BABES IN HART: KERRI ROSENTHAL

A woman in a blue striped shirt sits behind a white table in an art studio, with an easel on the left and shelves of paint bottles on the right. Pink graffiti-style text on the wall reads 'I LOVE YOUR GUTS'.

KERRI ROSENTHAL

Meet Kerri Rosenthal. Artist, CEO, maximalist, and a woman whose entire trajectory was set by a painting of two black olives she admired in a Greenwich restaurant. That was the beginning of everything.

Welcome to Babes in HART, let's say we just met at a dinner party. How would you introduce yourself?

I’m artist and CEO of my lifestyle brand, Kerri Rosenthal. I'm known for my drippy heart paintings so sometimes that clicks with people. We design clothing, home textiles, and of course I paint art in all forms. Everything we produce comes from my artwork. I have three kids, an amazing husband, and I’m about to be a Grandma, which is so wild.

At its core, our jewelry is about authenticity, wearing what reflects who you really are and tells your story. What lights you up?

Art in all forms. I think fashion is art, jewelry is art, cooking is art. Even shopping and getting dressed is art. Color lights me up, color in general. Contrast in colors, happy colors, brightness, and sunshine. Anything that makes my eyes dilate makes me happy. And, of course, my iced coffee every morning.

You picked up a paintbrush on a whim, with no formal training, and built an entire creative universe from that first painting. Do you remember what that painting was, and what were you feeling when you made it?

I remember it perfectly. We were out to dinner in Greenwich, Connecticut, and I couldn't stop staring at a painting that looked a little like two black olives. I have an olive thing, I love olives! I wanted to buy it, but we were young, and couldn't afford it at the time. I looked at my husband and said, "You know what? I'm going to buy paint and paint that tomorrow." And I did. I still have that painting at home and I loved it so much, it has great meaning. It ignited this crazy passion in me and literally set me on the path to becoming an artist. Painting filled something in me I didn’t even realize was empty. For about a year, I painted steadily in my basement without proper lights or windows. I would paint and cry. It was completely cathartic, and it changed my life forever.

Your brand spans art, fashion, and home. When did you realize this was bigger than just painting?

Before I became a painter, I worked in fashion. I think that when you’re creative, your creativity can morph at different times in your life. Fashion came first. Then painting became number one, but fashion never went away. Later, I moved into interior design and began designing

What's the first thing you consider when putting together an outfit?

The top. I think the top drives the outfit and the bottoms are secondary. Then it’s all about layers. I’m rarely wearing just one thing, so the question becomes: how many layers can I layer? I love the look, and it’s practical when the temperature keeps changing. My style is maximalist but not too much, but I’m definitely not a simple dresser and just a little unpredictable, perfectly imperfect.

Color is so central to everything you make. How do you choose it, and what do you want people to feel when they see it?

I want people to feel whatever they naturally feel. I often hear that our work and our colors make people feel happy or positive. I create for myself first. When I paint, I’m not painting for anyone else; the process is almost like therapy, and it fulfills me. I think that comes through because I’m a happy painter. The way someone responds is deeply personal, but I hope everything they purchase from us makes them smile.

Your aesthetic is vibrant, personal, and deeply human. How do you protect that as your brand grows?

I stay involved in every part of the process and immerse myself in each collection. I wear our pieces every day, styling them and constantly finding ways to evolve them. I paint every week, which brings forward new ideas and color palettes I didn’t know were inside me. If something doesn’t make my heart sing, and my team knows this very well, I don’t want to do it. It has to feel genuine and true.

Tell us about your HART stack. What charms did you choose, what do they mean to you, and what drew you to the pieces you picked?

I love layering necklaces, bracelets and rings. I was drawn to the HART icons that have personal meaning to me and connect to the symbols I paint, positive images filled with love and good luck. I’m obsessed with turquoise, and I love the contrast of turquoise against gold and the green cord. It feels very similar to the way I choose colors when I paint. Together, these three pieces become one beautiful painting. They work individually, but as a trio, they tell a richer story.

What are the tools, physical, digital, or otherwise, you reach for every day to stay grounded?

My markers. In the middle of all the decks and meetings, I’m always doodling on my notepads.You can usually find me sharing those little sketches on social media. Whether they’re scribbles, girls or something entirely random, I follow wherever my mind takes me and I still manage to listen! Those sketches might be future marketing sketches, part of the way we tell our story, inspiration for a future collection or simply something that makes me laugh. It’s all fuel.

This year marks 10 years of your brand. Congratulations! What are you most proud of? What would the version of you 10 years ago be most surprised by?

She would be most surprised that I’m the CEO of this company and that I’m running it on a business level. When we started 10 years ago, I told my family, “We can do this, but I cannot be the business part of the company. I’m creative, and that will hurt my creativity", Well, It hasn’t hurt it yet!

I’ve had moments when I felt like an imposter or wondered whether I was good enough as an artist. It seemed crazy at that time, that people connected with my work and wanted to buy it. Now I understand more but I am always doubting and that is the artist's curse I guess.

I’m proud that I learned how to be a CEO, and I’m incredibly proud of our team because the people around me have to know more than I do and they do!

I never could have predicted where we would be 10 years later or that we would grow to this scale. I still can’t believe we sell in more than 300 stores across the United States and Canada. We’ve learned that nothing can stop us. My happiest moments are in my studio. They may not happen as frequently now that I run the company, but that one day a week fills my soul.