It’s possible to come to New Orleans, never leave the French Quarter, and go back home with only a cursory understanding of what makes the city tick. Ashley Lyons Porter did the opposite of that.
The world-renowned designer was born and raised in San Francisco, and she didn’t move to the Crescent City until college, when she enrolled at Tulane University. Something deep within Porter clicked, and she has been drawn to New Orleans ever since.
“I feel like, maybe in a past life or something, I was in New Orleans,” she said.
After graduating from Tulane with a masters in finance, Porter went to Los Angeles, where she worked for Merrill Lynch, earning an associate degree in fashion design at night. From there, she ended up in New York working for Balenciaga and Ralph Lauren.
Then Porter happened upon a $4,000 alligator skin belt, and everything changed.
“It got my wheels turning, and I have a business background, so I decided to write a business plan to launch an exotic skin belt line and use alligator from Louisiana, ethically sourced and sustainable,” she said. “I was vegetarian at the time, but I realized the livelihood of so many people in the South, and in the southern region, is based on this trade, and it has been for generations and generations.”
New business model in hand, Porter decided to move to New Orleans. On the plane flying in, she happened to strike up a conversation with a local man who immediately told Porter he had “an alligator guy.”
Almost immediately, Porter set up a thriving business with alligator farmer Tab Pitre in Galliano.
“I got my first skin from him, and he could see how excited I was about where he lived and how in touch he was with nature and the topography of the land,” she said.
Pitre showed Porter some bones of animals he trapped and traded for their hides and skins, and a lightning bolt of inspiration hit Porter. Soon enough, she was teaching herself how to make molds and create jewelry based on those bones.
“I’m really inspired by materials down here,” she said. “Different reptiles and animals are seen in a lot of my work, as well as the cosmic connection that exists between all things, given that we are in the Crescent City. There is this cosmic tie.”
Porter said her favorite pieces, the ones she feels most inspired by, are her custom creations that are inspired by nature, possess an artistic energy, and are created for idiosyncratic individuals who stand out in their own way.
“There’s meaning behind every piece that I make,” she said. “I hand select all of my gemstones personally, and I do believe that gemstones and objects can harness a certain energy, and I try to bring that into all of the pieces that I create.”
Porter Lyons, 623 Royal St., porterlyons.com, @porterlyonsdesigns
