People

Ella Drake | Monarc Jewellery

Meet Ella, Founder of Monarc Jewellery,
hailed from New Zealand now based in London.

Imagery by Luke Foley Martin

‘Every piece has a story’ is our way of giving you a little insight into the wonderful people who contribute to each of our garments, where we talk about the people behind our brand and the people part of our Mina Community. We talk a lot about how our community and relationships are so central to our business but as the day to day of business gets so busy we don't often get to talk about these people as much as we would like to.

You may recall we recently featured on Monarc Journal where we talked to Founder Ella Drake about Mina’s community-led initiative, Every Piece Has a Story and our recent campaign Walking the Bushveld featuring Monarc Jewellery.

At Mina, community is at the forefront of our brand so when it comes to styling we choose to support like-minded businesses that share our values. New Zealand born Monarc Jewellery is crafted using sustainable practices and collaborates with suppliers who share the same view on ethics and the environment.We both share a commitment in our offering of intentional, bespoke designs with longevity in mind and our designs are made to transcend generations through the use of quality materials.

We are delighted that Monarc and Mina pair so well aesthetically and the campaign has been such a success! Now it is our turn to share a Q&A we did with Ella while she spent lockdown in the UK. We are so excited to introduce New Zealand born Monarc Jewellery as part of our Mina Community.

Model Bianca Henry wears Monarc Jewellery

Photo of hands making Jewellery Photo of person mood boardingPhoto of person wearing earingsSide profile of person wearing earings

How have you been supporting local business during this time, and how will you continue to support local businesses once restrictions start to ease?

I consider myself to be a conscious consumer (pre-covid and before lockdown), but in recent weeks I’ve been thinking more about craftspeople, makers, small business owners etc. and how they’re doing during this time. Ordering from local businesses is such a fulfilling experience - I get to see how my patronage has a positive and direct impact, whether that’s a heartening smile or knowing that my individual purchase goes towards keeping their business going.

"Ordering from local businesses is such a fulfilling experience - I get to see how my patronage has a positive and direct impact, whether that’s a heartening smile or knowing that my individual purchase goes towards keeping their business going."

Due to recent events, what is the most positive change you have seen in people’s behaviour and attitude?

My local community has really banded together in response to the UK’s enforced restrictions. Sourcing food and key household items immediately changed when lockdown came into effect. Online and physical markets couldn’t serve in their usual way, so this encouraged my neighbourhood, including me, to buy local produce and seek out local brands. This experience of slowing down has enabled me to take stock of what I have, purifying the essential, getting rid of the unnecessary and informing who I wish to support moving forward.

"This experience of slowing down has enabled me to take stock of what I have, purifying the essential, getting rid of the unnecessary and informing who I wish to support moving forward."

As someone who has made a living from a creative pursuit, how has the time in isolation helped you reflect on, and perhaps hone your craft?

"I’ve found myself a lot busier with projects and customers during lockdown, it’s encouraging to know that people want to connect with Monarc. Isolation has allowed me to get into a kind of zone; I feel more creative and I can make decisions with more clarity and precision.I’ve seen a huge surge in couples wanting to celebrate their commitment after a period of being at home. Perhaps it’s them having time to spend quality time with each other without the usual distractions of modern life that has given them pause to consider the things that really matter to them. 

How do you hope society will maintain the community togetherness that has been so vividly felt in lockdown, once we come out of it?

I love that we can so clearly see change coming from people helping people, and if enough of us hang onto this feeling and continue this outreach of kindness, it will have an evolutionary effect on society moving forward.In a business sense, I think it’s vital that brands have or add a string of ‘togetherness’ to their bow, and extend beyond just a product offering to give something that’s community focused and not strictly commerce driven.

"In a business sense, I think it’s vital that brands have or add a string of ‘togetherness’ to their bow, and extend beyond just a product offering to give something that’s community focused and not strictly commerce driven.

Visit Monarc Jewellery www.monarcjewellery.com

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