Theo Fennell isn’t in a hurry.
After regaining full control of his namesake brand in June, he is focusing on bespoke works and prioritizing his close-knit group of loyal clients. In an interview, Fennell said he wants to stop compromising, and doing the big, commercial collections that previous investors were always asking for.
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“We’ve always been much happier doing very small, one-offs and very complicated and crafted work,” said the designer, 69, in a Zoom call.
“I think there was an obsession for 20 years, from when the branding process really first started, to make everything into a brand so that it could be duplicated all over the world. But, really, our ethos has always been that jewelry should be very personal. It’s not an accessory. In our case we want to make something that is loved, and not just for a season or for a couple of years, something that would really last forever.”
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He’s known for sorbet-colored gemstones and bejeweled cross, key, and horn pendants, as well as for objects such as silver ketchup bottles, or jam jar lids. His designs have long been popular with the social set and celebrities including Naomi Campbell, Elton John and Elizabeth Hurley — as well as with his daughters, the Oscar-winning Emerald Fennell, and fashion designer Coco Fennell.
Fennell launched his brand with a store in London’s Chelsea in 1982 after honing his skills in London’s diamond district Hatton Garden. The brand soared during the years of Cool Britannia, but has gone through a series of financial ups and downs since, was listed on the London Stock Exchange at one point, and has seen private investors come and go.
He regained control of the brand earlier this year, together with Neal Sussman, the managing director. They bought the shares back from Endless, the London-based private equity firm that saved it from going into administration and invested heavily over the past few years.
Now back in the pilot’s seat, the jeweler believes that staying small and beautiful is right for now.
The pandemic was a catalyst for the public to reconnect with the idea of “getting involved and having things made that are unique pieces,” according to Fennell. “They want to be involved in the process. They want to wear things that say something about themselves rather than the back of the brand.”
“Endless understood and behaved wonderfully well because they understood the business. They realized that we were just far better by ourselves, and they very kindly offered me a chance to buy it back, which I did very happily because it’s been 14 years that I haven’t had my name,” he added.
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For now, some 70 percent of the business comes from commissioned work, and all pieces are made within the brand’s workshop in a new headquarters at 169 Fulham Road, which is just down the road from Fennell’s first Chelsea store.
“What we’re producing are jewelry pieces that people can wear and remind themselves of what we hope is the beginning of the end of the world we’ve inhabited for the last two years,” he said.
“At the moment, we’re doing rings [with elements that open] with stories that lend hope to people. We’re also doing these little creatures — serpents and salamanders in rainbow colors to just try and cheer people up.”
Another popular request he has been getting is for rings with people’s favorite buildings and objects inside.
“It’s a very Elizabethan idea of sentimental jewelry, of being able to open something and have a portrait inside. It can be people, dogs or a horse. It has become much nearer to what a piece of great jewelry used to be. Having something secret and very personal is still a very important part of really proper jewelry,” he said.
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Fennell said that demand has risen dramatically this year, and he is already beginning to look at what his next steps could be.
“I want to get everything absolutely right. Everybody following the ethos, and part of the business, with their passion up and running. This is a passionate business for people who love jewelry, rather than people who are just trying to sell billions of pieces to please some shareholders,” he added.
While the business has a hard core of long-standing customers, it is also looking to speak to a younger audience and embrace the work of younger craftsmen and studio apprentices.
AP
Fennell’s daughter Emerald, who won the Oscar for best original screenplay for her feature film directorial debut “Promising Young Woman,” and who played the young Camilla Parker Bowles in the Netflix series “The Crown,” has been crucial in helping her father speak to a new generation of audiences.
“It’s been great that she has this following of young — and old — women, people who respect her. I think those are the kind of people who we enjoy seeing wearing our jewelry. Instead of models and catwalk and red carpet, for us, it’s much more about people who we have respect for and everybody else has respect for wearing it,” he added.
To safeguard the future of experimental jewelry, Fennell has been actively involved in championing and preserving the British jewelry industry.
He is a founding member of the London Leopards alongside Solange Azagury-Partridge, Susan Farmer, Shaun Leane, Stephen Webster, and Carol Woolton. The industry group celebrates the creativity and craftsmanship of British jewelry, and looks at how it inspires film, fashion, art and sport.
Richard Young/Courtesy
Fennell has also launched the Gilded Youth initiative to get young people involved in the trade.
“They think about designing jewelry, but very few really think about getting involved, sitting in the workshops and making jewelry. It is, in fact, a fantastic occupation of somebody to be part of a team that’s producing wonderful things,” he said.
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