DIXIEGRAZE | Becoming The Woman of Gold
“It’s a genuine love and passion behind what I do. And quality is very important to me too. I test every material I use, and I work very closely with my manufacturers”
Why did you start DIXIEGRAZE? What was your inspiration behind the brand?
I’ve always been into creative things, such as sewing and DIY around the house. I studied fashion and pattern cutting and always knew I wanted to work within fashion somehow. Eventually I started to just customise jewellery for myself, I would buy something but not like a small detail about it so I would just change it to my liking.
One day I just started to post pictures of what I had made, this was during the very early days of Instagram. There were barely any “Instagram boutiques” or anything like that then, like there are now.
People wanted to know where my jewellery was from, and I was like “I’ve just made it myself” thinking nothing more of it, I mean I had no idea how to sell or how to even go about starting a business, so it wasn’t even like I posted it with the intent of trying to sell it, it just eventually grew into a business organically.
After some time, the requests to purchase got overwhelming so I just had to open an online shop. But never in a million years did I think it would actually become a real legit business that I could even make a living off of. But here we are today.
How long have you been making jewellery or creating accessories?
I started making jewellery well over 10 years ago but started DIXIEGRAZE officially in 2013, so it’s been about 7, almost 8 years now.
What is the process of creating your jewellery, what motivates your ideas?
I honestly just design things I want to wear myself. I have to love it in order to sell it. Some of my pieces are curated from wholesalers but I don’t just follow trends or produce stuff because it’s popular, or because of hype. It’s a genuine love and passion behind what I do. And quality is very important to me too. I test every material I use, and I work very closely with my manufacturers to ensure quality is always at the highest standard. I’m very inspired by different cultures and even architecture, it can be anything from the details of a building; the swirls, the texture and patterns is what translates into some of my jewellery. I love details a lot, I like to use different textured chains and for all my pendants to have unique shapes with tiny details.
What's it like to have your own brand, and how's it been going?
It’s amazing! I’m honestly so blessed to do what I love for a living. Sometimes it feels surreal. It, of course, has it’s up and downs but the good always outweighs the bad. And even the bad is good for you because that’s the way you learn in life. And I’m still to this day learning new things. That’s the best part, there is always something new to learn, especially with the way technology and social media is constantly moving forward. Which of course plays a huge part in any e-commerce business.
How did the CAT collaboration come about?
I was contacted by a PR agency, they had presented a couple of brands to CAT and Urban Outfitters and they let me know I was their top selection, so I was very gassed about that. So of course, I had to say yes. It’s very different for me because I’ve never done anything similar before and as far as I’m aware no brand or retailer has done shoe jewellery like this before. We worked on the collection for months, and it was a lot of stress, but the end result and response was better than we all could have imagined. So I’m excited to see what other opportunities will come next after this.
What advice would you give to others trying to set up their own brand?
Well one of the biggest misconceptions is that “everyone is doing that” or that a specific field is already over-saturated, but the truth is that there is room for everyone to win, there is always a gap to fill. Especially now with so many young black entrepreneurs starting businesses and rapidly growing, we need more of that for sure.
I mean people still shop in both Tesco and Sainsbury’s, right? Even though they sell literally the same products. So It’s never too late to start or even sell something that already exists. Your product doesn’t have to be new, just unique and in demand. That’s really it!
Most importantly make sure the passion is there, and that you’re doing it for the right reasons and not just to make quick money.
What are five tips you would give to anyone who wishes to pursue anything creative, such as setting up their own e-shop, as you have?
•Be original in everything you do, from your designs, to your social media content, to your branding and website. Even if you aren’t designing from scratch you should at least make sure your branding is unique.
•Save, save, save (especially put money aside for tax).
•Do your research when it comes to all legal aspects (business registration, copyright/trademarks and taxes etc).
•Know your competition and try to offer customers something that your competitors don’t.
•Be consistent and persistent.
What are some of the main pitfalls you have overcome, or problems you have faced surrounding your brand?
I think dealing with overall losses, which is just part of any business really, but you gotta be willing to deal with that. If you aren’t then you’re not ready to run a business. You will have small failures on the way and financial losses but in the end how you bounce back from that will define how well your business will continue to grow.
One of the biggest misconceptions is that “everyone is doing that”
The worst part though, is probably dealing with copycats, from smaller brands to major retailers. I’ve had it all. It really affects you mentally which people don’t understand. You feel like someone has robbed and violated you. Unfortunately, with the design industry there’s only so much you can do when people copy you. Even with copyright as long as the smallest detail is different from the original design, you basically can’t even sue someone. It’s all mad. So dealing with that has been an ongoing struggle for me for years. But nowadays I try not to let it bother me and just keep on pushing with new and better designs. At the end of the day these copycats will always be one step behind, and they won’t be able to keep up forever. It’s funny because it’s usually my followers and customers that always keeps me in check and notice when they spot a fake design somewhere. They’ll message me to let me know, and that alone honestly helps me feel better, knowing that they see something and instantly know “that’s actually a DIXIEGRAZE design” or “that’s DIXIEGRAZE’s photo” (because people steal my photos too).
Lastly, a couple of sentences or so about who you are, what city you lived in, where you grew up and your personal style would be great!
My name is Hanna and I’m originally from Sweden but moved to London about 12 years ago. I love everything creative and my favourite colour is gold (for obvious reasons). And I would describe my personal style as a mix of vintage, street style - chic, artsy and sometimes a little tomboy-ish. I don’t wear a lot of brands or big logos; I dress up my outfits with jewellery instead because that’s what actually completes a look in my opinion.