Quirky, beautifully crafted design is undeniably a British forte. Yet exporting it is not.
Only a handful of British jewellery designers such as Stephen Webster,Shaun Leane, Rodney Rayner, Theo Fennell and Chrissie Douglas, are making their mark internationally.
In the case of Stephen Webster, Madonna’s wedding ring had lots to do with it. But a tour round BaselWorld, the industry’s biggest international annual trade show, reveals surprisingly few British exhibitors.
Last month in Manhattan, the much feted Anglomania exhibition opened at the Metropolitan Museum of Art,in the glittering company of Victoria Beckham, Rupert Everett, Sarah Jessica Parker and the darling of British jewellery, Shaun Leane.
A celebration of the past 30 years of British design, the show aims to “create a potent dialogue between past and present”.
This seems to suggest the US market is ripe for British talent, so what is stopping Britain’s emerging artists making it into the mainstream globally?
Lack of government support, reluctance by banks, the City and venture capitalists to invest in creative enterprises, the often prohibitive cost of keeping manufacturing in Britain and inadequate preparation at college for the realities of entrepreneurship are all common complaints among jewellery designers.
Designer Babette Wasserman, who has been nominated by the UK Fashion Export Awards for the past three years, says: “I think there is a distinct lack of government help in introducing UK jewellery companies to good distribution partners to help them grow internationally. The government has also withdrawn subsidies from UK companies that have already shown at international trade shows.”
Elizabeth Galton, a fellow Central St Martins graduate, secured an initial £110,000 investment last year by pitching her idea to investors on BBC2’s Dragon’s Den programme.
She has since had different backers, now owns 51 per cent of her business, works 14 hour days, is a visiting lecturer at St Martins and the Kent Institute of Art and Design, and has “no social life”.
Being around ruthless businesspeople has helped her enormously in understanding figures and building a brand, she says. As well as her own collections, she is creating three for Cool Diamonds, which has worked with Gianni Versace, Jasper Conran and Vivienne Westwood.
Determined to capitalise on her Britishness, she sees the future of jewellery as individual designers pushing their brand and believes celebrity endorsement is fundamental to commercial success.
“A young jeweller needs a PR agency, a salary, and branding and product development budgets. How can you do that without backing,” she asks. “I wanted to be a quintessentially British brand. But British buyers only want sale or return. How can young graduates offer this if they have £9,000 or more tied up in stock?”
She believes some British manufacturers are complacent and run the risk of pricing themselves out of the market. Ms Galton currently manufactures 70 per cent in the UK and 30 per cent in Italy.
“Department stores add a 350 per cent margin plus VAT. But you can tell a product made in East Asia a mile off. Any jeweller who can’t would need their eyes tested.” Ms Galton admits she is a pedant and visits her manufacturers every two weeks.
Students need more emphasis on entrepreneurship, says Jason Holt, director of gemstone specialists Holts. “A fundamental failing in the system is that we don’t help people to look beyond themselves. A jeweller simply cannot be the designer, maker, customer-care person, marketer and employer.
“You have to do what you’re best at. The magic part is the ideas and in Britain we have plenty of talent, so we’re on to a good thing.”
Holts Jewellery Academy is working on a programme that will “cherry-pick six to 10 individuals and nurture them for six to 12 months with the skills and resources to succeed.”
Holts is also supporting manufacturers with technology training and has won a contract with the London Development Agency to deliver training in starting your own business.
Ms Galton advises many of the aspiring jewellers who contact her to tap into funding from the Crafts Council, the Goldsmiths Company’s online Who’s Who directory of Britain’s upcoming jewellers and the Victoria and Albert Museum’s jeweller database, used by curators, stylists and the public to commission work.
The Goldsmiths Company also offers bursaries, awards, a “getting started” course and five free stands at its Goldsmiths Fair. Stephen Webster started out at Goldsmiths Fair and Shaun Leane, jewellery designer of the year in 2005, still exhibits.
In 2007, Bespoke London, a three day festival organised by the Central London Partnership, will celebrate London-made craftsmanship in the jewellery, tailoring, shoe and hatmaking industries.
“We’re a bit like the pretty girl at the party, who doesn’t think she’s good-looking,” says society jeweller Theo Fennell. “We need to get better at blowing our own trumpet.”
