “I believe you can choose to feel good, but being healthy is from the inside out – it’s about strength and courage,” she says.
She also serves as a vendor coordinator for RVA Fashion Week and worked with designer Kezia Amalie to create runway looks featuring Amalie’s clothing and matching earrings.
Ginger’s Love Earrings are available to purchase on her website. Ginger Loveand is also available on Amazon.
Source: Shopping & Style – richmondmagazine.com
