About Me...

My name is Kayleigh Sutton and I am a self-taught Maximalist Jewellery Designer. My creations are handcrafted in my home studio, which is located in the beautiful seaside town of Tramore in Co. Waterford.

The idea of Phat Poly emerged many years ago during the 2008 recession, which led me to immigrating to Melbourne, Australia in 2010, like many other people at that time. I worked in Administration for the 5 years that I lived there – getting my first job in Foster’s! Melbourne is such a diverse and colourful city. I was hugely inspired by my experiences there and how people had successful careers in all sorts of creative fields.

I returned to Ireland in 2015 with a vision and a big dream. I decided to take the leap and got a job in the Civil Service so that I could save & support my first steps into the jewellery making world.

Being someone who likes to show my authentic and individual self, I have always been drawn to fun, quirky and statement jewellery. The thing that hindered my ability to wear earrings though was my sensitive skin. They were either made from metals that reacted with my skin or were very heavy and cumbersome - which hurts many peoples earlobes. I wanted to create eye-catching and kitsch earrings that were lightweight and guaranteed not to cause skin irritations.

I mentioned earlier that I am self-taught. I originally studied Social Care in college (but that’s for another time!!) And as with many craft businesses, mine started at my kitchen table. I learned all my skills from Youtube, blog posts, following other earring designers on Social Media and spending many hours after work and at weekends developing my skills.

I began working with Polymer Clay (that’s part of how Phat Poly got it’s name!) and have now evolved and developed my production in the use of acrylic - both of which are featherweight and colourful materials….perfect for my business ethos!

What I love about how I run my business is how often I get to play with ideas and create new designs. Unlike mainstream jewellery brands, you can find new Phat Poly designs most months! This keeps things fresh and exciting for me and my customers. My new designs are inspired by a multitude of influences from conversations with people I meet at markets to the customers I chat to on Social Media. Following home décor pages on Instagram is always a good starting point for some of my designs too.

My dream is to live in a world where women feel beautiful and confident more often than not and sometimes, I think wearing a powerful pair of Phat Poly earrings to compliment an outfit, mood or special occasion can help us achieve that.

My aim is for Phat Poly customers to feel that they are part of an uplifting and positive community…accepting themselves for who they are – kinks and all! I want them to feel unstoppable, to create a badass alter ego (if Beyonce can – why can’t we?!) and be remembered for the woman who wore those amazing earrings!!!

Phat Poly has grown so much in the past couple of years, allowing me to leave my secure and pensionable Civil Service job in 2021 to follow my dream and work as a Jewellery Designer full time.

I am so grateful to everyone who loves and supports Phat Poly - it inspires me to keep creating, try new things and take risks.

I have an online website but can be found at various Irish Craft markets and large events such as Gifted – you can find an updated list of places I will be right HERE on my website..