Ian Charms Goes Beyond the Beads with Custom Sweat Tour Tees
We speak with the founder of the tongue-in-cheek jewelry brand to discuss her rise to success, customs culture and teaming up with Charli XCX and Troye Sivan.
Lisa Sahakian doesn’t take life too seriously. That’s why she’s willingly created custom pendants adorned with the faces of Danny Devito, Moo Deng, and Jacob Elordi. You name it, she’s probably created it. What began as a serendipitous passion project has become a full-blown customs craze — but the craziest part of it all is that her brand, Ian Charms, is just getting started.
After building some organic traction and being spotted on some of pop culture’s favorite faces — Justin Bieber, Julia Fox, Dua Lipa (and that’s just the tip of the iceberg) — Sahakian gained what she calls the opportunity of a lifetime, to create custom tour tees for one of the most coveted events of the summer: The Sweat Tour.
View this post on Instagram
Charli XCX knows she’s our favorite reference, so collaborating with the stylist of one of the buzziest pop stars on the scene truly cemented Ian Charms’ status as a certified cool girl brand. Hypebae sat down with Sahakian after she debuted customs for the tour to dissect the brand’s rise to success, customs culture, and more.
What is the origin story of Ian Charms and why was jewelry something you were drawn to?
It all was kind of a happy accident. In 2020, I was working in reality TV, which I actually loved. I wanted to get my boyfriend at the time a chain, so I went to 14 Karats here in Beverly Hills. Anything cool was way out of my budget and the few things in my budget were pretty boring. So I went online to get some supplies and try to make him something instead — which I had never done. With the extra supplies from that, I made an Instagram. I always knew if I ever created a brand or sold anything that “Ian” would be part of the name. So I started Ian Charms. Originally, I was just selling to friends and I donated a portion of the money to BLM organizations. I made it through my original supplies very quickly and people were asking for more. Then pretty soon, within probably two or three weeks, Post Malone’s stylists had found my account and I was rushing to make him these pieces for the Billboard Awards that were the next night. He bought them, I turned on the TV and he didn’t wear them. Now knowing how the industry works, that’s so normal. But it kind of clicked for me that I should start reaching out directly to people’s stylists.
I reached out to Lorenzo Posocco because I loved his work. He responded and said, “I’d love it if you could make some for my client, her name is @DuaLipa.” I was like, “You don’t need to @ her, you can have whatever you want.” I made her six or seven customs and then she wore them back to back and consistently tagged the brand. It exploded from there. I started doing Ian Charms full-time in January 2021. But yeah, I’d say Dua, Bieber, and Pete Davidson really sent the brand to a whole new level.
View this post on Instagram
Why do you lean into vibrant color palettes and playful shapes, and where do you pull from inspiration-wise?
Weirdly enough, I almost feel like the bright colors have just always been my color palette. I don’t really own anything black. I gravitate toward bright colors and loud patterns. I wanted the jewelry to feel like that also. I felt like every brand that made jewelry, their palette was just beige or just all one tone. You couldn’t really tell the brands apart from each other. There was no personality to it and it felt like this really big gap in the market.
The name of the brand adds an element that departs from just the whimsical vibes, it’s inspired by your heritage. Why was it important for you to weave that into Ian Charms?
My dad’s side of the family is like my Big Fat Greek Wedding, but Armenian. We all get together in the summers and there are like 60 of us and it’s just always been such a cool culture to be a part of. There were so many traditions I grew up with that sounded crazy to a lot of my friends. I’ve always really identified with it and I’m super close with my dad. Right when I started the brand, he was diagnosed with a neurological disease. So, I felt like a lot of the brand was dedicated to him. I love that it’s something that has brought so much joy and relief to my family when things have been kind of dreary. It’s been a really nice way for me to honor my dad and my family.
That’s beautiful and encapsulates the whole essence of the brand and its joy. What’s the craziest custom request that you’ve had so far?
One that was memorable was the day that I decided to leave my job. Essentially the night before, I was hit up by Kylie Jenner’s old stylist. They wanted 12 pieces, multiples of all of them for her friends, one for Stormi, and one for Travis — and they needed them at five in the morning the next day. So, I was staying up all night making them. That was the moment that I thought, “I need to quit my job.” The one customer I remember ever turning down is someone who wanted a custom with R Kelly on it. I was just like, “I can’t do that.” I don’t know if that was a setup for me, but I did not fall for it.
You’ve embedded parts of yourself into the brand, and to make a truly one-of-one piece for someone else allows them to feel seen. Have you made any wedding Ian Charms?
A lot. Which is crazy to me. Either literally for the bride and groom — which is nuts. But I’ve also made a lot of bridesmaids gifts.
Is there something that you want to create that you haven’t gotten the chance to bring to life yet?
I think I want to make custom fine jewelry. I’ve done a bunch of beaded pieces and it’d be cool to make something metal that’s one-of-one. I really want to make something for Bieber, maybe for his kid. I’m trying to think of what could be super unique or special for them. I’m always thinking, “What can I make someone that would make them want to send a picture of it to someone.”
You mentioned fine jewelry, and you have some other metal pieces. Is that a newer direction that you’d like to expand in?
For sure. People want both, which is awesome. I started making metal pieces because of the worry that maybe the charms and beaded jewelry were just a passing trend — which is crazy because it’s four years later and charm bracelets and jewelry haven’t gone away. The thing that clicked about Ian Charms is that it will be customized as people change. If I make you something custom a year ago versus two years from now, it’ll be a totally different piece because you’ve changed and it’s like a time stamp or a memory.
That’s a good perspective for any person who creates — just make the things that you like. You can’t make something for everyone.
I feel like whenever my business is approached from almost a startup or tech perspective, they don’t get that. Some people have told me, “If you had just regular hoop earrings, then you’d have more customers.” But the fashion world looks at it so differently. It’s an art and a statement of someone’s identity.
The Sweat Tour tees were a really special custom project for you. They were everywhere and the internet was obsessed. How did that come to be?
I’ve worked with Charli’s stylist Chris since I started the brand. I sent him stuff before this was my full-time job and he’s so lovely to work with. Throughout the years, they’ve pulled pieces for different projects. They pulled for the “Guess” music video but she didn’t end up wearing any of the pieces. But they asked if I’d be interested in making some merch for the tour. And I literally wrote back, “Say less!” and then they reached out a few days later with some ideas or phrases for inspiration. I thought it was gonna be jewelry at first, but they wanted tees and that opened up a whole new world. It was just a really fun collaboration with him and his team. Even in that “Thot daughter” shirt, daughter is knowingly misspelled. Seeing them wear them on tour and seeing the viral Tweets and TikToks in real time — that is the coolest part of this job. It’s honestly maybe the highlight of all of this. Being a part of the album and tour for an artist that I’m obsessed with. I’m obsessed with working with creatives that are funny and don’t take things too seriously. It was the perfect team and it’s been selling like crazy. I even went to the show in LA and a bunch of people were wearing the merch around. It was really crazy to see.
Do you feel like you channeled your inner Brat Summer through these designs?
It was a mix of the Brat aesthetic and Ian Charms. The first inspo that Chris had sent was Paris Hilton and she was with Nicole. They’re wearing the “Team Paris” t-shirts. So, the first shirts that we had seen Charli and Troye in were the “Team Charli” and the “Team Troye” shirts. The fact that they want to poke fun at themselves opened up the door for me. So I was just kind of making them, whipping up the designs, sending them to the team, and then having them tweak or approve things. They loved the thot daughter and gay son graphics on the red and blue pills. We thought: “How ridiculous can we make it?”
Sweat Tour was such a fun concert experience. What’s your favorite song off of Brat?
“I Think About It All The Time” is such a good one.
That one hits. Listening to that album for the first time, people probably didn’t expect the deeper lyrics and meaning.
It’s gnarly, but it’s so real. I feel like being 30 and prioritizing a business and the pressure of it helps me to relate. Everyone else is asking if you’re going to have kids or settle down and put this aside, and it feels impossible to have both worlds. So, that one felt really personal. I also love “Rewind,” “365,” and “Girl So Confusing.” She’s kind of brought live events back. Even whenever she would wear something Ian Charms on the tour, I would always watch the videos with no audio because I didn’t want to ruin the experience. This tour felt like this secret that you got to be a part of and just let loose. I should not have worn makeup to that, it was dripping down my face. My shirt was soaked; it was so fun to just see people go nuts.
There’s been a shift towards heightened individuality in fashion. Why do you think that is?
It’s super palpable. We’ve become super aware of overconsumption. I don’t know if that’s just Gen Z or TikTok, but it is, rightfully so, shunned to wear fast fashion. It’s so bad for everyone and the environment. People want things that are one-of-one because they’re unique and only you have it, so it’s super special. It’s like a moment frozen in time.
I just went through my whole closet for the first time in years and got rid of about three-quarters of it. Everything I kept was pretty much small brands and custom things. Things that I’ll always keep forever because they hold so much value being handmade and custom. I’d way rather spend my money on something more expensive that’s unique or custom or from a small business than have 50 different Urban Outfitters and Zara T-shirts that I don’t wear. Everyone’s done with the overconsumption and these trend cycles are so overpowering. It’s hard to stay away from when it’s all you see online from creators. So, being able to step outside of that or even follow the trend but do it your own way is what people are really craving lately.
View this post on Instagram
People want to hold onto things for longer if they can assign value to them. Do you have a dream Ian Charms supporter or wearer?
I feel like the few that have always stood out to me are ASAP Rocky and Rihanna. I mean come on.
That would be iconic.
I love both of them. I love their PUMA collabs and I just adore them as people and fashion icons. The second, would be Miley Cyrus; I grew up with her and she’s the ultimate celebrity to me. Lastly, I’d say I want a Kardashian in Ian Charms. I mean, they’re the OG Armenians. So, I need that, I do.
