Much is said about the latest crop of fashion designers making a breaking through but there’s a whole host of exciting jewellery brands worth shouting about right now too. Ivana Berendika, the force behind Miami-based contemporary jewellery label Arme de L’Amour, just happens to be the woman leading the pack.
Offering everything from statement ear cuffs and striking bracelets to more delicate necklaces and stacking rings, Arme de L’Amour has quickly becoming something of a go-to since it launched back in October 2013. Alicia Keys is one of the brand’s biggest fans, often being spotting sporting its signature rings, and Kate Moss, Naomi Watts and Uma Thurman are just a few of its starry supporters.
Serbia-born Berendika thought her calling was to be a model but after a 10 year-career lending her face to brands across the world, she took the tentative steps to move away from modelling, enrolling at the Parsons School of Design in New York. It was an inspiration trip to Vienna shortly after graduating that inspired her to launch the Arme de L’Amour and less than a month later she got snapped up by Net-A-Porter who quickly took her first collection as an exclusive.
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‘I was wearing a few pieces that I had developed as samples at a dinner in New York and, unbeknownst to me, the Net-A-Porter jewellery buyer was there and asked who designed the pieces,’ she explains. The rest is a wonderful story of collaboration. The Net-a-Porter team has been wonderful in guiding me through the launch of my first collection. Sometimes in life you just need a stroke of luck.’
It’s not all luck though. Such a fast trajectory is rare in fashion and to paraphrase Diane von Furstenberg, it can take designers years to become an overnight success. Any success the brand is enjoying right now is down to the designs. With prices ranging from £110 for a gold-plated phalanx ring to £345 for a delicate multi-chain necklace, they hit that accessible luxury sweet spot, which, unlike fashion, is still strangely underpenetrated with jewellery.
I could bang on about how Arme de L’Amour is on trend but what really matters is that the industry’s biggest names are paying attention. You can see her wares in magazines ranging from Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, to Elle and Grazia and, off the back of her Net-A-Porter exclusive, you’ll be able to see the collection up close and personal in Bergdorf Goodman and Opening Ceremony this coming season too. Here, she talks to The Lifestyle Edit about the concept behind her designs, the challenges of launching a brand and why it’s okay to make mistakes.
Growing up in war torn Serbia made a strong impression on me and inspired the name Arme De L’Amour. I believe the only weapons should be of love.
Having worked as a model for over 10 years, I felt a natural pull to stay involved in fashion as I took my next steps. Making the decision to go back to school and study fashion and interior design at Parsons was the best decision I could have made. It exposed me to so many different ways of thinking and the mechanics of how the industry really works.
It’s there that I learned about creating in 3D, which was a real turning point for me. I bought a 3D printer and the moment I held my first design in my hands, that was it – I was converted. 3D printing is the new, modern way to make jewellery, for sure. My designs involve very complicated patterns that would take months to develop in the old fashion way.
I wouldn’t be able to keep up with the demands of presenting four collections a year if I didn’t use 3D software and printing to produce the samples. In our first year we produced over 100 pieces for our collections, which would be absolutely impossible if it wasn’t for 3D printing – all of that was thanks to this new technology.
I’m always getting distracted by new directions so I often have a hard time staying focused and finishing pieces. It may sound strange, but my problem is I have so many ideas following through my head. I guess it’s a good problem to have as I’m never without ideas but I’m sure it frustrates my team at times!
I did short intern stints with handbag designer Carlos Falchi and at Elle magazine but aside from that, I didn’t work for anyone before starting Arme de L’Amour. Modelling for so long really helped because I had developed a good understanding about how things fit and how they should be shot.
When I was younger, I believed you had to suffer for fashion. Now I like wearing things that are different and unique but are comfortable and lightweight at the same time. That’s really key to my designs.
Offering something special at an accessible price has definitely been my biggest challenge but something I’m not willing to compromise on. I always felt there was a gap in the market for this approach. My jewellery should be layered and to get the full look sometimes requires 2-3 pieces. I want the typical 25 year-old girl to be able to do that, have something that’s great quality and be able to afford it. It’s all about creating things people can wear for a long-time and not just one season.
My grandfather was a dealer of antique jewellery so I have wonderful childhood memories of playing with the pieces and marvelling at the colours, the shapes and the sparkle. My love for him and my memories of those pieces ignited my passion for design, I’m sure.
I love Instagram – I’ve been on it for about a year now. It allows me to share not just my designs with my followers but also those everyday things I come across that inspire me whether it’s a person, a book or painting. Of course, I love following other creative people too and observing their inspirations too. Word of mouth has played a big part in our success. Friends and family have been really supportive in wearing Arme De L’Amour and spreading the word, both in-person and on social media.
Establishing a successful business takes a lot of effort and requires lots of time spent developing new skills (accounting, inventory control, sales, etc.). It’s not as simple as saying “I have a great idea, away we go”! There are so many long nights of figuring out the mechanics of the business. It’s true what they say – successful entrepreneurship is ten per cent inspiration and ninety per cent perspiration.
A lot of mistakes are just that, mistakes. As the leader of a business you need to learn to be okay with making mistakes and learning from them and moving on. ‘What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’ is good entrepreneurial advice! Sometimes a mistake in the design process will inspire you to do a design in a different way, and that’s cool.
In starting your own label, you don’t have the established support structure that a big brand already has. Instead, you have to create that infrastructure as you go, which is challenging. But at the end of the day, there is no greater feeling in life than to see your inspiration come to life and your designs appreciated by others. It’s a huge reward and one I’m hugely grateful for.