Treasure hunting with Ashley Harris

The founder and creative director of Don't Let Disco on the importance of the perfect handbag, building community and the novel concept of fragrance sommeliers.

Don’t Let Disco founder and creative director Ashley Harris in the Cat Printed Pants with Don’t Let Disco’s Crystal Currents necklace and Margiela Tabi boots, at her studio in Brooklyn. Photo by Ramie Faris.

As is the case with many entrepreneurs who have turned their passion into a business, it’s difficult to pinpoint the exact launch of Ashley Harris’s jewelry brand, Don’t Let Disco. She began collecting and deconstructing jewelry in high school, started selling beaded pieces while in college at Spelman and made jewelry nights and weekends while working full-time as marketing director at Sotheby’s.

As Don’t Let Disco has grown not an ounce of Ashley’s original passion has dimmed. She gets animated talking about the independent makers she unearths on Instagram, the African antiques dealer who she tracks around the city to check on his wares and the two Ukrainian women who handcraft beautiful ceramic beads and give a significant portion of earnings back to their community. It comes through loud and clear in her collection, which is by turns playful and precious, childlike and incredibly sophisticated.

Clockwise from top: Ashley wears the fine wool polo sweater; on the tray: a work-in-progress with pyrite, semi-precious stars, rock crystal and vintage vinyl; Ashley carries the Swing Satchel with Don’t Let Disco's Lovably Internet Troll bag charm and Cosmic Crystal Constellation Wrap, styled as a belt; a branded beading tray; on the bust: necklaces from the Apocalyptic Disco Summer Collection Pt 2.

Treasure hunting is in her blood, and it encompasses her pursuit of clothing, handbags, art and even fragrance, which she collects and keeps responsibly in a mini fridge. A true connoisseur, Ashley relies on “fragrance somms” like Tracy Wan to guide her. “You can say to her, I want to smell like sunscreen after eating delicious oysters in Saint Barts on a Tuesday and she’ll give you a scent,” Ashley explains. “She’s incredible.”

Some of Ashley’s beaded treasure ends up in the Bead Bars that she hosts two Sundays a month in the lobby of her studio. Anyone can make a reservation to attend and have unlimited access to felt bowls of beads and a beading tray to try their hand at creating a bracelet or necklace. (Her advice to novices: Come up with a short sequence and repeat it.) “We’ve built a little community around it,” says Ashley. “I’m really proud of that.” More from Ashley below…

Ashley wears a vintage coat from The Real Real, custom-made gloves, and carries the Swing Satchel with Don’t Let Disco charms.

My daily uniform is…beads! Whether around my neck, waist, wrists, or adorning my bag. Even if you see me in a turtleneck, I have beads on underneath.

I’m always looking for the perfect version of…a handbag. The perfect handbag should carry not just your essentials, but your stories and mysteries.

The best entrepreneurship advice I’ve received…"Nurture your vision but welcome the wind's wisdom." This means to stay true to your plan yet be open to change. It’s been invaluable to me.

I'm always inspired by…the work of Wangechi Mutu. Her summer exhibition at the New Museum left a lasting impression on me; it showcases not just art but a profound narrative of transformation and hope.

The one thing I wear everyday…is fragrance. I don’t have a signature scent; it’s always changing. Right now, I’m obsessed with vetiver, rotating between Frederic Malle’s Vetiver Extraordinaire, Fat Electrician by État Libre d’Orange and Nonfiction’s For Rest.

My favorite places to shop…are hidden artisan markets, vintage shops filled with rich histories, and quaint boutiques nestled within the vast, enigmatic tangle of the world wide web.

This spring, I’m looking forward to…the Fran Hosken exhibition being curated by Chip Von Hardenburgh for the Weinberg Modern Gallery. While many enthusiasts admire her revolutionary work in flat-pack furniture design, few are aware of her significant contributions to the jewelry industry.

Ashley in the studio with her to-do notebook. Currently a finalist for the Fashion Trust U.S. jewelry award, she’s at work on a presentation for the ceremony on April 9.

EVERYTHING & NOTHING: THE POINTELLE POLO

After bubbling under for a couple years, the polo has emerged as an essential knit. We love Ashley’s pea-green version in fine wool, but as we move into warmer weather, we’re into our cotton pointelle polos. Helpfully, there are more than a few options: different color combinations with both short sleeves and long.

FINER POINTS Our cotton pointelle polo, three ways. The Short Sleeve Polo in ivory and dark green, Long Sleeve Polo in blue and red, Short Sleeve Polo in pink and bright yellow.

Why we love them: The fabric is 100% cotton with a Goldilocks-perfect medium weight that isn’t too heavy but also has some structure so as to not cling and buckle as summer-weight knits often can. They subtly alternate stripes of pointelle with a flat pique texture. The collar meanwhile is a dense flat knit that lays where it should.