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    Shop Talk: Columbus Boutique Mixes Fashion with Holistic Techniques

    Jewelry designer Darsy Amaya found beauty in her life’s darkest moments and channeled it into something positive. 

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    “I have created my best pieces when I’m at my worst,” Amaya said. “So that helped me embrace my bad times and see how that pain or loss or depression or whatever it is, it’s also beautiful.”  

    White Canvas Designs & Holistic Wellness sells handcrafted jewelry and accessories fashioned from crystals and semi-precious stones. The boutique opened at 267 S. Third St. Downtown in October 2022, but Amaya opened her first studio in 2017 in Franklinton at 400 West Rich.

    “My life had to be completely like a white canvas to then re-invent it and create my own masterpiece with my art, my jewelry,” Amaya said. “Now I have a store and I don’t even know how it happened. I just kind of trusted the process and I truly believe that everyone has that capability.”

    Alongside Amaya are her mother Maritza Motino, a fit technical designer, and her sister Heidy Amaya-Pena, a fashion illustrator and merchandiser. Both are graduates of the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. 

    “Now we’re a family team that creates one of a kind, handcrafted designs combining conventional and holistic practices,” Amaya said.

    Darsy Amaya (left) with mother Maritza Motino and sister Heidy Amaya-Pena (right) at the 2019 Columbus Fashion Week Finale Runway Show - Photo by Ian C Powell Photography
    Darsy Amaya (left) with mother Maritza Motino and sister Heidy Amaya-Pena (right) at the 2019 Columbus Fashion Week Finale Runway Show – Photo by Ian C Powell Photography

    White Canvas Designs is part of Common Thread, a destination shopping experience on South Third Street that features seven local and national brands. The program is a partnership between the Columbus Downtown Development Corporation and the Columbus Fashion Council. 

    Amaya is a master in Reiki, which is a form of energy healing. In addition to designing jewelry, Amaya conducts Reiki sessions, massages and tarot readings. 

    She also facilitates a series of workshops for women called “Color your Life,” which integrates color with positive affirmation and is based on the practices of chakra healing. 

    Although Amaya is labeled as a designer, she considers herself more of an artist. She said art to her means giving all of her emotions space and making friends with them. 

    “My process for creating is very painful, and I love to see a transformation into turning it into a beautiful thing,” she said.  

    The brand’s collections include D’ Colores, Feed Your Soul, Rock Your World, Roma & Checo Love, Body & Soul and Archangels. D’ Colores was showcased at the 2019 Columbus Fashion Week Finale Runway Show. 

    White Canvas Designs & Holistic Wellness is located at 267 S. Third St. The shop’s winter hours are Tuesday through Friday from 12 – 6 p.m. and Saturday from 1 – 5 p.m., with plans for extended in the spring and summer. More information about the brand can be found on its Facebook Page.

    Learn more about Common Thread at downtowncolumbus.com/commonthread.

    All photos by Ashley Kimmel unless otherwise noted

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    Ashley Kimmel
    Ashley Kimmel
    Ashley Kimmel is a freelance reporter for Columbus Underground. She graduated from OSU with a BA in Journalism. Ashley has lived in Columbus her entire life and is passionate about the growing community and supporting small businesses.
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