FROM THE RING TO THE BLING:
My story: alicia shulman
What began as a curious hobby, quickly escalated…
From the training camps of the Poconos, Carolinas, and Big Bear Lake, to the Las Vegas arena, from 1997-2002, I photographeda golden era in the testosterone-fuelled circus of world-championship boxing.
Capturing the human spirit in preparation, victory, and defeat became my art form, and moments with marquee names like Ali, Frazier, Foreman, Duran, Mayweather, Sugar Ray Leonard, de la Hoya, Trinidad, and Holyfield my daily reality.
The fight-game provided theater, a canvas to illuminate the raw emotion of the gritty boy’s club, and, the medium, an outlet to express my blurred world of art, fashion, music, and sport.
As they began populating magazines and HBO projects, and appearing on magazine and book covers, “Shulman” images became easily identifiable.
The work culminated in a Rizzoli coffee-table book contract, with artist LeRoy Neiman crafting the foreword. And, years later, after his passing, my first Ali image – taken on a warm February evening in his NYC suite – was licensed by Harper Collin’s, becoming cover-art for MUHAMMAD ALI: A TRIBUTE TO THE GREATEST.
At forty-three, when climbing onto a boxing ring no longer felt, well, awesome… I transferred my core instincts to a new medium. Jewels. And, what began as innocent flirtation with stones quickly escalated to a full-blown love affair. And business.
Launching in the Kate Spade stores nationwide, the line grew across the luxury-resort sector with clients including: The Breakers, Rosewood, One+Only, Montage, Como, Gansevoort, and Regent, Oceania, and Windstar ships.
The Palm Beach-meets-deserted beach brand has been seen across over forty magazine and news titles including: Palm Beach Illustrated, Hamptons, New York Times, Travel+Leisure, Oprah, and Harper’s Bazaar… and I’ve enjoyed interview segments with the Miami Herald TV, Telemundo, Clear Channel, and being the subject of a Sundance docu-mercial. Sharon Stone, Kelly Ripa, Tyra, Bette Midler, Gayle King, Naomi Judd, and, of course, Laila Ali, are amongst women of stage and screen seen in the creations.
Seeking to provoke my artistic boundaries, 2014 found me in a kitchen with David YURMAN discussing art, jewelry, and possibilities. A design-consultancy role focused on his signature-collection was created, stretching ten years.
In 2021, I traded New York City hustle for the balmy Palm Beaches, where new inspiration has taken hold…
