Since launching her eponymous jewellery brand in London in 2002, Kirsten Goss has become known for pieces that are instantly recognisable, defined by unusual gemstones, bold colour and sculptural forms.
Clean lines hint at her Scandinavian maternal roots, while a love of colour and texture reflects her African upbringing. Creative and commercially astute, Goss sketches each design before it is brought to life by her team of goldsmiths.
Today the brand operates internationally, with brick-and-mortar shops locally, an online platform and a South African goldsmithing studio supporting growing demand. A stalwart of the local creative scene, her work sits in the collections of many devoted fashion followers. We caught up with her to chat about aesthetic, design and the business of jewellery.
How did you start the Kirsten Goss brand?
I studied economics and then a BA in fine art in jewellery design and gemmology at Stellenbosch. After that I moved to London and worked for the fashion jewellery house Erickson Beamon. It was a huge opportunity. I worked on pieces for Paris Fashion Week, did shoots for Vogue with Lucinda Chambers and collaborated with incredible designers and stylists. It was an amazing learning curve, but I was earning six pounds an hour and working until three in the morning.
At some point I thought, quite naively, that I could do this myself. Before starting the business, I spent a few years working in finance, partly because I was tired of being poor but also because I wanted to understand the business side properly. I wrote my investment management exams so that I had something to fall back on.
When I launched the brand in London, I was literally making everything myself. I started in Westbourne Studios, which at the time was an incredibly creative environment filled with designers, stylists and musicians. Through that network I began getting pieces into magazines and eventually worked with stylists on Sex and the City.
The exposure was huge and the brand quickly landed in shops such as Liberty, Harrods and Selfridges. But I realised I couldn’t keep manufacturing in central London while wholesaling to department stores, so I opened my first shop in Holland Street in Kensington. It was the golden days of that area and we had the shop for 12 years.
Eventually, I moved back to South Africa and set up a studio in Durban, where there is a strong tradition of jewellery training. That’s where the brand’s goldsmithing operation really began to grow.
How would you describe the Kirsten Goss aesthetic?
I had a strong Scandinavian influence from my grandparents and my mother’s family. Their jewellery was very simple, organic and classic — the sort of design that is beautiful but still completely wearable. That really resonated with me. I love the idea that something can live with you; it’s on you, but it still says something. It’s not dull or obvious or expected. And then, on the fringe of that, you can be more editorial and experimental, which is very appealing from a design perspective.
Are there core pieces or shapes that run through your collections?
Marianne Fassler once gave me some advice: never cancel your key elements. Every brand has them. Chanel sells more red lipstick than anything else; Calvin Klein sells more white underwear than anything else. Those aren’t the things they necessarily show on the runway, but they are the pieces people actually buy.
For us, some of those signatures are shapes such as the SØT — which means “sweet” in Norwegian — originally our doughnut shape, and the LØK, a softer, onion-like form. These simple, clean shapes run throughout the collection. They might be scaled up or minimised, but they remain recognisable. I think of them like Lego pieces: you start with these core forms and build outward into more complex, more editorial designs.
I love the idea of creating jewellery people can truly live with, something considered slightly left of centre, yet still wearable every day. Our staples might be a bracelet with a beautifully designed clasp or one of our signature links, something you can put on and wear constantly. After 24 years, I feel like we’ve really refined that balance.
You run your own goldsmithing studio in Durban. How central is that to the brand?
We have a fully vertical business. We source, design, manufacture, market and retail the entire chain. Most jewellery brands are either manufacturing or retailing, but not both.
Running a workshop here is incredibly complex because of the goldsmithing regulations and controls, but we have a state-of-the-art studio in Durban. Some of our goldsmiths have been with me for more than 20 years, which is very special.
We’ve built the business slowly and carefully, growing as cash flow allowed rather than rushing expansion. I think that has been key to maintaining quality and control.
Who is the Kirsten Goss client?
It’s someone discerning, someone who knows themselves. We don’t chase fashion. Our pieces probably exist in many wardrobes, but they tend to appeal to people who aren’t chasing labels or trying to signal wealth. That’s not our market. Our clients might own pieces from Cartier, but they’re not buying jewellery just for the name. They’ve seen the world and are looking for something with provenance, something original and not knocked off.
Where can clients shop Kirsten Goss jewellery?
We have our newly opened Hyde Park Corner shop and our new Cavendish shop, which is similar but bigger and opening soon. Then we’ve got our Durban shop up the North Coast at Flanders Boutique Mall in Mount Edgecombe. We also have a concession in the V&A Waterfront and, of course, our website delivers internationally.
You’re about to open a new Cavendish shop. What can clients expect?
I’m very excited about the new Cavendish shop, because I’ll be on the floor again, dealing directly with clients. That personal connection is what really excites me. When I first started the business in London, I was making the jewellery and meeting clients in the shop. Returning to that sort of interaction will help us grow the business in a more meaningful way, especially when it comes to creating beautiful bespoke pieces.
You’ve expanded your fine jewellery offering. What can clients expect?
We’ve always made fine jewellery, but previously many pieces had to be ordered. Now we have a ready-to-wear nine- and eighteen-carat collection available to purchase immediately, including many of our classic designs.
Alongside that, we’re also exploring the idea of pushing further into high jewellery. I’d love to bring artists into the process, perhaps even host exhibitions in the shop. The idea is to create something that sits between fine jewellery and fine art, still wearable but a little more niche and experimental.
Kirstengoss.co.za / @kirsten_goss
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