Models show the his and hers flexibility of Dapper Designs jewelry.
Dapper Designs, a new jewelry line created by Princeton resident Gabrielle Morris, is reinventing the concept of personalized jewelry.
Morris, who grew up in Montgomery, was always intrigued by jewelry and craft making. When applying to colleges, she chose to pursue art, and was accepted to Pratt Institute in New York, where she earned a bachelor in fine arts with an emphasis in jewelry.
At Pratt, she took classes in casting and stone setting and other techniques, as well as painting, drawing and sculpture. After graduating, Morris worked as a design assistant for Lulu Frost, a jewelry store in New York City. She also worked with other designers including Pamela Love and Alexis Bittar. Through internships and freelance positions, Morris gained experience and discovered her style.
“Even when I was working full time for other companies, I had a little studio and I would come home from work and start making [my own] pieces,” Morris said. “It kind of took on a life of its own.”
After working for a few years, Morris decided to begin her own collection. Popular styles like boyfriend jeans and the boyfriend watch inspired her to start Dapper Designs, a unisex jewelry line that aims to blur the line between what’s his and what’s hers, Gabrielle said.
Morris thinks unisex jewelry will be a major trend as the world changes and people become more open minded with regard to gender identity and equality. She sees more businesses considering products that cater to both men and women.
“The way the world is going, with so many more unisex brands, it’s not such a foreign concept anymore,” Morris said, “Even a lot of fashion designers are moving to gender-neutral clothing, so it’s the right time to make that move towards this whole concept of gender-neutral everything.”
One key feature of Morris’s jewelry is that every piece can be interchangeable. All the rings can hook onto necklaces and bracelets styles. In this way, it’s an easy way for someone to make the jewelry personal.
“It reinvents the function of jewelry [and] the way people adorn themselves,” Morris said.
Morris hand makes all of her pieces in Princeton and later brings them to a company in the city that helps her cast them. Though she keeps a small inventory, rings and special requests are made to order.
Morris uses only sustainable, recycled metals made in the U.S., including white bronze, brass and sterling silver. Many pieces are also gold plated over sterling silver. She incorporates genuine leather, marble and Swarovski crystal as added elements throughout the collection.
Since launching the collection in September, Morris has sold pieces in three to five online retail stores as well as in Indigo, a home furnishing store in Palmer Square. Although many stores are switching completely to online retail, Morris hopes to get her jewelry into more Brick and mortar stores.
Morris recently finished showcasing her collection at “Capsule,” a New York trade show for fashion week and men’s jewelry and will be attending a trade show in Vegas in the upcoming weeks. Live shows and events give her the best opportunities to introduce the unisex jewelry concept to customers.
“Online sales are doing great, but I love to be involved from start to finish,” Morris said. “I love to see people put it on and love it and get excited, and leave happy with a really nice piece that they’ll cherish.”
Dapper Designs has received positive feedback so far, Morris said. Customers are intrigued by the concept of interchangeable jewelry because it isn’t something commonly found on the market yet, she said.
So far, Morris has noticed a split in sales between men and women. Though the Dapper Designs look-book features both men and women wearing similar styles, some smaller and more delicate pieces, like the stackable rings, sell to women more. Beaded bracelets and longer necklace styles tend to sell to men.
Morris wants customers to interpret the pieces however they want, especially since they are personalizing the items and making each jewelry piece a bit different.
Since the September launch, Morris has introduced three or four new items to fill out the collection. She plans to release a new collection with 20-24 new pieces in the next five to seven months.
On the Web: dappdesigns.com.
Indigo by Shannon Connor Interiors, 45 Palmer Square West. Web: indigobysci.com. (609) 430-0111.
,
,
