Irish Design Spotlight: CROÍA Jewellery

Tell us about you and your brand
I founded CROÍA Jewellery because I found it so difficult to find high-quality, fashion-forward jewellery at an accessible price point. CROÍA Jewellery launched in summer 2021. It started out as a passion project but I never could have imagined we’d be where we are today, almost three years on.

I was in college when I came up with the concept, studying social sciences at UCD where I learned about media, society and how they influence consumer behaviour and preferences. I’ve always had an entrepreneurial mindset and as a student with low income, I noticed a gap in the market for high-quality, affordable that didn’t tarnish or turn my skin green after a few wears, which is such a common thing when buying affordable jewellery – I learned that it’s actually base metals such as copper which can turn your skin green, due to the oxidisation process when water or humidity interferes with the base material. I found that I was always paying a reasonable amount for a brand name but had little knowledge about materials and I often felt that the quality did not meet or exceed my expectations given the price point.

After plenty of market research, I soon realised I wasn’t alone. All of our jewellery pieces have 18-carat or 14-carat gold plating and are made from either a stainless steel base or a 925 sterling silver base, which is ideal for those who have sensitive skin (like me). I completed my social science degree in May last year and the whole thing has snowballed since then. We secured our first in-store stockist shortly after in July, hired our first full-time staff member in September, and participated in multiple pop-ups including two internationally. It’s been such an amazing journey with customers in over 60 countries worldwide. This year it’s all about growth and expansion and I’m so excited about what 2024 has in store for us. We are ready to push the boundaries further in the fashion accessories market!

What is your mission?
It’s our mission to make high-quality jewellery more accessible and be more than your average jewellery brand. We are amassing such an amazing CROÍA community, which we have built successfully through our rapidly growing social presence. We pride ourselves on inspiring people to embrace their natural selves through accessorising and styling.

Did you always know you wanted to be a designer? 
I have always been passionate about fashion and styling since I was very young. When I was in school, I always knew I was going to pursue a fashion-based career. When it comes to designing jewellery I still have a lot to learn. We started out hand-sourcing all of our pieces and now we have our own designs. I have learnt so much throughout the designing process and when it comes to bringing something new to market. The jewellery industry is quite saturated – when it comes to designing we want to bring new but timeless pieces to our customers. I’m so lucky that I have made really good contacts in the industry that make it a lot more seamless, which is so important in business.

What kind of items do you stock? 
We have two collections at the moment, our Core collection and our Elevated collection. Our Core collection embodies fun and fashion. They’re statement pieces, perfect for adding that finishing touch to an outfit. Our bestsellers from our Core collection include our Heart Drop Down Earrings – one of my favourite pairs of earrings, great for accesorising for a night out. We have sold over 1,000 pairs nationwide of this style alone since launching last year! Our Core collection pieces have also been spotted on huge fashion influencers such as Tasha Ghouri and Sophie Murray.

Our Elevated collection comprises simple statement pieces with finer details for those who prefer effortless pieces designed to elevate your everyday. We also came out with a range of vermeil rings, which is something that was completely new to us. Vermeil rings carry 2.5 microns of gold plating rather than 0.5, the standard other gold plated pieces would carry. It’s the next best thing to solid gold. They’re much more durable which is essential for rings – we’re much harder on jewellery we wear on our hands than on any other parts of our body. Our bestsellers from the Elevated collection are the Vermeil Star and Moon Duo Set Ring, which is a fabulous fine double ring, set with CZ stones in a moon and star feature. I love this ring so much because you can wear them separately or style them stacked together.

I also couldn’t not mention our famous bows! Our bow pieces have been a huge sell-out – they’re honestly like gold dust these days. Hailey Bieber was a huge inspiration behind these pieces. We were inspired by her ballet days and loved the idea of soft delicate pieces, which are truly timeless.

What new brands or items are on your radar? 
I recently spotted a new brand on TikTok called Oli Rose. They sell the cutest Pilates socks, they’re so fab. Pilates is my favourite form of exercise so I’ll have to pick up a pair but they are always sold out! Our girl Robyn Trout has also set up her own business MAIE which we are so excited about. The CROÍA team is so excited to get our hands on a pair of sunnies, we know how hard she has worked on this!

Was money/funding a concern when starting out?
It can be really daunting investing all of your personal income into your start-up because you never know what the outcome will be. I started CROÍA when I was in college so, as you can imagine, funds were very low, I found it difficult to build up the brand as I had very little to start off with as I had only been working part-time previously. It was definitely challenging at the start, but the business wouldn’t be where it is today if I did not reinvest every cent we made at the time. At present, the brand has grown rapidly year on year – up an unbelievable 332% on the previous year – and we have been able to sustain this rapid growth without any investment by bootstrapping all funds back into the business.

Best business advice you’ve gotten
I’ve gotten so much good advice over the years. I love listening to business-related podcasts for advice, you can learn so much by listening to other business owners because, in reality, we all go on the same journey. Steven Bartlett’s Diary of a CEO podcast is my favourite. One quote in particular has stuck with me – “How can I be 1% better today at the thing I’m doing?” Making tiny, incremental changes might seem unimportant, but he believes you can show their effects in one simple way (go to Google and type ‘compounding interest calculator’). I think it’s simply down to dedication and consistency… the day you fail is the day you give up!

Favourite fashion/design accounts you follow
Pinterest is my favourite social platform for inspiration when it comes to outfits and styling. I could spend hours scrolling through. My favourite account on TikTok would have to be @acquiredstyle, she’s the coolest!

Best fashion purchase
My favourite fashion purchases have to be from OddMuse London. All of their pieces are essential for building a capsule wardrobe. It’s so hard to choose one because I simply love all the pieces I have purchased from their website! But, If I had to pick, my favourite piece would have to be the ir ultimate muse tee. It’s so flattering, it really accentuates your figure with the zip at the waist. I can’t wait to see what they have in store for 2024. I have followed the founder on Instagram since the start and she’s so inspirational. I love seeing young women in business succeed!

Other Irish brands you love:
There are so many amazing Irish brands to choose from but if I had to narrow it down to five it would have to be: Sculpted by Aimee, The Smooth Company, Cotone Collection for luxurious sleepwear, Happy Days Fashion and Fem Fuelz.

Most useful learning since setting up a business
Focus on what you’re good at and outsource anything you struggle with. You can’t be amazing at every aspect whilst running a business and that’s ok. It’s so important to spend time on things that you excel at and anything which adds value to your business. Always think long-term. By thinking about the long-term, it’s easier to develop a clear vision for where you want to be and what you want to achieve. It’s so easy to get caught up in the short-term but by doing that, you’re disallowing any long-term projects to develop. Network, network, network! People are amazing and you can learn so much from a five-minute conversation with like-minded people.

Proudest moment so far
There have been so many proud and pinch-me moments but my proudest moment thus far has been the success of our pop-up shop in Liffey Valley. It was ur biggest project to date and we really felt overwhelmed by the presence of our community in person. I have never felt support like that in my life. It was so surreal to see girls gathering nearby while we were setting up for our opening morning. I assumed they were waiting for a bigger retailer like Zara, but was overjoyed to learn they were instead waiting for CROÍA. I couldn’t believe it! The sense of community that backed us from the beginning to the end of our pop-up shop was undoubtedly my proudest moment to date. It’s definitely made us ambitious to pursue more brick-and-mortar locations in the near future. There may be more coming sooner than you think…

I want my brand to be remembered for… providing luxurious pieces at an attractive price point. That and for inspiring young women to follow their dreams and push the boundaries in business.

If I could have anyone wear my designs it would be… Hailey Bieber, she’s our ultimate muse.

Imagery courtesy Shauna Burke, CROÍA Jewellery