8 Other Reasons Founder Charles Lichaa On How He Built an It-Girl Empire

The founder discusses identity, muses, and making a statement in the accessory world.

Charles Lichaa founded 8 Other Reasonsover a decadeand a half ago, though he didn’t know back then that he was actually creating the it-girl destination for jewelry, accessories, and handbags. His loyal fanbase includes Bella Hadid, Gabriette, Sophia Richie, Zara Larsson, and more — but his inspiration comes from none other than the women in his own orbit. 

Lichaa grew up one of seven siblings, with three older sisters. He mentions being immersed in their worlds growing up — sugary, sweet perfumes wafting from a bathroom door left ajar, setting powder dusted across countertops — these are just a few of the markers of, sensorially, what it’s like to be a woman. “I remember just becoming obsessed with fashion and how you can transform yourself through that,” he shared.

It was this ritualistic process that gave Lichaa insight into the daily transformations women undertake each day, and these insights eventually paved the way for his brand. 8 Other Reasons creates pieces that embrace a bold feminine energy — but for Lichaa, there isn’t just one archetype of a “cool-girl” that he calls to. 8 Other Reasons is for every category of cool girl, and what inextricably ties them together is an unbridled sense of self-assurance. 

Our Era caught up with the founder ahead of some exciting new launches for 2026.

Kayla Curtis-Evans: You started your brand in 2010. Originally, jewelry pieces were your first products, and you later expanded into a range of accessories. How else has 8 Other Reasons evolved over the last 15 years? 

Charles Lichaa: 2010 feels like forever ago, but it also feels like yesterday. I grew up in Australia, as one of 7 kids, with my mom and dad. So there were 9 people in the house — but 8 without me. So that's kind of where the name of the brand came from. 

As I've evolved as a designer, the brand acts as my alter ego.
Growing up with 3 sisters, I was always fascinated by the idea of them getting ready. They would go in the bathroom and get ready for their day, and then they would come out kind of having this glow. All 3 of my sisters had a different kind of aesthetic, so as they would get ready, they'd almost transform themselves with clothes, makeup, and accessories. 

When the brand originally started, I wanted it to be something that was representative of me. So the accessories kind of have this fluid vibe to them, where they can lean into male or female wardrobes really easily. After some time, I moved to LA, and it's always been this melting pot of aesthetics, genres, and subcultures. Also, when we started working from LA, Instagram wasn't even really a thing. We were very lucky to get on the cusp of influencer marketing. 
And our customer, her appetite was growing. She wanted hats, and we started adding in belts too — and then there was an opportunity to create bags as well. We had never dabbled in that world, but that category ended up growing into taking over about 30% of the brand. So we’ve grown with the appetite of our customers. 

What do you think makes 8 Other Reasons jewelry and accessories stand out from others on the market? 

I think the brand has always stayed true to its roots. It's always been an attainable brand. I mean, back to my sisters, either they had really expensive pieces of jewelry, like Tiffany keepsake pieces gifted on their birthdays or Christmas. And then there were really cheap accessories. There was nothing in between. For 8 Other Reasons, we've always provided a really cool girl aesthetic at an attainable price point. It's never been a brand that's pigeonholed or too expensive. I think when you're leaning into trends, you need to make the product accessible. When you have a brand that’s known for the quality and the price point, it's a really good recipe. Because as trendy and cool as the pieces are, they still have a timeless aesthetic about them, from our cowhide bags to the collections we've done with Gabriette or Sophia Richie — those pieces are still in rotation. 

How do you strike a balance between softness and fierce strength within your collections?

It always comes back to my sisters. Though they were all different, the one thing that was common throughout the 3 of them was using accessories almost as an armor or a shield. When you see someone for the first time, the first thing you see is what they're wearing. That leaves a lasting impression. Every piece has an intention. So I’ll think to myself, ‘Okay, would my one sister wear this? What would my other sisters wear instead?’ I think those three archetypes I try to follow match up with everyone, though, not just my sisters. There’s something for everyone. Some pieces are very edgy. And some are very ‘cool girl.’ In contrast, others are very soft and feminine. 

Right now, we're gearing up for festival season — Coachella and Stagecoach soon — and that girl for us, that's a cool girl. She's the trendy girl. So our collections for the next 2 months are going to be hyper-focused on her. Whereas when we then lean into our true summer collections, we’ll scale back and go for more of the ‘euro summer’ aesthetic. She's a bit more laidback. And even right now, as Carolyn Bessette trends, we see a return to quiet luxury. But the Carolyn Bessette
aesthetic is more like the quiet luxury girl and the party girl had a baby, and then named it Carolyn. It's fun to see those worlds collide because the 8 Other Reasons girl is a chameleon. She changes every other day with how she feels, and I think that's the exciting part of being a girl. You can pick and choose an aesthetic and run with that, and you can really tell the world who you are with what you're wearing. 

As a male founder of a women’s accessory brand, how do you channel a sense of bold feminine energy in your designs?  

Everyone who works for the brand is female, so I'm the only male here. So we joke that we're all in sync [laughs]. When you're a designer, I think you need to surround yourself with muses, or you need to surround yourself with the subject that you're designing for. If I were to sit here and say, ‘I'm just going to design based on only my perspective,’ there's this very big disconnect. From a young age, I’ve also been very in tune with the social constructs that come with being an immigrant, coming from a Lebanese background, and being gay. Having these different subcultures within my own personal life has allowed me to be a little bit more understanding and observant of what it truly means to feel feminine. One of my sisters, growing up, was always the tomboy. And now she's super feminine. Watching her go through that transition has really allowed me to understand that the process is not singular. The feminine side can sometimes have masculine elements to it. Being surrounded by these amazing women every single day allows me to design based on what’s going on in their lives and has helped me to incorporate the idea that there isn’t just one fixed version of what femininity is.

Your brand aims to redefine the idea of “modern glamor.” What defines modern glamor to you? 

If we continue with the example of Carolyn Bessette, she stood out so much back then because it wasn't the norm. Looking back at it now, through the lens of about 40 years later, she's deemed the ‘cool girl,’ but I'm sure back then that she was kind of the edgy girl, especially in that world of Calvin Klein. How I would define the modern, glamorous girl is confident. I think confidence is the sexiest, but modern glamor is also about giving women the platform to showcase that in any way they want.

If you could describe your ideal muse — who you most likely see wearing 8 Other Reasons — what would they look like? How would they dress, how would you describe their personality, and how do you hope they’d incorporate 8 Other Reasons into their life? 

Do I have to pick one? [laughs]. For the brand, the muse is constantly changing. I've had the opportunity to work with some really incredible talent over the years and some really incredible stylists.
Right now, I think we're leaning back into those core roots of her being the confident life of the party. She knows what her style is. Kind of No Doubt-era Gwen Stefani. She had such a mod-podge of aesthetics, but it somehow just worked. 

If I had to narrow down a muse, I always go back to Gabriette just because I think that collection was incredible, but I also have been such a fan of her aesthetic, her attitude, and the way she holds herself for so many years.

You recently released a Wicked collaborative collection. Do you have any other dream collabs in mind? 

If we had the opportunity, which I really think will happen one day — I’d love to collaborate with Kate Moss. She was the poster child for Calvin in the ‘90s, and people were stealing the posters from around New York City at that time. She embodies the cool girl. Her style has been timeless for years, and if you look at a photo from the ‘90s, she still has that same aesthetic and that same style. I've always wanted to do a calendar and bring back the top few girls from over the years as well. 

Maybe we’ll speak a Kate Moss collab into existence. How do you hope the brand continues to evolve in the future — any new brand categories or dream ambassadors?

I can't say the name, but in the next 2 months, it's probably gonna come out. We're working on this really exciting collaboration in the food space. We’ve always had this tongue-in-cheek humor about the brand, and I like to push the envelope in a direction where no one really expects what’s coming next.