University of Utah business and ethics student Houston Brackett is an innovative artist with a love of creation and purpose.
He is the founder of Juice Artistry, a startup focusing on making fashionable, eco-friendly accessories, such as handbags and bracelets. “Juice” is his family nickname, and “Artistry” refers to the artistry aspect of his business.
Bracket found a passion for art in glass. He started a few years ago via lampworking, which is similar to glassblowing. He made a variety of glass items, such as crochet hooks and straws, but discovered that glass art is a hard market to break into by itself. He has always liked to sew and found that it is more profitable to combine glassblowing and sewing. Now, his mainstay is his custom bracelets.
Made by hand, these bracelets are crafted with leather and sewn together masterfully, each featuring a single, beautiful, hand-blown glass bead. Brackett chooses not to use real leather because of ethical concerns regarding production. He also said that popular alternatives such as mushroom leather are generally exclusive to big brands.
His solution? Cactus leather. However, cactus leather is so different than normal leather, and Brackett has described it as a challenge to work with, due mainly to it being so time-consuming and frustrating. Even with the challenges, Brackett has endured and created sturdy and long-lasting accessories that he has no guilt in producing. He has stated that he has also occasionally used recycled leather.
Brackett believes many overseas goods have poor craftsmanship and quality. The assembly line lacks emotion and connection, he said. Additionally, he said there is a lot of value in a business that doesn’t stick to structure. He wants to pay everyone fairly and prioritizes this over making inferior products for more money.
“The value is found in care,” he said, explaining how his bracelets are made from nothing but ethically friendly materials and his own passion for art.
Long term, the bracelets aren’t going to be the mainstay — he wants bigger accessories.
More articles like this in ‘Student Innovation @ the U!’
Find this article and a lot more in the 2025 “Student Innovation @ the U” report. The publication is presented by the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute to celebrate student innovators, change-makers, and entrepreneurs.
