At a time where near enough anyone with a little bit of creative talent and a computer can start up a clothing brand, PAUSE spoke to jewellery brand SR&Co. on what it takes to create a successful jewellery brand.
When did you start up SR&Co?
The brand was founded in 2010, but officially launched in January 2014
What was the inspiration behind it?
I believe the inspiration behind starting up SR&Co, was a small conversation between our team members; one stating “I need that ring!” And the other replying “well, why don’t you make it?” Thus…SR&Co was born. We delved into something that we didn’t see anyone else doing at the time. The whole aspect of designing and making jewellery was completely new to us, so it allowed us to learn about the industry from the very beginning, unfortunately making some horrid mistakes in the process, but I suppose that’s the key to any successful business…trial and error.
Obviously you’re a jewellery brand only, but do you think that there are many similarities or differences between starting a jewellery brand and starting up a clothing brand?
The fundamentals when starting and running any business in any industry will always be similar. You will always need to consider market research, financials, marketing, your operations etc. However there will be differences in your target market, people who buy clothes may not nessecarily have any interest in buying jewellery. Clothes are a neccesity giving you a much bigger target market, whereas jewellery is a luxury product confining you to a limited target market. Ultimately every new brand wants to be the most innovative; most creative and most influential, but it really comes down to your work ethic.
How much planning did it take you before you felt you were ready to launch SR&Co
It was roughly four years before we were happy enough with the output to finally launch SR&Co. It gave us the time we needed to focus on branding and quality, which has progressed alot since we started, gaining some valuable product knowledge along the way and ways of implementing different techniques into our workmanship. But as a whole; planning and preparation has been so important for us and will be for any company starting out, you will be able to keep your costs down and work efficiently with minimal problems.
Were there any elements during the early stages that had caused you complications?
We came across quite a few complications during our early stages, maybe too many to mention. This was especially the case during the production of our first collection, coming across over priced materials and unreliable manufacturers. But we suppose this was due to how naive we were to the industry. From the very beginning we wanted to have the best quality products and we would never settle for less, maybe that’s why is took so long for us to launch the brand.
What do you have to think about when designing jewellery?
Our main concern is always our target audience, yet we never approach this with difficultly because we are essentially our own audience, being young professionals. We know what we would like to wear, so it makes the job of designing a really enjoyable process. Other aspects include how well does it fit our brand image, or how viable the new designs will be once on the market. It has been an essential learning curb for us to not just design items that we think are innovative, but ones that can be sold with ease.
Tell us a little bit about the latest The Usual Suspects Collection?
Inspired from the 90s thriller The Usual Suspects, we wanted to create a collection which revealed our brand as no longer being the ‘underdog’ to the luxury jewellery market; just as the underdog Soze is revealed at the end of the film…sorry for the spoiler.
Soze’s dramatic hairline played a massive part in the design of the collection, which can be seen throughout each piece. We feel this is definitely a step in the right direction in terms of how we see the brand progressing with quality and craftmanship, aiming to remain consistent from now on.
Now you’ve established yourself in the jewellery market, what’s next for you guys?
We have the customisable Roman Ring to add to the Roman Bangle, as well as a few more exciting pieces coming up! But as soon as we’re ready to reveal, Pause will be the first to know!
Where can PAUSE readers find SR&Co?
Online at www.srlondon.co.uk also follow us on Twitter @sr_ldn and Instagram @srandco
Words: Jordan Bunker
