Italian niche jewelry brands seeking international appeal online – WWD

MILAN – Jewelry has become a crowded market.

In a rapidly changing environment where small brands are struggling to find their own space, e-commerce has become a serious accelerator to gain international appeal and support sales.

A group of Italian niche jewelry brands are leveraging online exposure to find customers beyond their physical stores or wholesale channels.

Agapanthus “is a common flower in Liguria [region], or [designer] Grazia [Gilardi] the habit of spending his summer holidays and it is also a symbol of love, ”notes Paola Rocca, sales and communication manager of the brand, named after the African flower.

Together with his sister Elena and Gilardi, Rocca runs the family business. While Italy remains the brand’s main market, the launch of its online store last fall helped to strengthen its international influence.

The company currently operates four independent stores; the first, opened in Milan in 2003, was followed by units in Lecco, Monza and Bergamo. Agapanthus also has a laboratory in Lecco on the river of Lake Como, in Lombardy.

Rocca pointed out that Agapanthe jewelry is made by adult artisans, as opposed to “children who would be employed in third world jewelry factories.” Sustainability, work ethic and understated aesthetics are the keys to Rocca and its partners.

Bracelets, rings, necklaces and earrings mainly come in a 9k gold version with precious and semi-precious stones illuminating the delicate pieces. “We generally don’t use white diamonds, unless specifically requested. Instead, we work with brown, iced and fancy diamonds, ”said Rocca.

The juxtaposition of a round-shaped tourmaline, a corundum and an opal inspired Gilardi to create a special piece: a 9-karat gold earring sold for 3,900 euros. Natural shapes, often derived from flowers and greenery, are a brand’s staple. For example, one of their best-selling products is a gold twig-shaped earring that sells for 490 euros.

To address a younger clientele, the brand also offers a range of more accessible items, including a velvet bracelet with a silver medal, priced at 50 euros. This was also reworked for a special charity project last year with “Cancro Primo Aiuto”, or Cancer First Aid – a Milan-based non-profit organization that provides patients with home care and support. The special object, from which all of the profits were donated to the association, cemented the partnership, which was renewed for a third time.

Midfine Aonie jewelry line started their own online store in 2014, even before considering a brick-and-mortar retail strategy. “Selling online is not that easy, because of our price range; the online store is more of a showcase that helps us support offline sales, ”said Paola Francesca Coti, who founded the brand with her sister Consuelo in 2008. Priced between 200 euros and 1,500 euros, Aonie jewelry targets fashion-savvy customers.

Coti explained that the brand is ready to branch out with a higher-priced product line. If the semi-fine jewelry in 9 carat gold and ceramic, which play with the more “ironic” side of the brand, still represent Aonie’s most popular range, the Coti siblings are committed “to developing fine jewelry, in the continuity of our path but by raising the bar higher. “said Coti, who manages the brand’s business operations.

Aonie debuted with the “Madagascar” and “Insterstellar” ranges at the VicenzaOro trade show in January. Crafted in 9k gold, the range includes necklaces, rings, bracelets and earrings adorned with natural gemstones such as lapis lazuli, malachite, rubies and emeralds and is punctuated with tiny white diamonds. .

Although the own-operated online store has yet to prove its profitability, it has increased the brand’s visibility around the world. Aonie is one of the 100 brands selected to be part of the “Italian Hidden Gems” platform which will be launched in mid-2018 on Yoox.com. The project involves ICE, the country’s sales agency, which has signed a one-year agreement with the e-merchant to help develop the online activities of 100 small and medium Italian brands in the United States and China.

“We were thinking of setting up our own distribution in the United States even before [the project with] Yoox and ICE entered; we are definitely committed to exploring new markets and the United States is a top priority so we are working on it, ”said Coti, who cited Japan, South Korea, France and Italy as the top markets. most important of the brand.

Lia Di Gregorio is also a “Made in Milan” jewelry brand. The designer founded the namesake line in 1986 by creating a small production, which has since grown into a small but profitable company.

“In the 90s, I was among the first to reintroduce pearls [in fine jewelry], they were considered old-fashioned but I always thought of them as just solids. I have always loved playing with shapes and flipping gems, ”said Di Gregorio.

18k gold is Di Gregorio’s starting point in his creative process. A few interlocking rings each feature a white pearl, respectively on the outer and inner sides. The article sells for 2,226 euros and is one of Di Gregorio’s bestsellers.

Di Gregorio’s business approach is focused on slow growth, keeping quality in mind, not only in delivering high quality jewelry, but also in the areas of communication and marketing. “We launched our website three years ago; although we are a small company, we didn’t want to compromise on quality and we tried to stay consistent, ”said Di Gregorio, who has been busy for the past few months setting up his own online store.

“I hope we can launch it by September of this year and that the online destination will help me preserve my niche market and improve my direct-to-consumer business,” said Di Gregorio. The designer noted that customers have changed dramatically over the past 10 years, becoming “more knowledgeable” thanks to an unprecedented number of smaller jewelry brands.

Despite praising “permanent collections” rather than two seasonal drops a year, Di Gregorio acknowledged that a directly run online store would help him showcase new products all the time “because I want to stay consistent, I am proud of [the collections’] continuity, ”said the designer.

The brand is available in several shopping destinations around the world, including Dover Street Market in New York, London and Tokyo and in the Paris-based White Bird jewelry store, among others. Di Gregorio is also considering entering the Chinese market through the Chinese application Little Red Book, which recently contacted the Italian jeweler.

“I want to offer a niche product, I don’t think the business can really grow any faster,” said Francesca Villa, founder and creator of the namesake jewelry brand launched in 2007.

The brand’s Instagram account says it’s “jewelry with stories to tell”. The designer explained that she had “this strong desire to bring vintage pieces back to life”.

The Francesca Villa jewelry line juxtaposes old buttons, early 20th century game tokens and flat tin soldiers, vintage Essex crystals and old cufflinks with 18k gold frames and source gemstones natural. “Those “objects found” [found objects] are not intended for jewelry, they require skill and care to avoid damaging them, ”Villa said, explaining how the creative process unfolds.

Relying on the skilled craftsmen of the Valenza-based Crovalab jewelry workshop, Villa offers unique pieces, grouped together by the similarity of found objects that the designer includes. “The uniqueness of our items is also kind of a limit, it feels like a big one-piece effort,” Villa said, recalling how skeptical she was to enter the online market seven years ago. via LuisaViaRoma.

The latest collection, presented in Paris at the Valery Demure showroom, included, among other things, an 18-karat gold ring with an old sculpture in the shape of an Ojime head from Japan embellished with pavé diamonds and rubies, which sells for 4,620 euros. .

The brand can be found online at Matchesfashion.com; online and in-store at Browns in London; Peri.A in West Hollywood, and in-store at the London outpost of Dover Street Market, as well as the Comme des Garçons’ Trading Museum in Tokyo. “I remember being spotted in London by Rei Kawakubo a few years ago, she bought herself a ring which I heard was something rare,” Villa said.

Villa is now also considering starting her own e-commerce: “I’m afraid the brand needs to be more recognizable before starting the online store, but changing – of ideas and strategies – is mandatory,” she said.

Additionally, establishing a more widespread presence in the United States is on the designer’s agenda for the coming months, as Villa believes the country is a “high potential” market.