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Abigail Sowemimo
Founder of Kadara Jewels, Abigail Sowemimo is looking to take the demi-fine jewellery industry by storm. Her Nigerian inspired pieces are perfect for completing any look. Having only launched her debut collection earlier this year, she’s fairly new to the world of business, she has a clear vision of where her brand is going. The 26-year-old entrepreneur has taken many paths before taking the plunge and launching Kadara Jewels, further highlighting that the road to business is not a ‘one size fits all’ route.
WOTC: Talk to us about Kadara Jewels
Abigail: Well, I was born and raised in London, my parents are Nigerian, so, I grew up in quite a large Nigerian family. There's seven of us [she laughs], so it's been a thing where in terms of my Nigerian culture, it has always heavily been a part of my life. A part of that culture is the culture of dressing up, going to parties, [and] celebrating. And in all those cases, you wear jewellery and dress up. So from childhood, my mother has always put us in little gold hoops and studs. But she always had the emphasis on, ‘OK, this is solid gold jewellery. This is going to last. This is what we're going to put you in.’ And I guess my love of jewellery kind of stemmed from there always. And it's always that my outfit is never complete without a gold necklace or something like that. And with Kadara jewels, I wanted to bring the strong appreciation of the longer lasting material, but still make sure that my Nigerian heritage was very much there and loud and proud. So yes, we are Nigerian. Yes, we offer long lasting material and we're also demi-fine. The demi-fine industry.. not that it's not accessible, it is, but the faces that are at the forefront of it.. I don't think it's represented well in terms of what London is and how diverse we are. Kadara will always aim to make sure demi-fine jewellery is accessible and attainable, no matter how the scene is being portrayed.
WOTC: We love that, and are you looking to branch out with the collection?
Abigail: Yes. So, we launched in February of this year and we started with a hoop collection, and after that we also released a small ring collection and a small necklace and chains collection. They are doing really well at the moment - they are the main pieces that are selling, but we are planning to branch out. We also want to introduce bracelets [and] anklets as well. And it's not only the black women that we want at the forefront of our business. We also want to represent the men as well. Later on in the year, we are planning on introducing a men's line. So we want it to be that full roundhouse of having everything that you need.
WOTC: Absolutely! Some of Kadara’s qualities include being water-resistant and durable. We think that's really key.
Abigail: Exactly, and that's where we wanted to make the difference, because for some people, yes, it's not fine jewellery, it’s not thousands of pounds, but, to be able to spend that money, you need to know what you're buying. You need to know that, OK, yes, I have allergies, but yes, I can use this because it's solid gold and it's hypoallergenic (nickel free). We work with families that make our jewellery pieces and it adheres well with the business behaviours that we like. And yes, it's at this price point, but we're also actually offering you something that should technically cost higher, but because of our chain and how we managed to get our jewellery suppliers, we're able to offer it at a much lower price than a lot of the bigger brands as well. We wanted to make sure that this was at the forefront of our business too.
WOTC: And where did it all begin for you then?
Abigail: I finished university in 2018. I did a business degree and I wanted to go into the operations of economics and by the time I finished my degree, I realised it wasn’t what I wanted to do. I've always had an interest in the interiors, exteriors and everything from a house build, so I went into construction. Very different to what I'm doing now [she laughs]. So, I trained to become a quantity surveyor with Berkeley Homes and I was working on a really huge build in Battersea Power Station. It was quite a difficult industry in terms of being a young black woman. There were very few people like me there. But, I had a mentor there, who encouraged me in everything I was doing and she was absolutely great. With her mentorship, I realised I purely wanted to be in interiors. I then moved on to a customer service role at the Chelsea Design Centre, but unfortunately, due to the pandemic, I was let go from that role in September last year. Because of this, I decided it was time for me to do something that I felt dearly about and have such a strong passion for - that being jewellery, and I decided this was the path that I was going to take. It’s something that I've always loved and enjoyed. And I've always known that, yes, jewellery is something I wanted to get into, but never did I think it was going to be there and then. I had it in my head that it would be a year down the line, when I have time or after X amount of money, I found myself asking 'why not' and I couldn't answer the question. This is the time for me to put in all the effort and all the energy that I have and for something that was mine, that I could bring up to be exactly what I wanted to see.
WOTC: Of course! And speak to us more on what you would like your business to do for the community and the industry. As you’ve mentioned, it's not exactly the most difficult industry to enter into, but it's also not the easiest. So speak to us more about that and what you're looking to, in short, disrupt and change.
Abigail: I think the big thing right now is, black people can have luxury. Yes. It is something that is attainable. I don't feel like there is a demi-fine jewellery brand out there right now, that necessarily screams for the underrepresented and we are trying to make sure that you are seen, that you are a customer and this is where you spend your money because we care about representing you.
WOTC: What would you say to a 16-year-old you?
Abigail: Give yourself time. The thing is, yes it's good to really work at something that you want to do, but if you're not sure of it, there is no harm in exploring other avenues. And this is something that I tell my younger siblings - university is not always the way. There's apprenticeships, you can volunteer, you can do work experience. There's just so many other avenues and so many other ways in trying out things that you're interested in, so that when the time comes, you can somewhat be sure, and say ‘OK, this is what I want to do’. Also, don’t feel like you're a failure when something doesn't work out. Things don't work out, 'cause there's always something else in the pipeline.