Tawapa
Tawapa is a woman-owned, Los Angeles-based body jewelry brand that designs and handcrafts septum clickers, rings, earrings, eyelets, and plugs in sterling silver, vermeil, and solid 14k gold, selling direct-to-consumer via its website and through a wholesale channel to piercing studios and retailers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2000
- HeadquartersLos Angeles, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Tawapa does
Tawapa is a privately held, woman-owned body jewelry brand headquartered in Downtown Los Angeles, founded around 2000 by Phoebe Minona and operated by a small in-house creative team (11–50 employees). The company designs, handcrafts, and sells body jewelry and piercing accessories — including septum clickers, threadless ends, continuous rings, hoops, studs, eyelets, plugs, cast weights, chains, charms, and necklaces — in materials ranging from brass and gold-plated base metals to sterling silver, gold vermeil, and solid 14k gold. Pricing spans roughly $20 for entry-level plated items up to $1,600+ for solid gold statement pieces, with curated themed sub-collections (City Series, Birthstone, Spooky) layered on top of the core assortment.
The business operates on a direct-to-consumer e-commerce model through tawapa.com, complemented by a parallel B2B wholesale channel at wholesale.tawapa.com serving piercing studios and retailers, plus ancillary revenue from branded merchandise and digital gift cards. Marketing is concentrated on Instagram community engagement around the #TAWAPA hashtag and email campaigns, leveraging user-generated content and curated "ear styling" aesthetics. All production is small-batch and artisan-driven, with no disclosed external funding, no AI/ML capabilities, and no parent company or institutional ownership; the business is bootstrapped and founder-controlled.
Tawapa firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Tawapa
- Legal name
- Tawapa
- Website
- https://tawapa.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2000
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Tawapa is a woman-owned, Los Angeles-based body jewelry brand that designs and handcrafts septum clickers, rings, earrings, eyelets, and plugs in sterling silver, vermeil, and solid 14k gold, selling direct-to-consumer via its website and through a wholesale channel to piercing studios and retailers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Tawapa industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Body Jewelry
- NAICS
- Jewelry and Silverware Manufacturing (33991), Jewelry Retailers (458310)
- SIC
- Costume Jewelry & Novelties (3960), Jewelry, Silverware & Plated Ware (3910), Jewelry, Precious Metal (3911)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Body Jewelry (Piercing Jewelry; Non-precious) (CRAKABAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Everyday Fashion Jewelry (Earrings/Necklaces/Bracelets/Rings) (CRAKABAA), Custom Fashion/Costume & Alternative Materials Jewelry (CRAKAHAC)
Keywords
Where Tawapa is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Los Angeles
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Tawapa business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Direct Product Sales: One-time purchase model for handcrafted body jewelry including septum clickers, rings, earrings, eyelets, plugs, and accessories. Products range from entry-level plated items ($20-$200) to premium solid 14k gold pieces ($150-$1,600+).
- Wholesale Distribution: Wholesale channel through wholesale.tawapa.com for retailers to purchase TAWAPA products for resale.
- Gift Cards: Digital gift cards available for purchase, enabling gifting and repeat purchases.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Entry-level plated jewelry |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Sterling Silver and Vermeil |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Solid 14k Gold |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels2 records
Tawapa product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Tawapa designs and handcrafts body jewelry for piercings including septum clickers, continuous rings, threadless ends, earrings, eyelets, plugs, weights, and cast shapes. Products are manufactured in small batches by a woman-owned creative team in Downtown Los Angeles using solid 14k gold, sterling silver, gold vermeil, and brass, and are sold direct-to-consumer online alongside a wholesale channel for retailers.
Product overview
Tawapa is a woman-owned, small creative team based in Downtown Los Angeles that has been designing and handcrafting body jewelry for expression for over two decades. The company offers a diverse portfolio of products centered around body piercings, including the Solid Gold Collection (14k gold clickers, continuous rings, threadless ends, safety pins, earring studs, chains, and necklaces), vermeil pieces (gold-plated over sterling silver clickers), and brass/gunmetal alternatives for stretched ears. Key product lines include the 14k Clickers featuring the City Series (Paris, Tokyo, Verona, London, Sydney, Brooklyn), Threadless Ends, Continuous Rings, Earrings (hoops, studs, jackets), Vermeil Clickers (Stacked, Radiant, Embellish, Venom, Chain series), Eyelets + Plugs, Weights + Cast Shapes, Birthstone Collection, Spooky Collection, Chains + Charms, and branded merchandise. All products are handcrafted by skilled artisans with small-batch, independent production, and are designed for various piercing types including septum, ear, nose, and stretched lobe piercings.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Solid Gold Collection
Companies that use Tawapa
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Tawapa technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Tawapa partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Tawapa competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Industrial Strength: U.S.-based manufacturer of high-quality body jewelry directly comparable to Tawapa's core piercing-focused product line (earrings, clickers, eyelets, threadless ends) using similar precious-metal and titanium materials.
- Anatometal: Premium body jewelry manufacturer focused on implant-grade titanium and solid gold pieces for piercings. Directly competes with Tawapa in the solid gold clicker, threadless end, and continuous ring categories.
- Neometal: Body jewelry maker specializing in threadless ends, clickers, and high-end materials. Comparable to Tawapa on craft positioning, piercing-specific SKUs, and wholesale distribution to piercing studios.
- Junipurr Jewelry: Handcrafted body jewelry brand selling 14k gold clickers, threadless ends, and gemstones through DTC and wholesale — directly comparable product mix, materials tier, and channel strategy to Tawapa.
- Body Candy: Large online body jewelry retailer offering earrings, plugs, clickers, and piercings across price points. Comparable as a piercing-focused DTC retailer, though positioned at a lower price tier than Tawapa's premium gold and vermeil pieces.
- Maria Tash: Luxury piercing jewelry brand offering gold clickers, rings, and curated ear styling at premium price points. Comparable in premium piercing positioning, DTC + studio retail model, and solid gold product mix.
- Bodyartforms: Established online body jewelry retailer with deep catalog of plugs, eyelets, clickers, and earrings. Comparable channel and product breadth, though price and brand positioning skew more mass-market than Tawapa's.
Broad incumbents
- Mejuri: Scaled DTC fine jewelry brand expanding into piercing and ear-stack products. Comparable in DTC fine-jewelry positioning and community-driven marketing, but operates at much greater scale and brand breadth than Tawapa.
- Studex: Large established manufacturer of piercing studs and ear-care products with broad retail distribution. Comparable on piercing-jewelry category but operates at scale and lower price points than Tawapa's handcrafted artisan positioning.
Emerging players
- Catbird NYC: Independent DTC jewelry brand with a curated piercing and ear-stack assortment using solid gold and sterling silver. Comparable on craft positioning, indie-brand ethos, and piercing-focused product mix, though broader in style.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Tawapa social profiles
Digital presenceTawapa financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Tawapa leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Tawapa funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Tawapa M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Tawapa
What does Tawapa do?
Tawapa designs and handcrafts body jewelry for piercings including septum clickers, continuous rings, threadless ends, earrings, eyelets, plugs, weights, and cast shapes. Products are manufactured in small batches by a woman-owned creative team in Downtown Los Angeles using solid 14k gold, sterling silver, gold vermeil, and brass, and are sold direct-to-consumer online alongside a wholesale channel for retailers.
Is Tawapa a public or private company?
Tawapa is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Tawapa founded?
Tawapa was founded in 2000. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Tawapa based?
Tawapa is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States, in the North America region.
How does Tawapa make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Direct Product Sales are the primary driver. The others are wholesale Distribution and gift Cards.
Who are Tawapa's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Industrial Strength, Anatometal, Neometal, Junipurr Jewelry, Body Candy, Maria Tash and Bodyartforms. Broad incumbents are Mejuri and Studex. Catbird NYC is listed as an emerging player.
Does Tawapa have an API?
No public API is recorded for Tawapa.
What industry is Tawapa in?
Tawapa's product category is Body Jewelry. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAKABAG, Body Jewelry (Piercing Jewelry; Non-precious), with a secondary code of CRAKABAA, Everyday Fashion Jewelry (Earrings/Necklaces/Bracelets/Rings). Its NAICS code is 33991 and its SIC code is 3960.