Think about your ear. No, really. Because if you’re not thinking about it. Lisa Bubbers certainly is. And she’s made an entire business out of thinking about ears, ear anatomy, piercing, self-expression, and Earscapes.
Don’t let that last word escape you—Bubbers coined and trademarked the word Earscape, which her brand Studs defines as “the art and science of personalized ear piercing and earring stacking, resulting in a form of unique self-expression.” So, if you see that phrase floating around the jewelry landscape, you now know who to thank.
As the cofounder and chief brand officer at Studs, Bubbers is a formidable person, both in terms of her personal journey and her professional résumé. Her work life starts at camp, then travels to the heights of New York City, and lands inside a tattoo shop, where her second life in jewelry gets its momentum. Hold on—it’s an amazing ride.
First, camp counseling. That was Bubber’s first “real” job, and it wasn’t a glamorous one. “Taking care of, entertaining, and wrangling kids all summer is a humbling and formative experience,” Bubbers says.
Yet that role also made sense for the teen. “I’m equally left- and right- brained, and I’ve always loved creating the plan and directing the group to execute on a vision, even at a young age,” Bubbers admits.
She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania, where Bubbers was an editor, volunteer, and even a research fellow. She studied art history and visual studies, which she says brought together all of her passions in one major.
“When I was a freshman at Penn, they started the visual studies major as a hybrid of art history, visual arts, and the science, philosophy, and communications of visual culture. It really felt innovative and the right mix of my interests,” Bubbers says. “With this major, my original career aspiration was to become a curator, but when I moved to NYC, I decided I wanted to get some more commercial business experience.”
Her first job post-graduation was as an assistant to the branding and integration team at advertising agency Ogilvy doing experiential activations. During those early years in her career, Bubbers also worked as a marketing associate and spent three key years with Jonathan Adler, the visionary designer.
“I started off as Jonathan’s assistant and then moved on to be a part of his partnerships and brand licensing team,” Bubbers says. “Jonathan is a design and branding genius, and it was an amazing place to learn how to build a truly unique brand that customers love, how to create compelling retail environments, and how to create meaningful collaborations and partnerships.”
She joined interior design startup Homepolish as its sixth employee, and that startup experience was everything you’d expect it would be: grueling, challenging, and amazing.
“Homepolish’s mission was to democratize interior design services and make them accessible to those with more limited budgets while giving emerging interior designers a platform to grow their portfolio,” Bubbers says. “I learned how to manage and grow a team as well as how to grow a brand via organic brand marketing. I use my design background and my experience at these companies every day.”
Bubbers says she wanted her own startup, and Studs grew out of her business experience—she knew an opportunity when she saw one—and her life experience. That means that she knew who to work with and why. Bubbers and her cofounder, Anna Harman, had been friends for a decade when in 2019 Harman went to get a second piercing.
That NYC premium studio? Packed and expensive. That tattoo shop? Super professional but its jewelry selection was…meh.
“That’s when we realized the ear-piecing industry was ripe for reimagination to create the right experience, assortment, and environment for millennials and Gen Z,” Bubbers say.
Earscape? That came as a result, and Studs has been going well overall, Bubbers says. The brand just opened its 15th store, and customer reviews are strong.
“Our needle piercings are highly consultative experiences with piercing experts who evaluate each individual’s ear anatomy to help them find the best piercing placement, and our wide earring assortment is made for mixing and matching, so customers can create an Earscape that’s right for them,” Bubbers says. “It’s been really fun and rewarding to see the term catch on widely over the past few years.”
Top: Lisa Bubbers has worked for some of the top interior-design brands in the world, yet her interests now center on the human ear, creating beautiful design for the simplest of body parts through her company, Studs (photos courtesy of Studs).
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