The Wild & Fine Migration
A Jewellery Brand With Cotswold Roots
When Wild & Fine came into being as a fledgling start up, it was based in the rolling hills of the Cotswolds, in a quiet spot near the Shipston on Stour and the Oxfordshire/Warwickshire border. It was inspired by elements in nature that were foraged or observed on adventures, both locally and internationally. Once the idea for the business had taken shape, the skills of local suppliers, friends and freelancers helped it to take flight.
In January 2020, just before Wild & Fine reached its first birthday and celebrated a year of growth, development and a surprise start up competition win, silversmith and business owner, Jess, moved to south west France. Having always loved the Cotswolds, Jess and her husband Jonathan were ready for a change. Having spent much of her childhood in Spain, Jess was hit hard when the Brexit vote in 2016 came out in favour of leaving the EU;
‘I have always considered myself to be European and I want to live in an EU country, where membership is generally viewed in a more positive light.’
Jess is, however, the first to confess that being a Europhile is probably the most highbrow of the things that drew her to south west France to set up her new home. The longer summers and the dazzlingly fine array of bread, wine and cheese on offer probably did more to tip the scales in favour of the move!
The Reality of Life in France
The last two and a half years have not all been what Jess expected from moving away. Having found a beautiful property to renovate in Charente, the expectation was to power ahead with the DIY and project manage the parts of the restoration that were beyond their own building talents, all the while popping back to the UK regularly to catch up with family and friends and make new connections to grown the Wild & Fine brand.
Then, in March 2020, Covid-19 prevented the majority of people from doing anything very much. Whilst this did free up a lot of time to crack on with DIY (and removed most of the distractions that generally slow its progress), lockdown restrictions made getting hold of supplies very difficult and getting trades people on site was pretty much impossible. It also meant feeling isolated from life in the UK, not only personally, but also professionally.
‘Setting up Wild & Fine involved working hard to build relationships with suppliers, retailers, freelancers and customers. Covid-19 restrictions prevented in-person meetings, attending trade shows and chatting to new customers at events. I never realised how valuable these things are to growing a business and fuelling my own motivation and creativity until I couldn't do them any more.’
However, throughout repeated lockdowns and chateau renovation adventures, Jess managed to establish a jewellery studio in Charente, where she continued to develop W&F designs, marketing and distributing them with the help of the small team continuing to work from the UK.
The studio, which started off as a makeshift pop up in a corner of the new property has - with much time, love and elbow grease - evolved into a multi-bench workshop. Having taught at a Cotswold jewellery school prior to moving to France, Jess was keen to put this space to use as a teaching environment. In May this year, she opened the Cognac Jewellery School and now teaches beginners courses, day workshops and custom classes to people in the local area and there are plans in the pipeline to hold residential courses in future too.
Wild & Fine en France
There have been times since the big move to France when business and bureaucracy have suggested that it may be prudent to retire Wild & Fine as a brand and start again with a new business that reflects the new surroundings in which Jess now finds herself. However, one of the things that everyone in the extended Wild & Fine family loves about precious jewellery is its enduring ability to tell a story. A bracelet passed from grandmother, to mother to daughter becomes precious beyond its monetary value for the family history it has unwittingly shared in and the time it has spent in close proximity to people we love to whom we have had to say goodbye.
What has all this talk of heirloom jewellery got to do with Wild & Fine? Well, we’ve worked really hard to build it up and we are now rather fond of it. Much like a precious piece of family jewellery, it’s a part of our history and we don’t want to pawn it off in favour of a newer, shiny brand. But it’s not going to be an easy road. Alienated from people in the Cotswolds who supported it as a local brand and a foreigner in France, working overtime to get accepted in its new home, Wild & Fine’s story is messy, complicated and a total nightmare to market! We’re going to stick with it though, because we’ve committed to its story and we want to know what happens in the next chapter.
Sneak Peek at the Next Chapter
Customers who have been with us since the beginning and people hearing about the brand for the first time are invited to make their way to the Cognac Jewellery School to get a taste of hand-making their own jewellery using Wild & Fine designs. If getting your hands dirty doesn’t appeal (and they do get really dirty), why not visit our by-appointment mini boutique where you can shop Wild & Fine designs in person?
If popping to the south of France for silver jewellery isn’t possible, you will still be able to shop online at www.wildandfine.com. We are launching a new website soon too - exciting times! - and we will continue to ship Wild & Fine designs worldwide, because if we didn’t we’d be unnecessarily impeding the adventures of our charms, which goes against everything we believe in.
Join our mailing list to be the first to find out about our inaugural bi-annual open studio and shopping event and to hear about the launch of our French Collection. The new collection is inspired by Jess’ new home and the surrounding area and will include vine leaf and amber designs to celebrate the eponymous export of the Cognac region!
