Be Mine, Bijoux De Mimi

“I was planning on doing childrenswear which led me to Paris where I had an interview for an internship at Bonpoint,” Amelia began explaining before going to explain, “After the interview, I went past theeee most amazing wholesale jewellery store - I've never seen so many colourful earrings.” Amelia did what any adoring bypasser would do. She bought a whole load of them and sold them on the online fashion marketplace, Depop. 

Upon her return to London, Amelia was spurred on by her boyfriend, Tarka, to follow the ember of passion that had been ignited when she walked past that wholesale jewellers on the streets of Paris. “Tarka said I desperately needed something to do, which was true, so we built a website, sourced suppliers and started Bijoux,” Amelia said before admitting that she had initially planned on the brand being a pass-time to make a bit of money during summer. 

Now, ten months later and one year older, 19-year-old Amelia is the founder and creative director of the London based jewellery brand that specialises in 14k gold plated huggie hoops and dainty earrings for the pierced, Instagram inspired youth of today. In 2021, Bijoux de Mimi - who is also in the running for Jewellery Brand of the Year at the UK Jewellery Awards - is like that of a young female model - daring, dazzling and a little rough around the edges (so long as those edges are trimmed with diamanté’s of colours unseen) It’s the statement accessory that every piece of jewellery is trying to be, and more. 

Over the summer of 2020, still in the baby hurdles of business, Amelia and her girls began short-listing a team of ambassadors that would whirlwind Bijoux's message into the bright abyss of social media. “Working with Kirstin Spalding, a brilliant female freelance graphic designer, really got the ball rolling with creating Bijoux’s online personality,” Ellica, executive assistant of the brand, told me. Kirstin’s keen eye for detail was a huge help in drawing attention to the brand envied by the influencing and the influenced of today.

Spreading through social platforms at a rapid pace Bijoux is reaching heights of 18k on Instagram to date, and has climbed to 30k on TikTok, a platform that allows Bijoux to show exciting behind-the-scenes clips and level up in their aim to be wholly transparent.

With such social success supported by the keen insight of social manager Liv Lawrence, it wasn’t long at all until gold plated huggies with emeralds intertwined found themselves landing in the laps of influencers, models and socialites galore. You can spot Bijoux de Mimi’s designs clinging to the ears of Mia Reagan (@mimimoocher) and Daisy Jelley (@daisyjelley). When it comes to dream ambassadors, Cara Delevigne or Addison Rae are definitely in Amelia’s dream team. There is a new shoot with a lobby of influencers just around the corner this coming June, can you guess who will be on board?

If there’s one thing these ambassadors have in common, that’s an endless chain of ear piercings. “I think our niche of offering to people with loads of piercings has gained so much attention through Tiktok, where we love dressing girls with 9+ piercings,” Bijoux’s golden TikTok’s have garnered over 1 million views, with the most recent garnering 7.9 million views so far. 

Amelia at just 19 years old oversees the overall running of Bijoux, from its glamorous office in Notting Hill with two assistants, a marketing agency and a freelance graphic designer, to the 300-and-then-some orders per week being packaged, parcelled and popped on their way from a nearby warehouse. “I’d also like to thank Anna Reid, a great photographer I work with,” Amelia gushed.

Slight ‘pinch me moments’ are no stranger to Amelia, especially on a day where hundreds and hundreds of sales come flying through the inbox. Most recently, Amelia has felt blessed receiving gifts from small businesses run by young teens, accompanied by the sweetest notes reading how they want to be like Bijoux. “It’s incredibly adorable and puts everything into perspective,” Amelia noted before clarifying that Bijoux wouldn’t be the brand that it is today without her partner's perspective. “He’s the one who's influenced me the most,” Amelia graced before adding, “I'm insanely lucky.”

 If you’re at all thinking ‘wow, such success! It must be massively unsustainable!’ then let’s put that thought to bed, shall we? “Bijoux De Mimi is definitely not fast-fashion,” Amelia eagerly noted, informing us that her education at Central Saint Martins was vital in drilling in an understanding of sustainability. Bijoux are dedicated to being more thoughtful in their business strategies towards the planet and the people who buy into the brand - and that should be commended. “Being a small business, we naturally gravitate to being more eco-friendly and sustainable than our competitors, although, jewellery is an industry in which being 100% sustainable is almost impossible, particularly when recycled metals are a lot less accessible then recycled fabric,” Amelia admitted. 

Amid these difficulties, there are many goals set by Amelia and her team to become more sustainable in the near future, one of which being a new stock of recyclable earring holders, made out of recycled cardboard. Bijoux are also waiting on a shipment of 100% bubble wrap with biodegradable wrap they were eager to receive via land, not air - an important choice dedicated to being more planet conscious. “This is a huge move for us and we can't wait,” Amelia enthused. “All of our contact and promotion is also done online, therefore we don't waste paper and we only collaborate with other small-business, all of which have been upcycling clothes and hand making products.” 

As the old saying goes, it’s also what’s on the inside that counts. With that being said, every influencer, model and colleague within the Bijoux team are eco-conscious. “We always chat about our favourite brands and share knowledge among each other,” Amelia glistened. “I know that Lauren (@lozeak) , an ambassador of ours, is a huge preacher of sustainability and we look forward to collaborating with her on a collection this coming summer!”

Today, the Bijoux de Mimi girls are in the process of redesigning and manufacturing more personal, updated designs. As for now, a little web birdie told us that Bijoux de Mimi are in the process of creating a clothing line! “I am!” Amelia smiled, “I’m currently collaborating on a line of jewellery with the brand Girls Girls Girls, who offer hand-printed clothes,” Amelia further unveiled.

Well, we can’t wait to nab ourselves a garment, can you?