Photo: Courtesy of Jenny Bird
Watch the full conversation between Jenny Bird and Fashionista Editor-in-Chief Dhani Mau on The Fashionista Network.
Before she became the “queen of the hoop” and built up her namesake jewelry empire, Canadian designer Jenny Bird started her career with a “very, very, very brief stint” in finance. She quickly pivoted to marketing and soon set her sights on creating her own brand from the ground up.
“I really quickly figured out that my dream career was something I would have to build for myself,” she told Fashionista’s Dhani Mau live on The Fashionista Network. (Watch it here!) “I wanted to do the marketing side of things, which I really enjoyed, but at the heart of it, I’m a creator and I wanted to create beautiful products that didn’t exist before.”
Noticing a lack of mid-price handbags in the market, Bird started with purses, which were picked up by Henri Bendel in 2008. But almost immediately, the financial crisis and ensuing recession shook the category. Bird was already crafting custom hardware and casting vintage chains onto her bags, which set the stage for a pivot to jewelry in 2010.
Bird focused on establishing her brand via influential wholesale accounts of that time, like Intermix, Shopbop, Scoop NYC and Madison. “I knew that if buyers of strong independent stores saw the brand at Intermix or Shopbop at the time, they would then want to pick up the line because [they were] setting the tone of what brands were getting momentum,” she said. The brand was and is entirely self-funded.
Chunky Doune Hoops, $138, available here / Sées Ring, $110, available here.
Since then, momentum hasn’t slowed. Jenny Bird has grown into a celebrity-favorite jewelry brand with stars like Michelle Obama, Selena Gomez, Hailey Bieber and Kylie Jenner among its organic fans. (The brand doesn’t “pay to play.”) The one celebrity Bird is still holding out for? Beyoncé.
The brand expanded into the sunglasses category in 2022, and then travel accessories in 2023. Its approach to retail has also evolved, flipping from 75% wholesale and 25% direct-to-consumer (DTC), to the inverse post-Covid. It recently opened its first brick-and-mortar pop-up in New York, and plans to continue utilizing temporary in-person experiences.
“I think about traveling with a show like that, where we have this limited-time brand experience, and how relevant that is versus just opening a chain of brick and mortar stores, which doesn’t excite me as a consumer as much either,” Bird shared.
The founder emphasized that the brand is currently in “growth mode.” With an almost entirely female team of about 56, she shared what qualities she looks for in hires, including aligning with the brand’s “culture of kindness.” In the full interview, Bird also touched on her conscious decision to self-fund her brand, her brand’s unique social media strategy, how she’s fostering longevity and her advice for aspiring jewelry brand founders. Watch it here.
This conversation was hosted on The Fashionista Network powered by interactive media platform Fireside, where viewers get the chance to participate and speak directly with industry figures. Learn more about The Fashionista Network here.
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Source: Fashionista.com