Stefania is the founder of Wildness Jewellery, a brand which was born out of her craving for different cultures, tribes and ways of life. Her passion for travel is evident in her work and its clear that her trips to India, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines and Sri Lanka have formed the inspiration for her designs.
Here she talks to House of Coco to tell us more…
When did you launch the brand and what was the reason behind it?
I started work on The Wildness towards the end of 2009. I was working at The Great Frog as a jeweler and started The Wildness as a side project but it was always my dream to have my own company to design and make jewellery. My designs, from the Wildness collection, were sold at The Great Frog in London, New York and Los Angeles so it encouraged me to go solo.
In 2013 I was finally able to concentrate all my time and effort on launching my own business. The Wildness has quickly cultivated a name for itself thanks to support and fantastic feedback from customers, friends and family. This has has helped me grow in confidence and this is reflected in my collection.
What’s your background?
I am from Sardinia in Italy. I grew up surrounded by prestige wilderness and stimulating nature, which sparked my interest in art as a child. I moved to London eleven year ago but regularly visit my family in Sardinia so it still continues to give me inspiration for my designs.
How many people are involved in the company and what are their roles?
I design and make all the pieces myself and have a jeweler who works with me full time and a par time intern. I also employ a PR company who help to raise the profile of The Wildness in the media and online.
If you could start over with the business, would you do anything differently?
I’m very pleased with the progress of my designs and creativity since starting in the jewellery business almost ten years ago!
I have never been attracted to technology, social media and generally the online channels of communication so this is an area I have really had to work on. It’s been a steep learning curve but something I have finally begun to enjoy.
My main focus was always to concentrate on designing and hand making each piece of jewellery in my collection to the highest standards possible. I didn’t have time to think about raising my profile via social media at the start.
If I were to start again or give anyone starting a similar business advice, it would be to invest in online and social media and to understand the significant role it plays. It took me a while to acknowledge this but now I have the hang of it, it’s starting to open doors and create exposure for The Wildness.
What is the hardest challenge you have faced since you started the company?
Getting to grips with social media.
I love traditional techniques – working with my hands and searching through paper books, pencil sketches and handwritten notes, getting inspired with traditional resources.
The online world is very new to me so it has been a challenge teaching myself to get up to speed with promoting my business via the Internet.
Tell us one fact that people wouldn’t know?
I spend lots of time on my own, surrounding myself with silence and constantly getting inspired by art books and new projects. The process of wax carving helps me to express my eclecticism as the nature of my designs is strongly connected to my emotions. I have lots of designs that I have carved in the past and left unfinished and for whatever reason I find it hard to go back to them and to have them as part of The Wildness collection.
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2015 is here, where do you plan to take the brand?
I have some really exciting projects planned for The Wildness this year!
I’ve been working on a collaboration with a very talented artist and I cant wait to announce our working relationship at the end of February.
There are also plans for The Wildness to join forces with a brilliant fashion designer working on different concepts and partially different techniques of jewellery.
I believe that this year will be very important for the development and progress of the brand.
Watch this space!
To date what as been the highlight since launching?
I’ve had some amazing exposure in magazines including the front page of Cosmopolitan and Rebellious magazine.
My designs are starting to attract celebrity followers and private commissions are increasing with is really exciting. Last year we worked on several engagement rings and other items with real meaning.
The brand has had such positive feedback from customers leading to multiple orders and repeat custom.
I’ve also met some really interesting people along the way.
What is one of the products you would recommend from your range for Valentines Day?
The Heart and Banner necklace with love engraved is definitely a suitable option. The Rose designs, from necklaces, rings and bracelets together with other flowers and delicate pieces are surly in tune for Valentine’s. I would also recommend having a look at the edgy, rock’n roll skull’s designs…Why not?
In the future how do you plan to expand the company?
The Wildness collection is available to buy from several retailers including Wolf & Badger, Johnny Rocket in Greenwich, Verve in Notting Hill and Into You Tattoo in East London.
I’m focusing my efforts on finding new stockists in the UK and building my contacts in the USA and Japan.
I hope to employ new designers to expand the collection so I can continue to focus on building the brand and hand making jewellery in London.
Where can people find out more?
The Wildness collection to buy online www.thewildnessjewellery.com
www.wolfandbadger.com (online)
Johnny Rocket (Greenwich, London)
Into You Tattoo (East London)
Verve (Notting Hill, London)
You can follow The Wildness on social media:
Facebook.com/TheWildnessJewellery
Instagram.com/thewildnessjewellery
Twitter.com/thewildness