While some jewelry is inspired by nature, every glittering accessory at Carla Shaw Sustainable Fashion in Newton Centre literally has a piece of nature at its core.
If you could peer inside the Union Street shop’s earrings, necklaces, bracelets and rings, you’d find an individual leaf, flower, or even coffee bean that has been hand-picked, dried, and preserved in 18k gold or silver.
Carla Wahnon, owner of the recently opened boutique, used her husband’s name (Shaw) for the shop, “as a symbolic way of saying ‘I do’ one more time,” she said.
Inside the bright and welcoming space are true one-of-a-kind pieces chosen by Wahnon for her collection.
Originally from Brazil, Wahnon moved to Massachusetts in 1989. Upbeat and friendly, the Cambridge resident originally worked as a financial coach for a nonprofit organization. She also co-managed an online healthy Brazilian snack business named Banana Samba with her sister.
“I always want to be an ambassador for what Brazil has to offer,” said Wahnon on a recent weekday.
In 2021, she created her new online venture, Carla Shaw Sustainable Fashion, after a friend introduced her to artisans from her home country. Her friend felt Wahnon’s entrepreneurial experience and knowledge of the U.S. market could help create a successful, sustainable fashion and jewelry business.
In addition to online sales, she also sold the creations at various markets, enjoying more direct contact with the public, she said. By 2022, she had left her job as a financial coach to concentrate on selling the jewelry line in a shared space in Wellesley as well as to continue at Banana Samba.
Newton the ‘fashion mecca’
Although she enjoyed her time in Wellesley, the other businesses in the space began to expand. Wahnon knew she needed room to grow and found the Union Street spot.
“It was always a dream of mine to open a store here,” she said with a broad smile.
Describing Union Street as a “fashion mecca for Massachusetts … especially jewelry,” she appreciates all the women-owned shops that offer a variety of accessories and other goods.
“Newton is an ideal environment for women entrepreneurs,” said Wahnon. “It’s a very dynamic, lively, inclusive city.”
Another reason she chose Newton is because “the city embraces sustainability, which is a plus for me,” she said.
The leaves used in the jewelry “are [manually] harvested only at the right time, in order to respect the cycle of nature and ensure the continuity of the species,” according to her website. The Brazilian artisans then handmake the pieces, which in the U.S. are sold only by Wahnon.
The business not only provides an income for the Brazilian crafters, it also helps other women entrepreneurs by supporting Giving Joy (www.givingjoygrants.org). The Massachusetts nonprofit helps women entrepreneurs around the world by providing micro grants, according to her website.
Enthusiastic about meeting customers and settling in to her cheerful space, Wahnon said Newton is “a very dynamic, lively, inclusive city. … It matches the vibe of my brand … I feel at home [here].”
Grand Opening: Friday, March 21
Carla Shaw will hold its Grand Opening on Friday, March 21, 6PM-8PM, with raffles, discounts, appetizers, music, and a mini fashion show.
