BEHIND THE BRAND
When Bria Bergman and Jessica Casper met, they knew they were fated friends. Little did they know they’d be fated founders.
The two were first introduced while working at a fashion startup that made jewelry from seeds - and from there a path to business partners grew. As part of a global team, they transformed these natural materials into high-fashion items, and the fledgling company into a multimillion dollar business. Along the way, they learned how to successfully operate a company, manage a supply chain, and connect with artisans—and in the sincere potential of bringing sustainability to luxury fashion.
And after years spent designing, collaborating with and transforming the lives of craftsmen and their communities abroad, the two agreed: it was time to bring it back home. So in 2015, Bria and Jess launched Paris West.
Globally-minded, locally-operated, and woman-run, Paris West represents the kind of business they’d always believed in, and the one that they knew they were ready to build.
Bria Bergman, Co-Founder + CEO
Bria grew up outside of Detroit, where she developed a potent combination of grit, gumption, and hospitality as only can be found where the motor-city meets the midwest. After earning a degree from the University of Michigan in Film and Latin American & Caribbean Studies, she parlayed her education into real-world experience. From traveling the world creating, marketing, and selling fair trade accessories to the likes of Anthropologie and Pendleton, to board room meetings and the trenches of building a business, she’s done it all. And with each step, her passion for global culture and local awareness has grown. In co-founding Paris West, she has taken her hard-earned and heart-led career full circle and back to her roots.
Jessica Casper Hunt, Co-Founder + President
Growing up in Irvington, NY, Jess (as she’s called by most) took advantage of its proximity to New York City from an early age. Following an innate curiosity employing her token (and infectious) optimism, she ventured into the city often to explore the energy, art, and possibility that could be found in no short supply. Attending UPenn, she earned a degree in Visual Studies and Psychology, and solidified a pair of passions that would come to define her career. Guided by this love of creativity and culture, her path led her to that very same fair trade company as Bria, and an international career that spanned raw materials to retail marketing. From Ecuador to Africa, Jess learned how to marry the beauty of artisan craft with eco-friendly processes and business operations - and brought these skills back home in co-founding Paris West.