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Journal
Who is Justine Clenquet?
Behind the brands
Justine Clenquet and her teams opened the doors of their new studio in Lille for us, a place that reflects the brand’s identity: creative and singular.
What is the history of the brand? How did it all start?
I launched the brand thirteen years ago, while I was still a student. At that time, I couldn't find what I wanted from existing jewelry brands, so I started making my own pieces. I bought old jewelry from flea markets or retrieved it from my grandmother. That's how I started, creating new pieces from old creations. At first, I did it only for myself, then for my friends, and gradually I became known. I opened my shop in Roubaix, France where I used to make and sell my designs. The first few years weren’t easy because selling made in France products with a slightly different style was challenging.
The brand struggled to become profitable, so I started looking for a second job to ensure a stable income, and that's when Opening Ceremony contacted me. This New York store spotted my creations and wanted to place an order. They played a significant role in our success because as soon as our pieces arrived in their selection, celebrities like Lady Gaga started wearing them. We started to become known in the United States; in fact, most people thought we were an American brand.
In 2020, after the pandemic, the brand took a local turn, and we started to do well in France too. Social media and personalities like Rosalía, for example, who wore and shared our pieces on their accounts, greatly contributed to the success we know today, and digital remains an important channel of expression for us. ar exemple, qui ont porté et partagé nos pièces sur leurs comptes ont largement contribué au succès que nous connaissons aujourd’hui, et le digital reste un important canal d’expression pour nous.
How did the jewelry world come to you? Was creating your own brand a goal, a dream?
No, not at all. Everything happened spontaneously and naturally. I had never considered having a brand one day; everything happened gradually, step by step. I studied fashion in Paris, so I wasn't initially into jewelry. During my studies, I realized that accessories, and especially jewelry, interested me more than clothing, so I started tinkering with small pieces from old jewelry.
How do you work on your collections today, what is your creative process?
First, I sketch, then with the rest of the team, especially Clémentine, we create prototypes that will serve as the basis for the final production of the collection. For jewelry, everything happens here, in our studio in Lille, France. We also have a lot of back and forth with our suppliers to choose or manufacture the different elements that will be used for the final pieces, with drawings, 3D models, initial tests, etc. That's for our jewelry. Then, for shoes and bags, I work with a team of designers in Paris who assist us in developing our models. I've learned a lot from them.
What inspires you?
I'm a huge fan of artists like Kim Gordon and Chloë Sevigny; they've been inspiring me for a long time. In our offices, I have an inspiration wall where I pin printed images that I saved on my phone or computer. I also have a small library that helps me create my collections; I feed it a lot, especially with photography books, old works, but also more recent Japanese publications. It's in this space that I make every effort to feel good and be able to create the collections.
Then, with my team, we travel quite regularly, and these trips are also sources of inspiration. I always have a little notebook with me where I take notes; I'm inspired by the people I meet on the street, their looks. I jot down all my ideas, names of people who inspire me, icons, artists, muses from which I then name my pieces.
My clients are also a great source of inspiration; I like to see how they appropriate our pieces and how they associate them to complete their outfits. I don't have a rigorous process, but when I start working on collections, I go through my notes, open all my books, print images, stick post-it notes here and there, and that's how I work. Then, I start working with the material and gradually assemble the first prototypes for each design.
What are your main challenges today and how do you deal with them?
After thirteen years, I would say the main challenge is to know how to renew ourselves and offer new things to our customers; it's very important to me. That's also why I launched a line of bags and shoes; I wanted to go beyond jewelry and take on the challenge of becoming an accessories brand.
What is Justine Clenquet's universe?
For me, it's a lot of things; it's music, underground culture, do it yourself, punk, etc. The brand is also what the people who wear it make of it; being able to combine opposite styles and break free from codes. In our collections, we blend silver and gold, creating mismatched designs. This approach is both polarizing and defining of our identity, shaping our unique universe. For instance, while many brands now offer unisex pieces, when I began thirteen years ago, it was far less common, yet it has been integral to our brand ethos. From the beginning, I made pieces for both men and women, and today, pearl sales are doing very well among men, whereas ten years ago, it was not the case.
It's great to see the evolution of looks and codes over time; today, a man can very well say "I'm a man, and I wear pearls." Today, about 60% of our clientele is female and 40% male.
Was it difficult for you to establish yourself in the jewelry sector?
When I started, there were not many jewelry brands in the market, so we were lucky to enter a niche with only a few players. Since then, the market has grown and a lot of brands have emerged, but many offer the same styles, on our side we stuck to our initial identity and managed to stand out. The term "fashion jewelry" has traditionally carried negative connotations within the industry. My aim was to challenge this perception by providing accessible yet high-quality pieces, particularly targeted towards youngers.
Justine Clenquet is now an established and successful jewelry brand, with a recognizable identity, so what can we wish you next?
Continue to always offer new things to our customers. As previously stated, maintaining creativity remains my primary challenge. We are a big team working on the project today, and I want to be able to combine all our forces to strengthen our brand universe year after year by creating lines that surprise our customers. Furthermore, being able to remain a human-sized company and maintain proximity among all team members is also important to me.
On which new market would you like to develop the brand?
I just returned from South Korea; it was my first time there, and I would love to expand the brand there. It's being talked about a lot right now, and I was quite curious to see how it was. I think the brand's universe could find its audience there.
A word about Centre Commercial, to conclude?
Centre Commercial has been a loyal partner for a very long time. We've been working with the store for over six years, and it's one of the first concept stores that allowed us to be distributed in France, especially in Paris.