Q&A: Astrid & Miyu founder Connie Nam on how experiential retail has fuelled the jewellery brand’s success

Retail Week revealed last week that jewellery retailer Astrid & Miyu is ramping up its international expansion with the opening of its first store in mainland Europe in Amsterdam.

On a mission to “revolutionise the jewellery experience”, Astrid & Miyu was first founded by Connie Nam in 2012. Nam told Retail Week she was inspired by jewellery from an early age, having shopped at local markets and quirky jewellers with her mum.

Nam spotted a gap in the market for high-quality jewellery at accessible price points paired with experiential retail – something she has since gone on to create.

Now with 20 stores, across the UK, Europe and the US, and Astrid & Miyu being renowned across the world for its personalised products and in-store services, Nam sits down with Retail Week to discuss the jewellery market, growth plans and what makes Astrid & Miyu stand out in an increasingly competitive market.

Talk to me about the Astrid & Miyu journey to date

“When I first started out, I started the business from my flat and did everything myself. I had a grand vision of revolutionising the jewellery industry.

“In the jewellery category now there are lots of cool brands, which is great, but at the time you either went to very high-end jewellery stores, your local jeweller or you bought statement, throwaway jewellery.

“I thought there was an opportunity for high-quality jewellery but paired with a really nice customer experience. I used to love going to jewellery stalls and experiencing the warmth and the hustle and bustle. Whereas if you went to the high street, everything was under the glass and sophisticated but you rarely felt that warmth.

“Three years into the business we opened our first door but in between that we had loads of pop-ups. That physical experience was always part of the game.

“We became really well known early on for our ear jewellery and lots of people were asking for piercings so about two years after our first opening we launched our piercing service, which went viral at the time. I think that’s when people started really knowing about us. 

“We started the welding service before it was ‘a thing’, we were the first ones to do it. After Covid, there were a couple of customers that came in and posted about the welding service, they weren’t influencers who had a huge following but that content gained us two million followers and we created that experience and now there are a couple of other brands doing it.

“Off the back of that we opened 20 stores post Covid and we are now expanding.”

Where does the business sit within the jewellery market?

“In the demi-fine category, where we are, the likes of Monica Vinader, Missoma and Otiumberg would probably be sitting next to us, but I wouldn’t say they are competitors.

“I think ultimately it’s all about the experience. When we first launched it was about the product because demi-fine, affordable jewellery didn’t exist, but now there are a lot of brands doing it. Now it’s the experience, feeling and association that creates strong values that perspire through.

“Gifting is huge and Christmas is such a critical moment for us, as it is for all jewellery brands. Our fourth quarter probably takes around 35% of our total revenue so it’s very important.

“What makes us unique is the value in things such as our advent calendars – every time we have launched them they have sold out. I think the reason people love our advent calendars is because we put bestsellers in there as well as exclusives, whereas some brands put things they want to get rid of or samples. For us it’s about showcasing our bestsellers and people purchase it because of the value.

“Customers also love our personalised pieces. It’s a very easy way to personalise a gift and make people feel special through jewellery.”

What are the biggest opportunities ahead?

“I think having bespoke services is important and there is a huge opportunity to offer that in-house, whereas a lot of jewellery brands are manufactured and assembled overseas.

“We are setting up a workshop very soon to do bespoke pieces because it’s a huge opportunity to offer something where customers can get a bespoke service that’s done here, very quickly.

“We do have very ambitious expansion plans especially after we opened our first store in the US in New York last year and it’s doing really well. All businesses, people, founders and CEOs are talented but you’ve got to be in the right market and I happen to be in the right market.

“The role of our stores has been so important and that will only continue. It’s really hard to build a community just online so the people working in our stores are really important to the business. They [staff] are the ones that make people loyal and help customers to feel that warmth that I initially felt when I used to shop jewellery at the markets.”