Why Missoma is the jewellery brand you need to invest in RN

Missoma founder Marisa Hordern on Meghan Markle and collaborating with one of the biggest bloggers around

Jewellery brand Missoma needs little introduction. If you hadn't heard of it as one of Meghan Markle's favourite fashion brands, you'll probably have seen it all over your Instagram thanks to a super cool collaboration with influencer Lucy Williams.

So how do you go from collecting crystals to selling out within minutes? Marisa Hordern, the Founder of Missoma, reveals all.

How did the brand start?

You could say it was born the minute that my mother gave me my first crystal at five years old. Having spent all my pocket money on gemstones, it developed into something far more than just a childhood collection or hobby, as I started making jewellery around her kitchen table encouraged by my mother Michele and assisted by my sister Sophie. I then started sourcing gemstones from around the world from Hong Kong, Thailand, India and the US.

Fast forward 10 years and I am now the Founder and Creative Director of Missoma. It’s a story which shows us that if we pursue what we love with dedication, perseverance and passion, exciting things can happen.

You’ve got a cult celeb following, how did that come about? Was this quite organic?

Over the years we have built up quite an amazing and varied group of women who wear Missoma in their own way, playing with their pieces and interpreting them with their own style. It's one of the joys of fashion, seeing how people wear your designs. We have slowly made a name for ourselves as your perfect ‘every-day’ jewellery brand, and any Missoma owner knows, once you put it on, you’re hard-pushed to take it off.

Margot Robbie was recently snapped at a Pre-Oscar party layering up her Lucy Williams x Missoma Necklaces, and the next day she was also spotted at the airport still wearing the pieces… The likes of Claudia Schiffer and Meghan Markle have been wearing Missoma for years – way before we were well known! And over time we have seen the cult following grow in a hugely organic.

‘Meghan Mania’ is in full swing, did you notice a massive difference when people became aware she was a fan of the brand?

Meghan has been wearing Missoma for a number of years, the beady-eyed will spy us in early Suits campaign photos. She has always been supportive of us as a British brand and used to shout out to Missoma on her Instagram wearing her personalised Gold Bar Necklace engraved with her name.

We are thrilled to see Meghan continues to rock her Missoma her way. She loves a stacking ring, and Missoma’s Interstellar Ring (£45) is a winning piece for its delicate style and entry price point for customers.

It also highlights her down-to-earth personality and loyalty to the brands she has loved and worn for years. Whilst the Interstellar Ring has always been a strong seller for Missoma, we have certainly seen a great uplift in sales and conversation around the piece since Meghan wore it on her trip to Scotland, just as we did when she wore the infamous ‘H’ ring last year! On both occasion the rings sold out and went on pre-order, and we are confident will continue to sell well.

Shop now: 18ct Gold Vermeil Round Pave Interstellar Ring for £45 from Missoma

With the rise of Instagram and influencers, has your business model changed slightly?

With increased investment into our own online shop our brand model has definitely changed from a largely wholesale business to an online retailer. Instagram is our main social media channel, with 70% of all sales being attributed back to the channel at some point in their journey. Indeed in the first quarter of 2018 our Instagram following has grown by 20%, and we see a higher engagement rate than many much larger global jewellery brands.

Instagram Stories has also allowed us to further engage our customers in a behind the scenes glimpse of the brand, meeting the team and seeing what we are up to on a day to day basis, ultimately making the whole journey more personal for our followers. With this in mind, we treat our Instagram with a real lifestyle feel, we share a lot of user generated content, shoot our own images ‘in house’ and of course share content from our loyal influencers who over time have become great friends.

Talk us through your Lucy Williams collab.

Our long standing collaboration with Lucy Williams has definitely introduced us to a new audience, but even this was organic. Marisa and Lucy met through a mutual friend and formed a great friendship, and three years down the line with three collections under their belt, the collaboration is still going strong. The collab sees the coming together of Lucy’s much sought after style, Missoma’s distinctive design and finish, and allows the wearer to interpret it their own way. It is the perfect harmony of concept, creation and curation. More than anything, our customer and Lucy’s following have responded to its authenticity as a collaboration, which is testament to it’s continued covetability.

Shop now: Lucy Williams 18ct Gold Vermeil Square Malachite Necklace for £85 from Missoma

How would you describe the Missoma customer?

Whilst our biggest audience is between 25 and 34, girls and women of all ages love and buy the brand and I think this comes down to its simple every-day style, perfect for every generation. The Missoma girl is cool, ecclectic and cultured. Engaged in current affairs whilst might also be spotted at Coachella. She also has a love of travel but works hard too.

The Lucy Williams collab was a big hit, anything else exciting in the pipeline?

Loads of really exciting things in the pipeline for Missoma. We are currently working on some new creative collaborations … the rest you’ll have to keep an eye on Instagram for.. I’m afraid we can’t give away too much or else it will be all over Instagram!

How should we wear our jewellery for SS18?

SS18 is all about layering your necklaces, and at Missoma we have no less than 20 difference chains available across 4 different styles and 5 different lengths in yellow gold, silver and rose gold.. so the possibilities are endless! We just like to see you having fun with your jewellery and making it personal to you. There are no rules!

Make the investment more affordable with our latest Missoma discount code.