“They remind me of how creative I can be, and am allowed to be.”
Sometimes the things we loved as children find their way back to us in unexpected ways. For Lena, founder of Hamburg-based jewelry label Meadory, it was a childhood fascination with fashion, little treasures and the stories they carry that eventually led her to create her own collection of vintage-inspired charm jewelry. Beautiful pieces that feel truly special — playful, nostalgic, each like a little world of its own.
Her journey wasn’t a straight one. From studying architecture to restoring old furniture and eventually finding her way back to fashion, each chapter taught her something about creativity, independence and trusting her own ideas. Today, she creates handmade jewelry that feels playful, romantic and personal, with little charms that can be collected, combined and given their own meaning.
We spoke with Lena about following her creative instincts, the lessons that come with starting over, finding beauty in small details and why sometimes the best thing we can do is give ourselves permission to create.
And because little treasures are even more beautiful when shared, we have something special for you.
Win a Vintage Elizabeth Necklace by Meadory
And we have a little something special for you! Together with Meadory, we’re giving away one of Lena’s beautiful Vintage Elizabeth Necklaces.
Inspired by vintage treasures and romantic memories, the necklace brings together delicate details: a vintage flower charm, a little rose painting, a golden bow, a pink zirconia drop and a dainty pearl flower. Made from 18k gold-plated stainless steel, it’s waterproof, hypoallergenic and designed to be worn and loved for a long time.
How to enter:
Simply send an email to contact@c-heads.com with the subject line “Meadory Giveaway” and tell us: What is a little thing that brings you joy?
We can’t wait to read your answers! ♡
The giveaway ends on October 31, 2026, at 11:59 PM (CET).
Good luck, everyone! ♡
Giveaway · Vintage Elizabeth Necklaces provided by Meadory
Photography courtesy of Meadory
Hey dear Lena, you’re the founder and designer behind Meadory, an independent jewelry label based in Hamburg. You create beautiful, vintage-inspired, handmade, waterproof charm jewelry — with small decorative pendants that can be chosen and combined to create a personal style, and that can always be extended with another charm over time.
I remember finding this fascinating as a child whenever I saw someone wearing charm jewelry. There was something almost magical about seeing all the different little pendants, and often you were told the story behind them — for which occasion someone had received a charm or what it meant to them. What fascinated you about charm jewelry in particular when you first discovered it?
For me, it’s the uniqueness. Charms let you tell little stories and express your personality, and you can also give them to friends and create a connection that way. That’s what I love about it: it looks different on everyone. I also find it exciting to look at every single order and see how the charms have been combined, what was chosen, and what thoughts and ideas are behind it.
You could say that your passion for fashion and accessories started in childhood. You used to create collages from fashion magazines in your bedroom and put together little collections. Do you still have any of those collages? And are some of the ideas you had as a child still relevant to your creations today?
The collages from back then are actually my little treasures. I keep them very carefully, and every now and then I’ve hung them up on the wall. They remind me of how creative I can be, and am allowed to be. Thinking of them keeps challenging me to go one step further and to draw my creativity back out, because it can easily get lost in the everyday life of a business owner, simply because there are so many administrative things to take care of. So I really try not to lose my creativity along the way. And yes, some of that is still there today. My collages were always made up of combinations I had put together myself, and they simply emerged from laying out the individual pieces. That’s exactly how I’d describe charm jewelry, too. Both are a creative process.”
When it came to choosing between fashion and architecture for your studies, you initially decided to study architecture. Why?
It was a bit of a decision between my two passions: on the one hand art, creativity and special details, and on the other strategy, mathematics and organization. I saw that combination a little more in architecture than in fashion, so in the end I chose architecture. I wouldn’t say I regret it, but I do find it quite exciting that I’ve somehow ended up back in fashion after all, or rather in accessories.
“So I really try not to lose my creativity along the way.”
After your studies, you moved back towards fashion and worked as a costume and set design assistant. But the 80-hour weeks understandably didn’t make you want to stay in that field, and you eventually started your own brand, “Möbelentfalter,” where you restored and sold furniture. What did you learn from that experience, which ultimately didn’t work out? Both in terms of business, but also for your own personal development?
I started Möbelentfalter at the beginning of the Covid pandemic, and being self-employed gave me a great deal. On the one hand, I learned how to work independently, and on the other, how to build a business. It really was a crazy time, and I’m so glad I did it, even though the business idea didn’t work out in the end. I developed enormously on a personal level and grew with the challenges, and I would do it the same way again. I’d also say this to anyone who wants to start their own business: try it, learn from your mistakes, keep going and don’t give up, unless you realize it simply isn’t working. After four years of Möbelentfalter, that’s what I came to realize, and so I eventually ended it. But somehow I still knew that this wasn’t the end.
In 2024, alongside your job as an architect, you started creating handmade charm jewelry under the name Loony You as a creative outlet. Did you take any specific courses to learn how to make jewelry?
Exactly. After my time with Möbelentfalter, I went back to architecture for a while, simply to regain some stability and figure out what I actually wanted. I started making jewelry on the side, more as a hobby, and realized how much I enjoyed it. Just like with Möbelentfalter, I taught myself everything. Back then, I restored and sanded all the furniture myself and learned how paints and wood stains work together. This time, I learned how to work with jewelry and metals: how different materials react, how well they keep their color, and also what resonates with people. Which style, what do people like? You always have to move with the times a little, or with what’s currently on trend. It’s simply learning by doing. Of course I also get support from outside, but most of it I really do teach myself.
“The main thing is few people, lots of nature and quiet, ideally with no phone signal.”
How many hours did you invest into it alongside your job? And what was it that you found particularly relaxing about it? Was it the process itself, seeing the beautiful result, or was there already a vision of eventually turning it into your own company?
I have to say that at the very beginning, I didn’t invest that much time. For the first six months or so, it was really just something I did on the side, until I noticed how well it was being received. I had opened an Etsy shop, more and more orders kept coming in, and at some point my time was genuinely split 50 percent architecture and 50 percent jewelry. So I worked a lot, but I enjoyed it. I didn’t have a fully formed vision at first, more of a hope in the back of my mind. But I quickly realized how much I enjoyed it, how much potential it had, and that you could build a company out of it.
What I personally liked best was the whole process: listing the products, taking the photos, writing the titles and descriptions, then the first order coming in, making it and shipping it. Customer service is also extremely important to me, it’s right at the top of my list. And something I’ve always really enjoyed is managing my stock, so looking after the charm inventory and checking what needs to be reordered and what I need. That’s honestly one of my favorite things to do.
Did you ever imagine that your jewelry would be so well received from the very beginning? And what do you think was — and still is — the “secret” behind your success?
I didn’t necessarily expect my jewelry to be so well received, but of course I hoped it would be. And I have to say, I did go into it with the intention of making a living from it one day, or perhaps becoming self-employed again. I tried it out alongside my architecture job first, and if it hadn’t worked, I probably would have looked for something else. But because it went so well, it became clear to me fairly quickly that I wanted to do this full-time and that this would be my baby.
I think the secret behind my success is really just me: my work, my persistence, not giving up even when it’s hard, even when there’s a summer slump or whatever else comes along. Simply keep working, keep going and never give up.
How much courage did it take to leave your full-time job and become self-employed with your jewelry label, especially after your first attempt with your furniture business didn’t work out?
Leaving my full-time job actually wasn’t that big a challenge for me, because by chance I got the opportunity to receive the start-up grant from the Federal Employment Agency right away, and I had also known quite early on that I no longer wanted to work in an architecture office. After Möbelentfalter, I spent another two years working in architecture, but after just one year I already knew I’d rather be self-employed again. So it wasn’t hard for me at all. The fear that it might not work out, just like with Möbelentfalter, is probably still there a little. But I try to simply look ahead, keep going and not let it affect me too much.
“Try to be honest with yourself about what fills your heart and what truly fulfills you as a person.”
With the start of your self-employment, Loony You also became a new company name — “The name-finding process was wild, and ultimately I decided on Meadory.” Tell us the story behind the wild naming process.
Exactly. Loony You was more of a placeholder, I’d say. I really wanted to get started with the jewelry, but I didn’t have a proper idea for a name. Loony (my nickname) as a brand it was meant a bit like ‘bring out the crazy in you’, since „loony“ is basically another word for „crazy“. That felt fitting and good at the time.
But I had the feeling that the brand I actually wanted was a little calmer, a little more romantic, with a personality all of its own, something that doesn’t get lost in the crowd. So I really spent weeks thinking about which combination would make the name reflect my brand. And I have to admit, I didn’t even know exactly what my brand was or what style it should have. That actually emerged through the search for the name.
Meadory is a combination of ‘Meadow’, so the flower meadow, the green, nature, and ‘Ori’, which in Hebrew means ‘my light’. I thought that was a wonderful combination. As soon as I had put the two together, Meadow and Ori, Meadory, I immediately thought: yes, that’s it. It sounds soft, it sounds beautiful, and it reflects the kind of cottage style I really love. It just clicked for me in that moment, and I’ve been very happy with the name ever since.
All the pieces are handmade in your workshop in Hamburg. How many people do you work with there? And what does a typical day at the studio look like?
Thats right, everything is made here in Hamburg. I’m actually the one who does most of the work. At certain times, like the Christmas season, I do have temporary help or freelancers who support me, as well as an online marketing manager who recently joined me so I can bring in a bit more expertise in that area. But the lion’s share I really do on my own. As for a typical day: I work from home a lot, where I’ve set up my jewelry studio. When I get up in the morning, I usually prepare the orders first so they go out as quickly as possible, and then I take care of all the administrative tasks. But I also like going to a café or a co-working space, simply to work from different places, or to meet up there when I’m working with other people.
What have been the biggest challenges with Meadory so far?
I think the biggest challenge for me so far was actually the rebranding in March and April, because basically everything had to be switched over from Loony You to Meadory. That definitely caused my engagement rate to drop sharply for a while, and there was a bit of a dip. Last summer things were going really well, and this summer, right after the rebranding, it did fall off somewhat. Fortunately it has stabilized again. But it was definitely a challenge at first to communicate with the new name and the new branding, to find my way with it, and to tell people: we used to be Loony You, we’re still here, we’re just doing it in a slightly different style now.
We’re giving away one of your beautiful pieces — the Vintage Elizabeth Necklace: “Inspired by vintage jewelry and romantic memories, a playful piece with a timeless appeal.” Can you tell us a little more about the inspiration behind this necklace?
The Vintage Elizabeth Necklace is one of my favorite necklaces. I think it’s beautiful, and it has a very special charm: the Vintage Pink Flower Charm in the center. What makes it special is that I make my vintage charms myself. They are vintage-inspired, so they’re not old, rusty or no longer wearable. I produce them new, but in a vintage-inspired style. They’re also waterproof: they have a stainless steel setting with 18k gold plating, are sealed with acrylic, and some are printed or hand-painted. I love working with all kinds of different materials. For me, that’s what makes this necklace so special. I just adore that shade of pink together with the other charms, and I always love looking at it.
What do you do nowadays to switch off and relax outside of work?
I definitely notice when I need to get away, or when I’m simply stressed from work and can’t go on. That’s when I always head out into nature. I love walking in the forest or swimming in a lake, just breathing fresh air in the countryside, watching the cows graze in the meadow, or feeling the sea breeze on my face by the coast.
The main thing is few people, lots of nature and quiet, ideally with no phone signal. Give me a little house, or even a tiny cabin, maybe with a small fireplace or a mini sauna, and I’m happy.
Happiness means…
…filling your life completely with whatever makes you happy, whether that’s a salaried job, self-employment or family life, your hobbies, your friends or anything else. Personally, I’d say: always spend your time on what makes you happiest. And if you’re unhappy in your work or anywhere else, change it, because that’s where you spend so much of your life. Try to be honest with yourself about what fills your heart and what truly fulfills you as a person.
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