LONDON — The world of fine jewelry is steeped in tradition and, at times, intimidation, but a flurry of young designers has been making it more democratic, and taking it to Instagram.
One of the newest and most well received names in the sector has been Eéra, a label by Milan-based Romy Blanga, who previously worked in communications, and Chiara Capitani, an influencer and creative consultant.
The two friends came together over a mutual love for jewelry and an urge to modernize it.
“It was really bringing our passion together with our views for what’s relevant now. The product is not very traditional — we do work with gold and diamonds, but we play with a lot of colors, you won’t see any neutrals anywhere,” Blanga said.
The signatures in the collection include a series of earrings designed to resemble a snap hook — an idea developed during inspiration trips to Tokyo. One style has been done in gold, diamonds and silver, and painted neon green or pink.
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The designers said the element of surprise from consumers when they saw neons and diamonds coming together, was part of the style’s success formula.
The earrings are also adaptable and can snap open, just like a hook, and be customized by adding hoops and rings.
“We wanted to give a new vibe. For our first campaign we used [the brand’s signature] earrings and then added our personal rings [through the hook] to make people understand that there are so many ways to wear the pieces. We want our customers to feel like they can buy our earrings and then play with them and make them their own, it doesn’t need to be something precious you just wear once, it can be adapted through day and night,” Blanga added.
The design duo leveraged their Instagram followings and introduced Eéra on the platform last February, which translated immediately into high visibility, instant buzz and attention from buyers: Moda Operandi, Le Bon Marché, Browns and Mytheresa.com were all quick to place orders, as did personal shopping platform Threads.
“We had a great response, really fast. For us social media is fundamental, it’s how we communicate with everyone,” said Blanga, adding that while building an audience of their own via social is a bonus, the brand is still looking to build a strong wholesale network before developing its own e-commerce channel or brick-and-mortar store. “We’re a newborn so we really want to have the support of these great stores.”
Another strategy that helped Eéra to stand apart quickly was its close ties to fashion: Blanga and Capitani aim to follow the ready-to-wear cycle and produce two main collections a year. As part of a circle of up-and-coming, buzzy Milanese creatives, which includes Attico designers Giorgia Tordini and Gilda Ambrosio or Giuliano Calza of GCDS, they also keep up with seasonal fashion and style their jewels with of-the-moment looks, striking a balance between the timeless nature of fine jewelry and the excitement of new trends.
“It’s two collections a year and we want to keep [pace] with this world. We try to take inspiration from everywhere, fashion is a big part of our world, but also art and travel to develop concepts that are our own,” Capitani said.
For their second collection, presented during the spring 2020 Paris shows, the Milan-based duo expanded the range by adding new colors for their signature snap hook earrings, as well as more sculptural ear cuffs, chokers and rings, that received positive feedback from buyers.
“We had a super successful season with Eéra and it’s really exciting to see that they have massively expanded this season with new options,” said Tiffany Hsu, Mytheresa’s fashion buying director.