Digital Journal: APM Monaco: The road behind, the road ahead
Digital Journal: APM Monaco: The road behind, the road ahead
APM Monaco: The road behind, the road ahead
With the rise of fashion jewelry as well as social media and e-commerce opportunities, a wide variety of jewelry is available to both men and women these days. For those passionate about jewelry, there are a plethora of options to wear to work, or to a casual lunch or coffee, run errands with, or just to wear around the house. Of course, there’s special jewelry, items you put on for a night on the town.
Used alone, the word “jewelry” most often conjures up the latter category–something one puts on for special occasions. More often than not, in the past the word seemed to refer mainly to extremely high-end items, out of the reach of all but the wealthiest among us. Many consumers would love to purchase the fabulous pair of earrings or necklace that they see the stars wearing; unfortunately, these are not typically accessible.
Enter APM Monaco, founded in the 1980s by Ariane Prette and her son Philippe and since run by Phillipe and his wife, Chief Creative Officer, Kika. Like many other women, Kika had long been the recipient of jewelry marketing that is aimed almost exclusively at the high-end market. Kika realized the stark distinction between these best practices in jewelry marketing and the industry at large and that of the fashion industry.
APM Monaco’s disruptive idea was to supplement the exclusive, and often repetitively-branded, luxury retail market by producing jewelry made with quality stones and creative designs, but at prices that were accessible. They were able to accomplish this because APM already had the machinery to manufacture jewelry as they have been an industry-leading manufacturer for established luxury brands for decades.
The idea was to simply use these time-tested manufacturing and production methods, but substitute silver for gold and zirconia stones for diamonds. This allowed APM to quickly build and expand a brand focused on high-quality, creatively designed jewelry available to consumers at a far lower price than their luxury equivalents. Moreover, APM’s marketing and production philosophy allow them to produce a much greater variety of products than their luxury counterparts, honoring Kika’s gap analysis of the stale options that make up the luxury market. Thanks to APM Monaco, the fashion jewelry market is thriving. Now jewelry enthusiasts have access to creatively, and beautifully, designed work fit for any occasion.
This year APM celebrated and honored its 40th anniversary at the Cannes Film Festival with statement pieces geared to red carpet events as well as with various events at the F1 Grand Prix in Monaco. Additionally, APM Monaco is in the process of rolling out a June collection targeted at more casual, everyday lifestyles. Specifically for the 40th-anniversary celebration, the company has now introduced the Yummy Collection, one of Kika’s inspirations, consisting of micro-setted, high-quality, mood-enhancing teddy bears that can be easily clipped or attached to necklaces, earrings, bracelets, or any other type of jewelry.
Whatever the next 40 years bring for the APM Monaco brand, their proven ability to innovate and expand has us optimistic about the brand’s future.