Family-owned jewellery studio Natalie Marie Jewellery has announced its departure from wholesale in favour of a direct-to-consumer model.
Founder Natalie Fitch said the transition allows the business to wholeheartedly focus on conscious creation and avoid creating any more stock than demand dictates.
"Through the instability of a global pandemic we turned inwards as a brand and assessed what was truly serving us. Fundamentally, we felt our wholesale channel was beginning to take us away from our core values and we started to feel misaligned.
"It took a vast amount of manufacturing power and at times, caused undue stress in trying to meet strict calendar deadlines. While we are grateful for our wholesale partnerships as well as the support and global exposure these offered us, we recognised that as a small and growing business, our workload needed to be sustainable and manageable."
With a decision to either dilute the brand's vision for conscious, local production and find alternative routes to manufacture increased volumes or stay true to its ethos and commit to only creating within their means. The brand chose its values and long term vision.
The move into wholesale initially was a way to grow the business and propel NMJ’s personalised approach and unparalleled aesthetic to the global stage. Mindful about which brand partners they worked with, NMJ secured an established list of stockists including Farfetch, David Jones and The Iconic.
However, despite best intentions, the brand accumulated surplus stock as well as samples for every wholesale collection while following traditional retail models.
“It is of great importance to us to maintain our sense of responsibility around sustainable production and ethical practice across every aspect of the business," Fitch said.
"Wholesale served us immensely over the years, but the infrastructure in place forced us to rethink how we were operating.
"We realised we were in a position we worked so hard trying to avoid - at times, a brand that creates more stock than demand dictates,”
NMJ will now solely focus on making pieces with intention and designing collections that "speak to the heart, imbued with creativity that hasn't been dictated by external deadlines," Fitch said.
Small regular refreshers will be added to the signature NMJ offering through Essentials, Limited Edition Capsules, One of a Kind and Signature Solitaire categories with the bespoke team working directly with clients on custom designs.
The closing of one chapter and the beginning of another coincides with the brand’s first and last archive sale.
“As we depart from wholesale, it makes complete sense for us to honour the energy and time that went into creating each of our sample and ex- showroom pieces throughout the years," Fitch said.
"While we have the ability to melt down our metals and reuse them, we have always viewed jewellery as innately sentimental; an opportunity to embody a moment in time, a memory or a milestone. The reasons our customers buy from us - their stories - these are the essence of our brand."