Daily Pilot
April 25 2010
Armenian heritage inspires the Kardashians
By Mona Shadia
There were screams, shouts, laughs and lines of people anxiously
waiting, some wearing flat shoes, but most with high heels. And there
was talk of girls falling over for the three brunette sisters who have
made it sexy to be curvy and who let it be known that it’s just fine
for successful businesswomen to be fabulous and beautiful.
Kourtney, Kim and Khloe Kardashian, the stars of the E! reality
television show `Keeping up with the Kardashians,’ made an appearance
Saturday at the Nordstrom at Fashion Island in Newport Beach for the
launch of their new jewelry line, the Kardashian Collection by Virgins
Saints & Angels.
`The three of us love to collaborate with each other and when we had
the opportunity to create a design, Virgins Saints & Angels approached
us, and we felt like they allowed us to express ourselves,’ Kim
Kardashian said about the collection.
The Kardashian sisters expressed themselves by channeling their ancestors.
The collection is inspired by the sisters’ Armenian heritage ‘ from
its religious cross to its cultural symbols, like the Armenian star.
And it is done in honor of their late father, Robert, and their
Armenian roots.
`Our father is Armenian; we are fourth-generation Armenians. We didn’t
grow up speaking the language, but we had a strong Armenian presence
in our lives,’ said Kim Kardashian, whose website receives about 6.7
million views a month, according to a Los Angeles Times article.
And perhaps there was no better day to honor their ancestors than on
the anniversary of a tragic time for their forefather’s country ‘ the
Armenian Genocide.
A day before their visit to Fashion Island, the sisters made an
announcement on their websites.
`On the anniversary of such a tragic time in our history, we hope that
we can honor those who died by celebrating our culture and sharing it
with you guys,’ wrote the eldest of the three, Kourtney Kardashian.
There’s a bit of Armenian history behind each piece of their
collection, Kim Kardashian said.
By the time the sisters were ready to get out on the main floor for a
meet-and-greet session with fans, the lines were out the door and
hundreds waited in anticipation.
The Kardashians’ fans were not just women.
When Daniel Klingler found out that the sisters’ collection was being
launched at Nordstrom in Fashion Island, he came all the way from
Wisconsin.
`I’m here for their jewelry line, he said. `I wanted to get something
for my best friend; it’s her birthday.’
The collection was debuted at Nordstrom’s Trend Boutique on Saturday,
and it is scheduled to ship to other Nordstrom Trend boutiques in the
next two weeks, said Tara Miko Grayless from Virgins Saints & Angels.
Marinna Casey came from San Francisco just to meet the sisters. Kristy
DeBernardi, Marinna’s friend, came along from Beverly Hills.
And there were also children who knew who the Kardashians were and
wanted to meet them. Newport Beach resident Heather David brought her
two girls, Julia, 11, and Emily, 8, after they found out about the
sister’s scheduled appearance.
Julia said she was first introduced to the Kardashians through her
baby sitter, who watches their television show, and she grew to like
watching it herself.
While David has to censor some of the show’s episodes, she said the
Kardashians bring about a good message for young girls.
`They are not inheriting money and spending it, they are working and
showing women that you too can start your own jewelry line, that you
can be an entrepreneur,’ she said.
Asked how they see the collection evolving, Khloe Kardashian, the
youngest of the three, said, `It’s such an honor to be here. Nordstrom
is the ultimate place and to have our jewelry line here … it’s off
to a pretty good start.’
Following their appearance, the busy sisters were scheduled to fly to
Las Vegas to celebrate Kourtney Kardashian’s 31st birthday.
`… At Kourtney’s birthday, we will be toasting to the future and
honoring the past,’ wrote Khloe on her website.
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