AS by Akansha Sethi
Based out of London, AS by Akansha Sethi is a jewellery brand unlike any other. Launched in 2017, every piece is handcrafted using specially carved precious stones combined with vibrant enamel work to convey the narrative behind each collection.
The brand gets its name from its young founder who aspires to create modern handlooms, each of which tell a story. She designs a collection then carefully sources the stones according to the colour palette which she feels best expresses her design. Not only does this require a lot of time and dedication, but makes the vibrant colours the focal points in each AS creation.
Surrounded by her parents burgeoning art collection exposed her to the world of art and design from an early age, ranging from jewellery, artifacts and paintings. Her interest in jewellery was sparked when visiting an antique and exlucive art show during her childhood. She now seeks inspiration from travels and art history, all of which have shaped her understanding of design. After launching her brand in 2017, she showcased at the London Fashion Week which was visited by Her Majesty the Queen.
The Strategy
Instead of viewing Akansha as a client, we see her more as a business partner as we have collaborated with this talented designer on multiple different facets and tested out various entrance strategies into the growing Indian market.
I. Target Marketing & Brand Introduction
Although our partnership began during the lockdown, we began with a unique thought-out strategy to introduce the brand into the Indian market through the means of a competition which helped garner mass community engagement and was a great way to highlight the customizing power of the brand.
We initially introduced the founder and the brand to our audience. Then, we conducted a social media based competition where we invited our community and others to participate by designing their own scarf rings on a blank template provided by the designer. In the end, we picked two winners, who received personalized custom scarf rings in enamel and metal.
II. Media and Public Relations
Simultaneously, we worked with the designer to establish strong PR. She provided us with limited edition custom buttons which we decided to gift to notable, leading women in India on International Women’s Day. Along with these precious presents, they also received a personalized letter and brand information which introduced them to this amazing brand.
III. The 360 Experience
At AiSPi, collaboration doesn’t just end at product promotion, it goes beyond that. One of our key strategies was to help the public understand the woman behind the jewels. We ran multiple activations on our social media through Instagram Live, Reels and videos where Akansha took us on a personal tour through her factory and showed the world how her pieces were made.
IV. Collaborations
We worked closely with Akansha on conceptualizing her transformable collection where one piece could be worn in six different ways. It could be a pair of earrings, a brooch, a belt buckle, a pendant and much more.
V. Online Sales
The brand has been a focal point for promoting sales. During our first-ever virtual trunk show in 2020 called Getaway With AiSPi, we focused on this London-based brand and gave an insight to people into her life and helped promote sales. She was also a core part of our Diwali sale promotion activities.
