When it comes to cashing in on fashion trends, there’s no time to hesitate. That seems to be Donni Rae Edmondson’s philosophy, anyhow, and this Vancouver designer ought to know. In December 2010, she and her partner, Miriam Alden, came up with the idea to start a line of wrap bracelets that go for $49 to $59.

While they knew they weren’t exactly reinventing the style wheel with this super-simple, super-specific concept, the two BFFs were confident they could sell their slip-on cuffs at that particular price point. So they went with it. And now, less than two years later, Alden Rae Jewelry is carried by more than 170 retailers across North America.

“You need to jump on it,” says Edmondson, who’s calling in between business meetings. “If you do too much thinking and planning before you launch it, you’ll never get anywhere and the trend will be gone by the time you go to market.”

Of course, these two designers have the advantage of knowing the fashion industry inside and out. Edmondson is the founder of Privilege Boutique, which currently has two locations: 19368 Fraser Highway in Surrey and Unit 5–201 Morrissey Road in Port Moody. And Alden is founder of her own multibrand clothing and accessory sales agency. Their busy schedules are another reason why they wanted to focus Alden Rae so thoroughly on just one basic design.

“We’ve always been talking about doing a side project together,” says Edmondson, who first befriended Alden back in 2004 when the two were serving in the same Surrey bar—long before their respective businesses started taking off. “But we didn’t want to get distracted. We both have so much on our plates as it is already. And with wrap bracelets, we knew we could do it and do it well.”

They were right.

This season, one of the hottest sellers has been the nude leather bracelet with thread overlay and rose gold beading ($59). According to Edmondson, these summer sparklers are flying off the shelves—and her body.

“I don’t even have one anymore because I sold it off my wrist,” says Edmondson with a laugh.

Like most AR pieces, this customer favourite is an easy way to add a hit of subtle dazzle to just about any outfit. In terms of colour options, the Alden Rae palette is, for the most part, neutral with lots of greys, blacks, creams, and browns. But they did introduce a cute little baby-pink number ($49) that’s been crazy popular this summer. Also new this season is Remy’s Bracelet, a collaborative charity initiative with Ronnie Negus from the Real Housewives of Vancouver. In honour of (and partly designed by) Negus’s special-needs daughter, the Remy is made of black leather and features navy crystal beads as well as an angel charm. Five dollars from each Remy sold goes to BC Children’s Hospital Foundation.

So far the project’s been a success—so much so, the Alden Rae partners have decided to incorporate these kind of philanthropic collaborations into their collections on a regular basis.

As far as trends go, it doesn’t sound like these barmaids turned entrepreneurs are too worried about not keeping up with the times.

“We’re very quick to market,” says Edmondson, adding, “and that’s half the battle right there.”