A Moment With:Jewellery designer Jennifer Fisher
Q: Did your business take-off immediately?
A: It all started by accident, but it turned out that girls wanted something different that no one else had.
Q: Can you give us some tips on stacking jewellery?
A: It’s all about balance. I wear a lot of jewellery. Pieces that you know you can wear alone or together are so cool. I think the focus now is not so much on the wrist but your ears. Chokers too are very “now”. I make earrings that are quite large in size, yet very light.
Q: Where do you get inspirations from?
A: Everywhere. Right now, I’m really into furniture and lighting, especially chairs. Buildings and architecture also inspire me. I get ideas from the most random places. For the next season, I’m working on something cleaner, design-wise, but on a larger scale.
Q: Why does working with Net-A-Porter make sense to you?
A: I would like to sell my products to retailers that I personally shop at. It feels right. It’s a great fit too. I’d rather partner with Net-A-Porter than some other retailers, even though I could probably do a much larger scale of business with [them].
Q: Why are you convinced that fine jewellery has a future in online sales?
A: Luxury customers today have less fear, especially since five years ago. I have a lot of sales driven by word of mouth. They see their friends wearing the jewellery, the quality of the product, and they feel safe to shop online. The biggest satisfaction for me is to see a girl wearing a piece. I also love to see celebrities wearing my jewellery, especially when sometimes they weren’t suggested by stylists, but rather [they] simply wanted to wear my jewellery.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Right now, I’m in a clean mode. But when I first started, I was more into the rock 'n’ roll style. For my style, it’s definitely something strong and individual. To me, jewellery is like your armour, and it’s something you wear to protect
yourself and also show people who you are.
Q: Do you have any tips for aspiring designers?
A: You have to stop taking anything personally because you know, there’s someone who loves your designs, but of course, someone’s going to hate your designs. You need to find that someone who actually resonates with you and what you are doing and work your way through it. Work hard. It’s a 24/7 job. I’m always working. This is not a hobby, so don’t do it unless you are very very serious, because you’ll have to give up a lot of things in life in order to succeed in your business.
Q: What do you do when you want to relax?
A: I cook. I love cooking Mexican food. I do a lot of rice dishes. My kids like roasted meat - pork, ribs and steaks. I make waffles for the family every single morning.
writes Vivian Chen