Established in 2014 by sisters Christie and Rosanna Wollenberg, Otiumberg is an all-jewelry ecommerce offering a mix of high-and-low pieces from already-known to up-and-coming designers worldwide. The duo, based in London and New York, has combined their backgrounds in the art and fashion industries, handpicking the designers based on craftsmanship, their passion for their job, and extraordinary art. Today, Otiumberg also features a magazine section, with the content ranging from educating readers on gemstones to covering trends and posting interviews with Otiumberg designers. We caught up with Rosanna to discuss breaking into the industry, working with each other and creating quality content – both for the eshop and the magazine.
Did you work for someone else first before establishing Otiumberg?
Both of us held down full time jobs for the first year and a half of Otiumberg; Christie working in the luxury fashion sector, and myself working in the arts.
Was there an “aha!” moment when you decided to launch your business? Was there a gap you aspire to fill?
The business evolved really organically when we lived together in West London. We both shared a vision to create a truly unique and fresh shopping experience online – an experience that is highly curated, easy to navigate and most importantly enjoyable. It saddened us to see that personal aspect taken out of the jewelry marketplace online, so we decided to do something about it. We share a die-hard passion for jewels, and so that was always going to be the industry for us. I remember as a kid delving into, or fighting over you might say, our mother’s draws trying on all her old pearls and costume jewelry together.
Do you think you would have launch Otiumberg solo without one another?
Working together has enabled us to get to a place we would never have been able to do alone – we have pulled on each other’s strengths along the way. It’s been invaluable to work so closely and collaboratively with someone that you can bounce ideas off so honestly.
Why did you choose jewelry in particular?
Otiumberg is not just about jewelry; it’s about women, creativity and empowerment. We really want to cultivate a place where women are able to share ideas and get inspired by what others are doing. Coming from a very strong female family, the magazine acts as a natural extension of our beliefs and our desire to create that same nurturing and inspiring community for others online.
You also have magazine section. What prompted this decision? How do you feel the consumers or readers’ habits have changed the last seasons?
For us it’s evident that the consumer today is not just interested in a pretty ring; it’s about the story behind each of the designers as well as the provenance and the intricacies of their designs.
You also have magazine section. What prompted this decision? How do you feel the consumers or readers’ habits have changed the last seasons?
For us it’s evident that the consumer today is not just interested in a pretty ring; it’s about the story behind each of the designers as well as the provenance and the intricacies of their designs.
How have you shared responsibilities and roles?
We really do share most roles and responsibilities within the business – we’ve naturally fallen into more defined roles as the company grows with Christie using her experience and strong business acumen to manage the marketing and partnerships, whilst I look after the digital and brand aspects.
How do you choose the designers you feature?
We pride ourselves on the quality of our designers and as such have searched high and low for those which have become part of the Otiumberg family. We have both lived internationally, so naturally came into contact with a lot of our featured designers – visiting trade shows across the globe, personal research and word of mouth have been our most successful methods of discovery. Quality and unique design is absolutely key for us.
How often do you try to create editorial content? Do you have any help for that?
We have some fantastic contributors who are passionate about Otiumberg, and help us create engaging content for the magazine. Like us, they are young and creative women looking for an outlet to express themselves, and we really couldn’t do it without them.
Making it online could feel overwhelming at times. What are the main tools you use to promote your business?
You are right sometimes the online market can seem overwhelming but we knew that there was a space for Otiumberg amongst the online female demographic and their partners!
Our main marketing tools vary from brand partnerships to blogger collaborations and general word of mouth. Of course, we also use more traditional advertorial channels and social media. We love using Instagram to give a daily dose of inspiration to our loyal followers!
What are your future plans?
Our focus for now is on growing our online customer base and collection of designers whilst maintaining the quality and integrity that the site was built on….and who knows one day perhaps we can do this through a flag ship store as well. Stay tuned!
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www.otiumberg.com
Images © Otiumberg
