Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda & Camille Flores.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
As a recent college graduate from CSUSM, & with the global pandemic, it was hard to find my place in the world in terms of finding a career. I’ve always been in love with fashion and art but didn’t know how to make a career of it. Flash forward to July 2020, I had this idea to create clay earrings just as a fun creative project. Personally, I’ve always found that unique earrings were the perfect accessory for any outfit. At first, I thought the earrings I made weren’t good enough. However, my older sister, Camille, and her best friend Xyza, wanted to give it a shot and make some too. We ended up spending the whole afternoon having fun and making earrings. As we finished our first batch, I felt like it was something we had to pursue. Without my sister Camille and Xyza, I don’t think Sama Sama would have happened. They encouraged me to keep going. The rest is history! We are all Filipino, and “Sama Sama” in Tagalog means “together.” Because in the end, we are stronger together, and that is a message we always want to convey to anyone we meet through this small business. Sama Sama is more than just earrings us; it’s a passion project that brings our family and community together.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There are always some minor struggles when starting a business from the bottom, but nothing that we couldn’t overcome together. I’d have to say that the road for us has been pretty smooth. I think some challenges I faced were not having a traditional business & navigating through the logistics was something I had to learn. However, my boyfriend Jacob, who was a recent college graduate business major, played a big part in advising & teaching me business 101. It has also been difficult not to compare ourselves to other clay businesses. We found that it is better to see that we have our own individual experiences, our own creativity, and that couldn’t be replaced. In the end, it was better to focus on what we want to create and hope that it inspires those who receive it.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
Something that we’re proud of is the community we created with Sama Sama. People from all around the US have ordered from us, friends, family and new customers now turned friends! I think the fact we were able to bring people together, wearing the same earrings and getting excited about our creations was thrilling. I also have to thank my cousin Samie, who is our amazing logo creator and also our business’s graphic designer. We probably went through so many prototypes of our logo. Samie was able to really make it true to what we wanted Sama Sama to represent. I think having multiple artists and creatives under Sama Sama is what makes this business unique. It’s actually a family and a community. I think what sets us apart is that we aren’t thinking Sama Sama as a make, make, produce, produce company. We take the time to think about who wears them, why they would wear them etc. That is why we stick to our small batch mantra. Overproducing anything didn’t feel right, and making them in smaller batches really meant that the customer would be getting their own unique creation. They all come out unique, even if they were baked in the same batch. We are rooted in sustainability. We never wanted anything to be thrown away, so we were mindful in what we chose to make within these small batches. We also wanted to bring joy to those who wear Sama Sama earrings. We think that the names of our earrings set us apart. “Iced Coffee” in the colors “Oatmilk and Extra Caramel Drizzle” was fun to name! We think our customers identify with the funky, unique names of our earrings. Like “Moo’d up and Brown Chicken, Brown Cow” for our cow print earrings. It is a joy to give personalities to these creations.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I need to listen to Korean music to think & create. However, during the holidays, we have our record player playing Christmas songs next to us! Right now, my favorite one to listen to is the Charlie Brown Christmas record!
Contact Info:
- Email: shopsamasamaa@gmail.com
- Website: www.shopsamasama.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shop.samasamaa/
Image Credits
Personal Photo: Steven Salaysay. Left to Right (viewing) is Camille, Amanda, Xyza
Additional Photos: The photos of us wearing masks was done by Perscilla Curley @thepostweddingphotographer on Instagram
Other additional photos such as our painted canvas sign (artwork by Samantha Ines) and product photos were done by me (Amanda Flores)
