Jewel Britannia – Coutts London Jewellery Week is Unveiled
14-02-2008
Taking place from 11-15 June this year, Coutts London Jewellery Week will be the first time that the jewellery industry has united to showcase the UK’s status as one of the leading centres of global excellence for jewellery.
The Week has been designed to be an industry-wide celebration of all things jewellery, bringing together leading names and cutting edge designers, ultimately conveying the allure and diversity of British jewellery and creating a legacy for our talent. From Hatton Garden to Knightsbridge, Bond Street to Green Street, the event will offer the public a journey of discovery into the wonderful world of jewellery across London, from established designers to undiscovered treasures exhibiting at numerous locations across the capital, including the Tower of London and Cockpit Arts.
It will provide the consumer with a myriad of opportunities to experience jewellery excellence, from stunning catwalk shows to exhibitions, “rock and roll” parties, behind the scenes glimpses into some of the world’s finest designers, seminars, promotions, product launches, awards ceremonies, treasure hunts and graduate shows.
Over 200 jewellers are expected to be taking part, ranging from the high profile “heroes” of the industry such as Michael Wainwright of Boodles, Theo Fennell, Stephen Webster and Shaun Leane through to up-and-coming stars such as Hannah Martin; 60 of whom will be exhibiting at the Tower of London during the week.
Based on work commissioned by the City Fringe Partnership, the organisation behind the event, with funding from the London Development Agency (LDA) Coutts London Jewellery Week has been established in light of significant demand from both consumers and the jewellery industry itself. The concept has been warmly received by opinion formers across the capital, including Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London, and a number of high profile patrons have given their support to the week, including Laurence Graff, Sir Terence Conran, Theo Fennell, Lulu Guinness, Amanda Wakeley and Mary Reilly, Chair of the LDA. Visit Britain and Visit London have also offered their full commitment.
The capital has long been acclaimed for its creative talents in the world of fashion, architecture and, in more recent times, cuisine. It is high time that the spotlight fell on the jewellery industry. The UK is an important global centre of excellence for the jewellery industry, and is home to some of the world’s top designers. The true value of this industry and the opportunities it holds for the British economy are enormous. The UK jewellery industry is currently worth over £3 billion and is outstripping rival European and global markets with an annual growth in sales of 28% versus 6% globally. Furthermore, KPMG recently predicted that the global jewellery market was worth $146 billion in 2005 and could be worth as much as $280 billion by 2015 with the opportunity for a major part of this growth benefiting the UK economy.
Mary Reilly, Chair of the LDA comments: “The LDA has long recognised the importance of art, design, and creativity in terms of driving London’s economy, revitalising locations and helping to promote London to the rest of the world. In turn London is a driver of economic success throughout other parts of the UK. The work the City Fringe Partnership has undertaken over the last decade in supporting the jewellery sector is an outstanding example of this. Coutts London Jewellery Week will give designers the opportunity to showcase their work to a wider audience and help the jewellery industry to continue to grow and thrive.”
Commenting on their sponsorship of the inaugural event, Sarah Deaves, Chief Executive of Coutts & Co, said: “Coutts is absolutely thrilled to be the principal sponsor of the first ever London Jewellery Week. This event reinforces our commitment to the world of contemporary art and design. We’ve already enjoyed highly successful relationships in the worlds of art and fashion and now look forward to lending our support to the excellence of London’s jewellery designers. The connection between Coutts and jewellery is steeped through our 300 year history, and begins with the foundation of the bank in 1692 by Scottish goldsmith-banker, John Campbell, who not only supplied plate and jewellery but also a full banking service to our clients.”
Cllr Guy Nicholson, Board Chair of the City Fringe Partnership, said: “Coutts London Jewellery Week is all about the jewellery that is designed and produced on our doorstep. The City Fringe Partnership is delighted with the support received across the industry and is proud to be able to offer a showcase for the diverse array of talent in the jewellery industry which contributes so much to the area’s economic success.”
