Scan Magazine | Design Feature | Dansk Smykkekunst
his wife Malene. But recently, business has picked up quite a bit, as the company’s designs have all of a sudden sparked interest abroad and on the internet. DANSK has so far found its way onto the market in about 1,500 retailers in more than 15 countries, the largest being Germany and the United Kingdom. This year, the company has also established a foothold in Italy and looks set to enter Japan. In June of 2014, the company received royal attention when presented with King Frederik IX’s Prize of Honour for Excellence in Export by His Royal Highness Prince Henrik in a ceremony on board the royal yacht. The rare prize is awarded to Danish companies with an exceptional growth rate in export within recent years as well as companies that gain access to especially tough-to-break markets abroad. The expansion of DANSK has of course meant an increase in workload. Naturally, this has taken its toll on family life, but the Storm family insists that the company success must not completely overshadow family life and time for personal interests. “It has to be worth the while in terms of personal values,” says Malene Storm, who admits to letting business opportunities
pass her by in order to spend time with her family and engage in her passion as an avid horseback rider. Resilient and uncompromising design Malene Storm attributes much of the success to the resilience of the design. “I like to keep it raw and simple,” she puts it. This is likely the reason why DANSK jewellery strikes a common chord with women from all walks of life all over the world. Needless to say, cultural differences between the countries mean differences in taste, although consumption via the internet has begun to show convergence between the products in demand in the various countries. “Even when comparing such closely related countries as Great Britain and Denmark, we see that British women tend to prefer small silver necklaces with small trinkets, whereas the Danes prefer more dramatic designs and larger jewellery,” Storm reflects. Still, with about 750 new items of jewellery presented in the company’s biannual collections, there should be something for most tastes. A likely explanation for the popularity of DANSK design might also be its tailoring for every occasion and the endless possibilities for mixing the various earrings,
bracelets and necklaces. This pertains to the designer’s closeness with the community; Storm takes every response seriously. Occasionally, producers and retailers will point out new demands in materials and shapes, and sometimes, new ideas will even pop up on Facebook from an eager consumer suggesting subtle changes. The designer keeps every hint in mind when shaping the next collection. The recent success of DANSK has not come at the cost of the company values, which have remained unchanged from day one. From the onset in 1971, the concept of DANSK has been to deliver finery at a cost affordable to women of all ages and occupations: keeping prices low is a key company value. No piece of jewellery is offered at a price of more than roughly £35. As a must for the consumers of today, all trinkets are guaranteed free of allergens, and as a token that DANSK is at the forefront when it comes to experimenting with new materials and designs, a small line of accessories in DANSK’s collections is even made from recycled paper. No small accomplishment for DANSK, whose star is rapidly ascending on the international jewellery scene.
For more information, please visit: www.dansksmykkekunst.dk
LEFT: With a close eye on the fashion scene, DANSK makes earrings, bracelets and necklaces to be combined in a multitude of ways, always perfectly suited to the garments and styles of the season.
Issue 68 | September 2014 | 19