#Amadeus #HandmadeJewellery
As always, we give our genuine support to artists and fashion designers because fashion has been an area we constantly concentrate on and work to make an impact. Today, we would like to introduce Amadeus–A London based hand-made, eclectic and ethical jewellery brand.
As a brand, Amadeus takes great care to ensure that all of pieces are produced with a focus on sustainability and ethical practice. Hand producing all our pieces in our London studio gives us complete control over the entire process, from sourcing and production to setting and finishing.
We also had the honour to interview the designer of this beautiful jewellery brand–Nathalie Simond.
1. When did you start your jewellery label? Where is it based? Where are your products manufactured?
Amadeus was launched almost 2 years ago but I spent over a year prior to that researching ways to make my jewelry brand as sustainable as possible. Everything is handmade in our London studio and I personally travel the world to source my own precious materials.
2. Where do you get the inspirations from for your designs?
I get inspired by the gemstones and pearls that I find and create jewelry pieces using recycled Fairtrade silver and gold. I have had a passion for jewelry since I was a child and went on to study fashion which helps me through my creative process.
3. How do you find your designer/entrepreneur life in the fashion industry?
Being a designer now days is full of ups and downs with an ever-changing economy and retail industry. Some parts are very demanding, but I think it’s part of the journey. You really need to keep up with what is going on around you and having a network of fellow designers around me has been very helpful.
4. What is the biggest challenge you have found on this journey?
Throughout this journey, my biggest challenge has been to find ways to ensure my business is as sustainable as possible. Hand producing all our pieces in our studio gives us complete control over the entire process, from production to setting and finishing. For sourcing, we have invested in pearl farms and mines to make them eco-friendly. Working directly with those communities we cut all the middle agents to ensure the money goes back into the local communities. In the last year those specific areas now have schools and internet access.
5. Any advice you would like to give to prospective designers who want to start their own business?
I very much enjoy what I do and for prospective jewelry designers wanting to start they own business I would suggest they need to be very passionate about their product, really do your research before you launch and be as sustainable as you can!
Here is the working studio of Amadeus:
Images Courtesy of ‘Amadeus‘
Interview Notes Courtesy of ‘The Designer‘
#MondayMotivation
#TomsShoes #RiseandFall #RetailStrategy
Toms, the once-hot footwear brand’s story is a cautionary tale for companies reliant on a hero product and narrow brand messaging.
Many fashion brands have a social component today, whether it’s Bombas giving out socks for every pair purchased or Everlane donating proceeds from its 100% Human collection to civil rights organisations. However, when Toms Shoes launched in 2006, the concept was relatively untested. Founded by Blake Mycoskie, Toms makes a slip-on canvas shoe that was an updated version of the classic alpargata slipper silhouette. From the start, the company operated under a one-for-one model, where Toms would send shoes to impoverished communities for every pair sold.
The combination of fashion and charity proved irresistible to consumers — for a while. By 2013, Toms had donated 10 million pairs of shoes and reportedly generated $250 million in annual sales. And though some critics labeled the donations as a marketing ploy, Mycoskie and his company received plenty of accolades, frequently featured on lists of innovative brands. But the momentum proved impossible to sustain. Consumers tired of Toms’ signature style, and the buy-one-get-one campaign lost its novelty.
Toms’ rise and fall serves as a cautionary tale for other brands that hit it big with a hero product out of the gate. Within the Toms story are lessons about how to build on early success, from keeping product and messaging fresh to finding the right retail strategy.
What do you think about the rise of fall of Tomes shoes? Leave us with a comment below!
Courtesy of ‘The Designer‘
Wiley v Stormzy #StreetFighter
#Harrods #LuxuryRetailer #Challenge
Harrods may be the largest upscale department store in Great Britain, taking up a full block of London’s Knightsbridge neighbourhood, but in a rapidly changing retail landscape where experience, newness and digitisation are key, its stuffy take on luxury is looking outdated.
Now, the store is playing catch-up in an effort to maintain its status as a mecca for the mega-rich, kicked off by a £300 million, three-year redevelopment, the largest capital expenditure in its history. There’s a new experiential beauty hall, a revamped menswear floor that adds 50 percent extra space, new fine jewellery and watches halls and four refurbished food halls — all designed to target the next generation of luxury shoppers. The wealthy ones, that is.
Harrods’ focus on the future comes as department stores globally face a challenging retail landscape. UK department stores sales dropped 2 percent in the third quarter (the biggest decline since the first three months of 2009, when Britain was mired in recession). It’s a similarly tough environment for US rivals like Saks, Nordstrom and Bergdorf Goodman, who have also invested heavily in splashy renovations and taken risks on new models like rental pop-ups. (Some have gone bankrupt along the way, including fashion industry favourite Barneys New York.) So can Harrods make it work?
What do you think? Leave us with a comment below!
#shoeporn #Gina
#Manga & MurkageDave #WeNeedToLookAfterUs
Manga & Murkage Dave
‘We Need To Look After Us’
10 Track Project Out Now!
Live show
Monday 16th December
@ The Pickle Factory
Music. Tickets. Merch.
