Attire Accessories - May/Jun 2019 (Issue 76)

54 Tell me a bit about how the company started. What was the aim of the label when it was launched? My intention of creating my own jewellery was very ambitious from the beginning. I wanted to build a well-recognised and well-established affordable luxury brand with a strong DNA. The design style and brand aesthetic were extremely clear to me from the start. I launched my brand 10 years ago, back when the coveted jewellery style was casual, in black silver or black gold with no stones – more grunge and street cool. The designs weren’t supposed to stand out. I launched a brand with the exact opposite intention: to stand out and to sparkle and shine. The look and feel of my designs were very different from what else was out there. I love things that shine and sparkle, and thankfully I found out that plenty of women out there felt the same. How were the initial products developed, and what was the response? I had been working in the jewellery industry long before launching my own brand, and since I’m also an educated goldsmith I knew precisely how a process like this starts. Therefore, I had already sourced the right place to get my first collection produced and on to the market. The response to my first collection was overwhelming. As a new brand, you are always nervous, but it meant a lot that the retailers I approached were extremely positive, especially because they didn’t have this style in the affordable price range in their stores at that time. What challenges were overcome when the company was starting out? The biggest challenge was financing the collections and also the fact that you need to do everything yourself when you are a start-up company. But I remember it as great fun; I loved the process, and I loved how even the smallest sale or positive feedback felt like such an accomplishment. What sets you apart from your competitors? Our service and the way we work with our retailers. We are very conceptual in everything we do. However, we work very closely with our partners and listen to them in order to create the right Sif Jakobs jewellery experience in stores. Our Scandinavian jewellery style also gives us a point of difference. We are a very aesthetic and confident brand. How important is your location and history to the company in its success? The fact that we are a Copenhagen-based brand is absolutely a positive thing these days. Our design heritage, the booming fashion scene, the Scandinavian style and the fact that Copenhagen has been named No. 1 best city to visit in 2019 by Lonely Planet generates a lot of positive associations with our brand. It is also obvious that our Scandinavian roots shines through in everything we do. However, it wasn’t necessarily always an advantage to be from Copenhagen, as it can be quite challenging coming from a small country where things are done in a specific way and then breaking through in huge markets like the UK or Germany, where things are very different. We have learned a lot and had our issues, yet dealing with them has shaped us into the brand we are today. How has the product offering changed over the years, and how would you describe your current collection? During first years of Sif Jakobs Jewellery, I was keen on establishing my black/white universe and making this known in all aspects of our communication and designs. All displays, ads and even the jewellery was only in black and white (all jewellery was sterling silver with black or white zirconia). In recent years, I have extended this look to also include coloured stones and gold plating, which has been very successful. The current collection is all about juicy rainbow and full candy colours, and I love it. Recently we also launched an engravable collection, with the purpose of offering our customers the option to personalise their jewellery. We even offer free engraving on these items, which is something new and different to what we’ve done before. All jewellery is still in sterling silver with zirconia, and then we typically also offer all designs in gold- plated silver. How often do you launch new lines, and what are your best-selling designs? We launch new lines four times a year. We have two main launches, launching in spring and autumn, and two smaller ones in the off seasons. The bestselling designs are the more classic and smaller pieces, typically in silver with white stones, such as white Biella or Corte rings and earrings. Over the past year, the coloured items have been our bestsellers, while the Bovalino hoops and the new Ellera collection are our current hero designs. Tell me about your recent campaigns. We have found a gorgeous Scandinavian girl to be the face of Sif Jakobs Jewellery this season. She’s the perfect example of a Scandi beauty, and the look of the campaign, such as the light and the styling, is all