Strong turnout as International Jewellery London kicks off
LONDON, September 1, 2013 – Visitor numbers were strong on the first day of International Jewellery London (IJL), a showcase for the latest collections by new and established designers.
Kickstart, backed by the British Jewellers’ Association (BJA), presented pieces by talented young designers such as Catherine Budd who is targeting upmarket retailers for her precious Clover collection.
Catherine Budd, Jewellery Designer, Catherine Budd Jewellery
Among the specially selected Editor’s Choice designers, Hannah Kimber’s pieces stood out because of their inspiration from Islamic architecture.
The established designer brands were represented by well-known names such as Fei Liu, which reported steady orders of silver jewellery on the first day of the show which runs until September 4, and Sarah Ho, presenting pieces from her intricate Paradis collection, inspired by birds of paradise.
BOULEVARD
The Boulevard hosted some of the larger brands, such as Christopher Designs, Antwerp Diamonds, Domino, Stubbs & Co, and Bass Premier.
IJL 2013
Links of London sponsored the Boulevard Bar for the first time.
“The excellent range of high-end fine jewellery brands at the show this year emphasise the event’s increasing focus on the top end of the market,” Event Director Sam Willoughby said.
“You can also find the best quality design-led collections as well as the hottest new names and brands as they launch.”
IJL Runway Show
A range of seminars covering a variety of topics at IJL included an insightful look at the global diamond market by Mordechai Rapaport, a director of the Rapaport group.
Brad Huisken of IAS Training presented his thoughts on the best hiring strategies for jewellery retail, and Arnold Ma of Qumin talked about ways to penetrate the fast-growing Chinese market.
Or if it’s breaking into the US you want to know about, a unique session was set to take place on September 2 chaired by Gail Sackloff, one of the UK’s leading export luxury retail consultants.
Naomi Newton-Sherlock, Creative Director, WB-The Creative Jewellery Group
Her panellists are Vicki Sarge, co-founder of Erickson & Beamon and now creative director of VICKISARGE; Jaqui Lividini, founder of Lividini, a top U.S. brand development agency, and British designer Tomasz Donocik.
