Missoma was founded in the United Kingdom, but their mindset is global. With its profile continuing to expand across Europe, the direct-to-consumer jewellery brand offers an
eclectic and high-quality assortment of accessories designed to bring out customers’ natural personality rather than define it. They are also committed to thinking beyond the bottom line, keeping the world around them in mind in both their approach to design and doing business.
A global view of design
The three tenets of Missoma’s philosophy as a company are confidence, creativity and collaboration. Here’s how founder and creative director Marisa Hordern summarises her
guiding principles:
I want to remind other women of their own creativity and power. Expressing my creativity through design has helped me on my own journey to inner confidence. It gives me immense pleasure and pride to see women expressing their individuality when they style their Missoma pieces in unique and thoughtful ways.
Hordern’s concepts of creativity and individuality draw from traditions well outside the borders of Missoma’s home country. Since the company’s founding in 2008, for example, her travels to India have been an important inspiration for Missoma’s creative direction. Many of the brand’s designs are influenced by local Indian merchants’ approach to working with semi-precious gemstones. Hordern’s admiration for this craftsmanship led to the country becoming the base of Missoma’s manufacturing.
Connecting and making a difference in the virtual space
It’s not just Missoma’s diverse product offerings that indicate the company’s commitment to engaging a broad customer base — it’s also the way they go about connecting with those customers. Hordern and her team want shoppers to be satisfied with their Missoma pieces in the long term, which is why they offer a comprehensive guide to jewelry care on their site. Missoma has also used social media to create a more lasting bond with its customer base. To date, the brand’s Instagram account has over 340,000 followers
Social media has also proven to be an excellent outlet for finding like-minded creatives to partner with. Notably, the company collaborated with British lifestyle influencer Lucy Williams to create an entire “1987” line of retro chains, pendants, earrings, and more.
As part of their #MissomaMuses program, their creative collaborations have also extended into charitable efforts. The company designed their Momposina line in partnership with the residents of the town of Mompox, Colombia, and launched a Black Friday initiative with environmental non-profit TreeSisters to help plant tens of thousands of trees across the world.
Leveraging their business to help those in need
Recently, Missoma has found constructive ways to react to the unique and troubling circumstances we are facing internationally due to COVID-19. The company is currently donating two meals to underprivileged children and families for every purchase made on the site as part of their 1 Order=2 Meals initiative. They are working with two charities on this project: Magic Breakfast, which feeds nearly 2 million children at risk of hunger in the UK,and Akshaya Patra, which provides meals and grocery kits to families in need throughout India.
The brand’s new “Round of Applause” pendant necklace was designed to honour the National Health Service, and all proceeds go directly to the organization. The concept was inspired by the United Kingdom’s Thursday habit during the pandemic of a communal cheer for the NHS and local essential workers.
“We hope to lend support to those who have already faced huge challenges, and for whom this pandemic is critical,” Hordern explains. “Supporting the tireless work of both these charities is just a small way we can contribute as a business; they are working day in, day out to ensure that the most vulnerable, who might not otherwise get a meal, are fed.”
Missoma also aims to make its website easy to navigate for customers by offering a variety of digital checkout options, including Amazon Pay. Visit their site to browse their extensive catalogue and learn more about their charitable projects.