From Her Mother’s Dresses to One of a Kind Jewelry: Gigi Lopez Thomason’s Creative Journey

MANILA, Philippines, September 24, 2026 — Before Geressa “Gigi” Lopez Thomason began making jewelry, she was a young girl with a pencil, a head full of ideas and, eventually, her mother’s dresses to experiment with.

Gigi recalls drawing at seven years old. In high school, her interest in design grew. She would take apart her mother’s dresses and use them to create designs of her own. She learned by doing, developing a style that prizes originality, elegance and careful attention to detail.

Design has been a lasting passion alongside Gigi’s career in business management. She says she started without much family support and had to build her creative work from scratch. That experience shaped the patience she brings to every piece.

Gigi wants her jewelry to give its wearer a sense of satisfaction and pride. She hopes to show more of her creations in the coming year and continue developing pieces for people who value personal style.

Her advice to aspiring designers is drawn from experience: do not be afraid to show your talent, stay focused and take the time to make something you can call your own.

About Gigi Lopez Thomason
Geressa “Gigi” Lopez Thomason is a Los Angeles–based designer whose work includes jewelry, leather bags, dresses and interior design. She currently focuses on one of a kind jewelry made with natural elements.

In Conversation with Gigi Lopez Thomason: The Appeal of One of a Kind Jewelry

For Moda Lifestyle, Los Angeles–based designer Geressa “Gigi” Lopez Thomason talks about her first experiments with fashion, the natural materials she loves and why she wants every creation to feel personal. This interview was adapted from her written answers and edited for clarity.

Moda Lifestyle: When did design first become part of your life?
Gigi: I started drawing when I was seven. By high school, I knew I was interested in design. I even took apart some of my mother’s dresses to create designs of my own.

What made you decide to keep creating?
I’ve always felt it was a God-given talent. I taught myself, and I kept going because I had ideas I wanted to see become real.

Was it easy to get started?
No. I didn’t have much support from my family at the beginning, so I had to start from scratch. They thought I was talented, but I still had to find my own way.

You’ve worked in several areas of design. Where is your attention now?
I’ve designed dresses and leather bags and explored interior design. Right now, I’m focused on making jewelry. I love it.

What might someone find in one of your pieces?
I like working with pearls and natural elements, including dried flowers and leaves. I’m interested in what those materials can become in a piece of jewelry.

What makes a design feel finished to you?
I look closely at anything that feels mismatched or uneven. I want the finished piece to have elegance and quality, but it also has to be durable.

You describe your work as one of a kind. What does that mean to you?
I want each creation to have its own style. Originality matters to me, and I hope the person wearing a piece feels proud of it.

Where do your ideas come from?
From personal experiences, people, places, cultures and the materials themselves. I’m open to other people’s ideas, too. Listening can help me see something differently and improve my work.

Design has been a passion alongside your business career. Has that experience influenced you?
My professional work has included managing businesses, first in the medical field in Makati and later as the owner of an employment agency in the United States. Through my experiences, I’ve learned the value of patience, honesty and trustworthiness.

What would you like to do next as a designer?
I want to show more of my creations and keep developing my jewelry. There are still many ideas I want to bring out.

What would you tell someone who is just beginning to design?
Don’t be afraid to show your talent. Stay focused and be patient enough to make something you can be proud to call your own.

If a reader remembers one thing about your work, what should it be?
One of a kind.

The beginning

Moda Lifestyle: Gigi, let’s start with an introduction. What name do you use professionally?
Gigi: My full name is Geressa Lopez Thomason, but you can call me Gigi.

Moda Lifestyle: And where are you speaking to us from?
Gigi: Los Angeles, California.

Moda Lifestyle: When you say you’re a designer, what kinds of things do you mean?
Gigi: I’ve designed leather bags, dresses and jewelry. I’ve also been interested in interior design. Right now, jewelry is what I’m working on most.

Moda Lifestyle: Did that interest begin when you were young?
Gigi: Yes. I became interested in design in high school, but I was drawing much earlier than that.

Moda Lifestyle: How early?
Gigi: I started drawing when I was seven years old.

Moda Lifestyle: Was there someone who spotted your talent and pushed you toward design?
Gigi: There wasn’t one particular person. I’ve always felt it was a God-given talent.

Moda Lifestyle: Did you study design, or did you find your own way into it?
Gigi: I taught myself. I learned by trying things and creating them myself.

Moda Lifestyle: What was one of those early experiments?
Gigi: My mother’s dresses. I would take them apart and create my own designs. That’s one of my strongest early memories of making fashion.

Moda Lifestyle: That sounds adventurous. How did your family react?
Gigi: Starting out was difficult because I didn’t feel I had their support. I had to build my interest in design from scratch.

Moda Lifestyle: But did they see that you had talent?
Gigi: Yes, they thought I was talented.

A creative life alongside business

Moda Lifestyle: Was design your full-time profession?
Gigi: Design has been my personal passion. My professional career has mostly been in managing businesses for private companies.

Moda Lifestyle: What other field gave you valuable experience?
Gigi: Accounting.

Moda Lifestyle: What was your first major professional opportunity?
Gigi: I worked as an operations manager in the medical field in Makati. After I moved to the United States, I became the owner of an employment agency.

Moda Lifestyle: Was there a single project that changed the direction of your career?
Gigi: I think there were several career shifts and milestones. It wasn’t just one project.

Moda Lifestyle: Which design work has tested you the most?
Gigi: Making my own jewelry and leather bag designs. Having an idea is one thing; working through it and creating the piece is another.

Moda Lifestyle: What happens when a project doesn’t go the way you expected?
Gigi: An obstacle makes you stop and re-evaluate. I try to improve my mindset and the way I work instead of letting a setback become only a disappointment.

Moda Lifestyle: Has working with other people taught you anything that carries into design?
Gigi: Patience and honesty. Integrity and trustworthiness matter in any working relationship.

Moda Lifestyle: Have you shown your designs at a fashion show or exhibition?
Gigi: Not yet.

Moda Lifestyle: Have you received any professional recognition?
Gigi: I received recognition as a businesswoman in 2002 and was named an honored member of the International Executive Guild of America as a business owner.

Moda Lifestyle: What achievement feels most personal to you?
Gigi: It’s satisfying to aim for something, do what you love and see your ideas become creations. That outcome means a lot to me.

How she thinks about design

Moda Lifestyle: Where does inspiration usually come from?
Gigi: From my personal experiences, people, places and cultures. The materials themselves inspire me, too.

Moda Lifestyle: You’ve mentioned natural materials. What draws you to them?
Gigi: They can bring a feeling of calm and space to a design. That appeals to me.

Moda Lifestyle: Is there a designer whose work you follow closely?
Gigi: I haven’t named one particular person. I’m open to ideas from others, though. Sometimes another person’s perspective helps sharpen my thinking, and I think it’s important to stay humble enough to listen.

Moda Lifestyle: Has something outside design unexpectedly influenced your creative work?
Editor’s note: Gigi did not provide a specific example in her written interview.

Moda Lifestyle: When you begin something new, what question do you ask yourself?
Gigi: I ask myself how far I can take the project—how beautiful I can make it.

Moda Lifestyle: Do you usually see the final piece clearly at the start?
Gigi: It begins as a raw concept. Then I work toward the finished design.

Moda Lifestyle: What are you looking for as you work?
Gigi: I notice when something is mismatched or uneven. Those details matter.

Moda Lifestyle: Do you always return to the same colors or techniques?
Gigi: I didn’t identify one favorite color or technique in my answers. What I pay attention to is whether the elements work together.

Moda Lifestyle: How do you judge whether a piece is successful?
Gigi: I want durability, quality and elegance. It should look good, but it should also last.

Moda Lifestyle: And how should someone feel when they wear it?
Gigi: Satisfied. Proud.

Moda Lifestyle: What would make someone recognize a piece as yours?
Gigi: Its uniqueness and style.

Moda Lifestyle: Is there one particular design with a story you’re ready to tell?
Editor’s note: Gigi did not identify a specific piece in her written interview.

Her focus on jewelry

Moda Lifestyle: What’s on your worktable these days?
Gigi: Jewelry. That’s where I’m putting my creative attention now.

Moda Lifestyle: Why does jewelry interest you so much?
Gigi: I simply love it. There are many ideas I want to explore through jewelry making.

Moda Lifestyle: Do you have a particular wearer in mind?
Gigi: I haven’t described one specific customer. I believe the design should make sense for the person who will wear it.

Moda Lifestyle: How is this work different from the dresses and bags you’ve designed?
Editor’s note: Gigi did not describe a specific difference between her current jewelry and earlier work.

Moda Lifestyle: Can you give us a sense of the pieces you want to make?
Gigi: I’m interested in pieces using pearls and natural elements such as dried flowers and leaves.

Moda Lifestyle: Are you working with anyone else on the jewelry?
Editor’s note: Gigi did not name any collaborators in her written interview.

Moda Lifestyle: When might people see more of it?
Gigi: I want to show my creations as I make them. I haven’t set a particular launch date.

Moda Lifestyle: Where should interested readers look?
Gigi: Facebook and eBay. I haven’t provided specific links yet.

What comes next

Moda Lifestyle: What principle guides you when you’re designing for someone?
Gigi: The piece should fit its purpose and the person wearing it. I think about the wearer, not only the design by itself.

Moda Lifestyle: Has your idea of success changed over time?
Editor’s note: Gigi did not answer this question in her written interview.

Moda Lifestyle: Is there something you would like to see change in the design world?
Editor’s note: Gigi did not answer this question in her written interview.

Moda Lifestyle: What do you hope people remember about your work?
Gigi: Originality, uniqueness and elegance. I want a piece to feel one of a kind.

Moda Lifestyle: What would you like to accomplish over the next year?
Gigi: I want to show more of my creations.

Moda Lifestyle: And when you look further ahead?
Gigi: I want to keep doing that—developing my work and sharing more of what I create.

Moda Lifestyle: Is there a technique or collaboration you’re especially eager to try?
Editor’s note: Gigi did not name one in her written interview.

Moda Lifestyle: What would you say to someone who loves design but is afraid to show their work?
Gigi: Don’t be afraid to show your talent. Stay focused and be patient. Give your work the attention it needs so you can be proud of what you’ve made.

Moda Lifestyle: Finish this sentence for us: “I design because…”
Gigi: I design because my creativity doesn’t stop. I have so many more ideas I want to bring out.

Moda Lifestyle: Last question. If someone remembers just one thing about you as a designer, what should it be?
Gigi: One of a kind.