Kim Last was a storyteller, even as a child. A precocious tyke and aspiring journalist, she used to run around with a notebook and pen, asking questions and taking notes. As time went on, her interest evolved into a promising career, and her resume quickly featured some impressive stats: editor-in-chief of her college newspaper, as only a junior, and internships at Scripps in Washington, D.C. and BBC Parliament in London. After graduating Washington College in May 2007, however, journalism was suffering and Kim took a slightly different career path, taking a job at Forbes.com as an audience development manager. However, Kim began to feel restless. Attached to not one, but two, Blackberries at a job she didn’t really like, she felt the urge to be creative. She missed the ability to translate real life stories into something that can move people. Instead of attempting to move back into journalism, however, she once again looked to her roots for answers.

Kim’s family has always been involved in the jewelry business. Her grandmother once had a jewelry store and her father worked in sales. As a child, in between interviewing adults and creating stories as a mini-journalist, Kim tagged along with her father to trade shows and appointments, and Kim had always been drawn to fashion and accessories. Plagued with the idea that she could probably make better accessories than the ones she bought in many stores, which broke after only a few uses, she began to explore the idea further. In her research, she found a program at FIT and took her first class in December 2008, and by April 2009, she had created her site to sell the pieces she was making, creating her brand Kim Last Designs, sometimes known as KLD NYC.

Kim sees her progress from media to jewelry design as natural. Instead of telling a story in print, you tell a story with what you wear. An example of this is a line of key necklaces she’s created, drawing inspiration from her grandmother, who had keys around her house as well, each having a special purpose.

Kim Last Designs focuses on finding such inspiration in people’s stories and pasts, using both new and old materials, including everything from quality sterling silver chains to vintage chandelier pieces to create a cohesive story of diverse jewelry that appeals to wide-range of customers. KLD’s unique pieces have begun to catch on and grab attention, not unlike the way a headline of a newspaper can pique the interest of a passerby.