After the relaxation and fun of Christmas and New Year have passed, I start to look ahead and get excited about the upcoming launch of our new jewellery collections. After a year of designing and trialling new designs, our new jewellery collections are finally ready to be photographed and showcased to you. It’s an exciting time, a busy time and a sometimes stressful time, but it’s all worth it when we see the results of our jewellery photoshoot in February where our new designs look truly fantastic.
Launches of new collections are standard in the world of fashion and jewellery. The excitement around the Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter collections in Paris, London, and New York has always fascinated me as it is a chance to see what beautiful new clothes (or versions of), will soon be available to us. This excitement infiltrates Liri’s launches, but it’s not just because we are showcasing new and beautiful jewellery, there is much more to it. Our launches are about communicating every aspect of Liri to you and in this blog I want to explore the story behind our jewellery launches, why we do them, and what has been more prominent in our 2019 launch.
To showcase our new jewellery designs
The jewellery designing at Liri never stops, which I credit partly to living on the beautiful island of Mauritius. I’ve made it no secret that living on this colourful, tropical island gives Liri’s designs their vibrancy and the sense of joy that infuses each piece. However, I also get inspiration from the most unlikely of places. Our new Constellation collection of silk cord, silver and gemstone bracelets was inspired by a flight I was on from Mauritius to the UK – it really can strike anywhere, no matter how exhausted you are at the time (so I always ensure I have my sketchpad to hand). I’m always surrounded by inspiration therefore I cannot but keep on designing. As a result, I have a permanent backlog of designs I want to bring to you, but, unless I want to run myself into the ground or overload you with constant new pieces, I must pace how and when we bring them to you. Each October, I begin to look at what designs I want to include in the next launch. I refine them, see what materials to use, create some mock ups to see how they ‘sit’ when worn and make the final decision. An then….ta dah! We make sure we bring them to you at their very best.
To highlight the special features of our jewellery
At Liri we’re very proud of a number of key features of our designs, one being, the seriousness by which we take the quality of the materials we use. In all my years of being a designer and jewellery maker I have never wavered from the belief that there is absolutely no need to use substandard materials to make stylish and fashionable jewellery. Yes, it’s great that we make jewellery out of anything and everything, but if those materials are of poor quality, affecting the durability of the product (and which can be quite expensive to buy), I am sceptical. As a result, Liri only use precious metals, genuine gemstones, and other high quality materials. We will not use glass or plastic simply because we do not feel we need to in order to create stylish, fashionable jewellery. We ensure this message is clear in every aspect of our launch, from the exquisite images taken by Melanie Francouer to the detailed product descriptions on our website, we want to make sure you’re aware of what our designs are made and what you are buying.
To bring you a wider range of jewellery styles…
In the past, the use of quality materials in jewellery tended to be reserved for ‘fine jewellery’, worn on special or formal occasions. If you wanted something more contemporary and stylish, which you could wear more regularly, you would buy ‘fashion jewellery’, or as my grandmother would call it, ‘junk jewellery’, which was usually made from plastic, and with a high nickel content (I can still feel my ears itching). Today, this distinction is no longer true and we can bring highly contemporary styles in very good quality materials. This year, Liri has expanded its style of designs to show how high-quality materials can be used in both casual, informal designs through to exquisite high-end creations. We use silk cord to create pieces you can wear every day, and sumptuous peacock pearls for that ultimate in luxury. In between, we have beautiful sterling and handmade fine silver pieces suitable for both day and night – our range of current collections really ensures there is a design to suit every taste, event, and outfit.
…because we have listened
Why bring you more jewellery styles? For the simple fact that that is what you asked for and what we have noticed you liked to wear (I’m always looking at your jewellery, you know!). Many of us like to wear a piece of jewellery all day, every day, sometimes we never take it off (though I recommend you do to make sure it stays looking its best), and because of that we created pieces that were more suitable for longer, continuous wear.
After having so many queries, we have also brought you a collection of rings this year. Puro is a collection of five rings handmade from fine and sterling silver that can be worn on their own or stacked together for a more dramatic effect. We have had a great response to them and hope you continue to enjoy what we offer.
The jewellery designs in our latest launch are a culmination of really listening to you, our customers, to what you want and what you prefer, and also from really taking note of what we see you wearing day in, day out.
To demonstrate the fusion between Mauritian and international influences
Yes, Mauritius is my main source of inspiration, but it’s not my only source. At Liri we pride ourselves in offering Mauritian inspired internationally desirable designs. To do this we fuse colour with the international trends for charm bracelets, for stacker rings, for long statement pendants. Jewellery trends are becoming increasingly global and Mauritius has a bright future in being able to play a part in those trends. By launching a range of collections in one, it’s easier to notice the fusion of the various influences in our designs.
To reaffirm Liri’s message to you
In addition to, and which shapes all of the above, the main reason for our annual launch is to reiterate and reaffirm Liri’s message to you. I have already written about how I want Liri jewellery to make you feel and what we stand for as a brand, and when we design and launch new collections, we not only infuse each design with those sentiments, but also want to ensure we convey our message loud and clear.
I design our collections with a clear vision in mind – to make the modern woman feel confident, special, deserving and unique. It may sound trite but I believe that wearing jewellery really does impact our mood and how we feel in the moment. So how do I try to achieve this? As all our charms and pendants are handmade, no two are the same, so everybody is getting a unique piece especially for them. Some of our designs are bold and bright for when you want to make a statement or give yourself a boost. We have dainty elegant pieces, for when you want to feel sophisticated. And, above all, I cannot stress enough that we only use genuine gemstones and precious metals, because every woman really does deserve high quality, stylish designs. At Liri, we want every woman to feel they are receiving something that reflects their worth as a human being – because we deserve only the best.
Our jewellery was recently described to me as ‘happy jewellery’. If we can also help spread a little happiness in the world, I will be very pleased with that.
It’s all about re-focussing…
When we’re busy running a business it’s very easy to get caught up in the minutiae of day to day operations. There’s always an email to respond to, a stockist to replenish, or a myriad of other run of the mill tasks. When we have our heads down it’s so easy to lose focus on what you stand for as a brand and what you want to achieve. Focussing on a launch forces us to put down the computer, take a deep breath and re-focus our energies and passion. It forces us to remind ourselves of why we do what we do and what we want to achieve through jewellery design. And when we have this clearer sense in our minds, the better we can convey this to you.
A launch is so much more than new designs…….
So, a launch is not just about showcasing new designs. Yes, it’s a significant part of it, but in doing so, we’re also achieving many other things. We are re-centering our focus on conveying all that is special and unique about our brand and reiterating our core message to you – what we stand for and how we want you to feel wearing our designs.
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