Colombia has a jewelry industry recognized worldwide for its quality and design

More and more jewelry brands are emerging and competing in international markets. One of them is Vari, a company that was born in 2019 and during this year plans to reach other countries.

Camila Muñoz, creative director of Vari, also spoke about the Colombian jewelry industry, a business that according to her has developed in a very dynamic way in recent years, thanks to digital platforms and e-commerce.

How has Vari's expansion been since its creation?

Vari started in 2019 and in its short history has had a constant and organic growth supported 100% in social networks and word of mouth, with great acceptance by the public. Our clients understand what we want to communicate with Vari's designs and universe, and that makes us create a community that grows day by day and falls in love with the brand and what it stands for. Our greatest achievement is to surprise our customers and connect with this community through a different proposal thanks to our new collections and capsules with deep concepts and meaning, and our collaborations with more local brands. We are grateful for the reception we have had and that is reflected in our community.

What are the plans for this year?

This year we plan to make Vari much more known, position the brand and leave it at the top of people's minds. It is going to start a post-pandemic stage and that gives way to the possibility of having more presence in physical spaces such as fairs, multi-brand stores and events, we will be present at the Buró fair in its July edition. We also have ongoing collaborations with Colombian fashion brands and other sectors that complement our brand universe. Additionally, we want this to be the year in which Vari can venture into international markets, showing in other countries the talent that exists in Colombia in the fashion and jewelry industry, we want to be a benchmark of Colombian design abroad and show that we can do things differently and innovate.

What were the results of your capsule collection?

The "Love Wins" capsule for Pride 2021 that we developed with A Lot Studio has been very well received by our community. In addition to the possibility of connecting with incredible people in the field and giving the brand greater visibility, the greatest result we have had after launching the pieces in the collection has been making people understand that Vari is a brand without labels or paradigms, an inclusive universe, and that our designs have no gender, they are a form of expression of the style and essence of each one. This is a collaboration that makes us proud and has helped us grow as a brand and as a business by learning from the best.

Why bet on the LGBT segment as a market?

More than betting on this segment, we wanted to join a celebration as important as Pride month is because it is about realizing that the world is a little more receptive and respectful every day and the new generations understand that inclusion and diversity they are the true human wealth. Whatever an act of support for the community, from fashion, design or art, makes visible a struggle that has been going on for years and must continue because there is still much to be done.

We had the opportunity to develop a capsule with a sense of pride hand in hand with ALS, we wanted to create accessories with which the LGBT community and its allies could feel identified and could express themselves and show their support in an authentic way. This helped us reinforce the idea that our concepts have always had meaning beyond form, Vari's designs tap into the emotions that people identify with regardless of their gender.

When will you launch your next collections and what will they be based on?

In July this year we will launch our new collections based on nostalgia, indulgence and fun but in the Vari style: full of luxury and details.

Golden Treats are everyone's most memorable treats: gummy bears, cookies, ringpops and chocolates dipped and literally dripping with liquid gold. This is a delicious and unique collection with which we want to tell the story of a dreamy and gluttonous artist, who represents the free, childish and creative soul that we all carry inside and that we have to indulge from time to time, give ourselves a treat. These designs that look so edible they'll make everyone say "yummy."

And the deluxe capsule Pretentious Sweets, which are wearable candies turned works of art. There are eight exclusive pieces of fine jewelry, made of recycled 925 silver with precious gems carved by our expert gemologist Aimer Calero in the city of Popayánen and most of them extracted in an ethical and artisanal way in Colombia. In addition to two bag designs in collaboration with Martos leather, in leather with gold-plated bronze pieces made by hand by a jeweler, and intervened with graffiti by our designer.

This capsule includes three Va-Ring Pops rings with an amethyst, a verneuil sapphire and a rose quartz; two gummy bear charms with a sapphire corundum from Cauca and a pink amethyst from France; three V&V's (M&M's) pendants with a red jasper, a yellow paparacha topaz and a blue corundum from Cauca. And the bags: gummy bear in pastel tones very appropriate for the summer season and golden chocolate, an elegant but very playful crossbody.

These collections reflect everything that Vari is, a universe in which fun and luxury go hand in hand.

How has the Colombian jewelry business developed in recent years?

The jewelry business has developed very dynamically in recent years, thanks to digital platforms and e-commerce. Thanks to new technologies and techniques in the manufacturing area, jewelers can do things that are increasingly unique and far from the traditional, in combination with digital channels, a much greater reach is achieved, achieving a local and international impact. Today Colombia has a jewelry industry recognized worldwide for its quality and design, a reputation that only encourages the growth of the entire sector in the coming years.