Leading high-end jewellery maker - Blue Diamonds Jewellery Worldwide PLC (BDJW) announced plans to launch co-designed collections of jewellery in collaboration with Cyaniq Consulting & Advisory. The announcement was made at the recently held launch of the Blue Diamonds Design & Innovation Centre at the Katunayake Export Processing Zone. The facility will also house the jewellery maker’s model factory and showroom.

Co-design, also referred to as collaborative design, is gaining popularity in Western markets and involves jewellery makers working in close partnership with celebrities and elite customers to produce often limited, iconic collections of jewellery.

In partnership with consulting firm - Cyaniq and three selected social media influencers, BDJW aims to unveil signature co-designed collections of jewellery which will be marketed through Fior, the jewellery maker’s retail brand for international sales.

"We've worked for years with large retail brands in international markets as well as our loyal customers right here in Sri Lanka, so designing has always been a part of our offering. This is the first time we are venturing into creating a collection with an individual - it's a new concept that we can't wait to try out" Manjaree Gamage-Brooker, CEO of Blue Diamonds Jewellery Worldwide PLC explained.

Co-designed jewellery is among the many innovations that constitute the ambitious retail push BDJW aims to make in the coming months to capture share from promising foreign markets. The launch project in collaboration with three Sri Lankan social media influencers will be a pilot ahead of plans to adopt the business model in collaboration with foreign social media influencers and Sri Lankan influencers currently operating in foreign markets.

The business model is supported by the expert capability of the artisanal designers and jewellery makers at BDJW and the state-of-the-art facility unveiled in Katunayake by Chairman - Andrew Lee and CEO - Manjaree Gamage-Booker. Blue Diamonds counts decades of heritage and history as a premier jewellery maker in Sri Lanka and is well-poised to explore the co-design business model successfully, and make a statement headlining Sri Lanka’s design and jewellery making capabilities to the global market.

“As a consultancy, we have always made recommendations on the belief that radical innovation is necessary for radical outcomes. We are thrilled to find like-minded stakeholders in the leadership team at Blue Diamonds. We are confident that this will be a hallmark project for us and a great platform to showcase the proficiency of Sri Lankans jewellery making as well as the potential for leveraging the power of social media and the talent of influencers in Sri Lanka,” commented Praveeni Alahakoon, Consulting Lead for Cyaniq Consulting & Advisory.

Zainab Faizal, a Sri Lankan social media influencer currently based in the United Kingdom is among the three selected collaborators for the pilot phase of the project. Known for her unique sense of fashion and aesthetic, Zainab has amassed over 100,000 followers across her social media profiles and will contribute design input based on her personal style, as well as the platform to market the project to her mass following. Zainab has collaborated with many fashion brands in Sri Lanka over the years and will bring her valuable experience to the project.