Some of the Quarter’s own jewellery manufacturers and designers are set to be supplying their magnificent creations to the £100-million store opening later this month!
Retail giant, John Lewis, is joining other department stores in central Birmingham, opening on 24th September.
Among the suppliers to the department store are six Birmingham jewellers: Rhiannon Lewis, Fei Liu, James Newman, Kate Smith, Collette Waudby and Becca Wiliams are to supply over 500 pieces of jewellery for the new store.
Some of Quarter’s leaders in business proposed a shortlist of 20 designers, for their contribution to the A/W collection.
Board member of the Jewellery Quarter Development Trust, Jilly Cosgrove has spoken out about how much of a boost this would be for the jewellers: “For these designers, who range from established businesses to small start-ups – to have their collections in John Lewis’ new regional flagship shop is amazing. This project has been over three years in the making and will allow John Lewis to access talented and upcoming designers from the Jewellery Quarter, providing a unique customer experience.
“Each group of designers will rotate on a six-month basis, allowing us to demonstrate the breadth of talent here in the quarter.”
James Newman, who has his own business on Vyse Street in the Quarter, graduated from the Birmingham School of Jewellery nearly 20 years ago has manufactured a range of bespoke pieces in preparation for the launch. Mr Newman admitted to drawing inspiration from the design of the glass exterior of John Lewis’ new store, as well as the Big Peg office building in the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter, and the Staffordshire Hoard.
“Creating unique, distinctive and beautiful jewellery is something I am passionate about and the iconic design of the John Lewis Birmingham shop provided great inspiration for my collection,” he said.
Head of branch at John Lewis Birmingham, Lisa Williams, expressed her enthusiasm on ensuring the store mirrored how signification the Jewellery Quarter is.
“I’m really impressed with the pieces we will be stocking in the shop and look forward to hearing customers’ thoughts come opening day,” she said. “Supporting the local community is extremely important to us and we hope that our partnership with the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter is the start of a long and fruitful relationship with a variety of businesses in and around the city.”
The new Birmingham store will be home to over 350,000 products from its complete range including beauty, fashion, furniture, homeware, technology, and, of course, jewellery.
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