UK-based jewellery brand D Louise has seen a lot of change and growth since its inception in early 2021.
Set up by Olivia Jenkins, she founded D Louise as a way to honour her mother who passed away in 2017.
“I wanted this to be something for her,” Jenkins tells Retail Week. “It’s a way to grieve and leave a legacy for her, and a lot of customers resonate with that.”
Offering high-quality jewellery that can be worn at all times for an accessible price point is what Jenkins believes sets the brand apart from others in the jewellery market.
The brand even made the top 10 of the Sunday Times’ Hundred in 2025, which looks at the UK’s fastest growing private companies, and D Louise’s latest annual results show it made £6.6m in sales.
Founder Olivia Jenkins sat down with Retail Week to talk about the surprising growth it has seen, and the heights she wants the brand to reach.
Have you always wanted to create and establish your own brand?
“Definitely not. I’m not a born entrepreneur, which surprises a lot of people. I started D Louise as an experiment after coming out of lockdown where I was at a point in my life when I realised I could find true fulfilment through work and working towards something. At the time, I was in a dead-end job, not striving for anything. So, I took that feeling of helplessness and turned it into D Louise.”
What has the growth journey been like since 2021?
“In the beginning, I had no agenda as it was just a way to keep busy. I was able to leave my job, but we didn’t take it seriously for probably two years. Then, during Black Friday 2023, it exploded. We set the sale live with no marketing budget, just thinking, “Let’s give it a go” and it really took off.
“We sold all our stock for December, January, and February in that one month and that’s when we thought about taking it seriously. It’s not just a lifestyle brand anymore; it’s something special we can build into a legacy.”
That’s amazing. Was that success overwhelming?
“Yes, I remember thinking, ‘should we turn the website off?’ It was very surreal and we knew we had to maintain that momentum and treat it like a proper business because it had so much potential.”
What are some highlights in creating a jewellery brand?
“A big highlight was getting investment from Steve Hewitt, the former chief executive of GymShark, in 2023. He’s only made three investments since leaving Gymshark so we’re very fortunate and happy to have him on board. It was a gamechanger for us as we realised we had something good. A more recent highlight was collaborating with Lucy Bronze, a lioness who is part of the women’s Euro winning team, and we also got a year-long partnership with Chelsea FC’s women’s team. To have these players as advocates for D Louise – it just doesn’t get any better than that.”
“I want to work on it as long as I can as it’s so special and more than just a business to me. We want to take it to the moon and grow it into something huge”
How important is social media for D Louise?
“It’s at the forefront of our focus. We’re more than just a jewellery brand; we want to inspire people, especially during tough times and social media supports this. I get messages every day from customers saying they bought our jewellery because they felt connected to the story. Without social media, I wouldn’t have that connection with the customer. In terms of strategy, we have been investing in both paid advertising and media which has been key for growth.”
Are there any physical stores or pop-ups in the future?
“We haven’t gone for physical stores yet. We did a big rebrand this year, which was a huge project, really expensive but it has gone really well. It did mean we didn’t want to go into a physical space until we got the brand right. It’s not been a focus for us, but it would be a great opportunity as people love trying on jewellery in person.”
What’s the long-term goal for D Louise?
“My partner Jack and I always say we want to pass the brand down to our kids – but I am nowhere near finished. I want to work on it as long as I can as it’s so special and more than just a business to me. We want to take it to the moon and grow it into something huge. I’m inspired by the Pandora’s and Swarovski’s of the world, and I’d love for D Louise to be a part of that.”
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