Jewelry Brand Vrai Opens First U.S. Store in L.A.

Jewelry Brand Vrai Opens First U.S. Store in L.A.

Vrai has opened today at 8470 Melrose Place in Los Angeles.

“Melrose really felt right for our brand,” said Vrai’s chief executive officer Mona Akhavi. “Of course, Melrose Place is an iconic street, but also it has that timeless luxury and West Coast feel.”

This marks the first U.S. location for the fine jewelry brand — which produces man-made diamonds created in-house in Washington and California with zero emission, according to the company.

Vrai, launched online in 2014, unveiled its first brick-and-mortar location last year in Shanghai. It now looks to expand to San Francisco, home of founder Vanessa Stofenmacher, as well as internationally. (Since January, the company has sold online in Germany, France, Spain and the U.K., though the U.S. makes up 90 percent of total sales.)

The new space, with porcelain tile floors, is inspired by the look of an art gallery, said Akhavi. It’s meant to feel accessible, however, she noted. The pieces are placed on handy metallic, geometric hooks, displayed in custom-built wooden frames that are inspired by artist Donald Judd’s 1970s sculptures.

Vrai was launched online in 2014. Courtesy

“It’s for customers to take it all in, understand the meaning, origins, how it’s made,” Akhavi said of the physical space. “I want this to be a place where people can learn about the brand, learn about our diamonds, our certification. We’re the first producer to be certified neutral, and how and why that matters.”

It leaves less of an environmental footprint than mined diamonds, she said, and Vrai — by growing their own diamonds and controlling the entire supply chain with an in-house team — offers transparency and ensures that materials are responsibly sourced. The company uses recycled gold and packaging is compostable, she added.

“Within tradition jewelry, the diamond can exchange 15 hands, from the miner to the distributor, to the buyer, to the wholesaler until it gets to the designer,” Akhavi went on. “And unfortunately, every time it’s marked up. And that markup is not going to go back to the community or environment it came from. It’s actually passed on to the consumer.”

For the direct-to-consumer company, the store allows consumers to view the pieces in person — an especially key element for those who have yet to embrace lab-created diamonds.

A look at the unisex line, created partnership with stylists Rob Zangardi and Mariel Haenn. Courtesy

Designed by architect Cass Calder Smith, the space (featuring iPads and two private back rooms) currently showcases the brand’s collaboration with Amanda Hearst (which has a charitable component), as well as partnership with stylists Rob Zangardi and Mariel Haenn — a unisex line worn by the likes of Adam Levine, Jennifer Lopez, Heidi Klum and Angelina Jolie.

There are also Vrai’s signature designs and offerings, earrings, necklaces, bracelets — and engagement rings, sales of which did particularly well for the company, “up 3X” during the pandemic.

“I think it was because of a couple of reasons,” said Akhavi. “Retail was down, but also consumers started to make more conscious choices.”

Couples bought bigger stones than in years past, 1.5 to 2 carats on average, she said, with emerald, marquise and oval cuts being most popular. Prices start at $2,500 for the rings, while necklaces start at $500.

“The pandemic didn’t affect our sales, because our main point of sales is the website,” said Akhavi. “We’re an online brand to start with. And we were on a growth path.”

The company has focused on engaging with consumers on social and online with their virtual appointments, which grew five times since the start of COVID-19. They also began offering personalization two months into the health crisis, allowing consumers to pick the diamond shapes (they have 17 total) and sizes of their choice for necklaces and earrings.

“People really love being able to pick and choose the stone themselves,” said Akhavi, adding that they have a customer return rate of 40 percent.

“Although we didn’t have a storefront [then], our customer service and sales team, social media team are so in touch with our customers,” she said. “We’re a technology company first…We can move fast.”

The Vrai shop is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Lessons in leadership from Mona Akhavi, CEO of Vrai jewellery

Mona Akhavi is an entrepreneur, engineer, start-up founder and now, CEO, whose career has taken her in various directions, from technology to luxury goods. She currently heads up a brand that combines both; Vrai, an innovative and extraordinary jewellery brand that specialises in lab-grown diamonds. Akhavi previously worked at Vrai’s parent company, the Diamond Foundry; a zero emission company producing diamonds sustainably.

Here, she shares her ultimate career advice.

The three most important qualities for a good leader are…

“A leader needs to be authentic and self-aware, to be able to inspire a team. My values and principles are what drive my decisions as a leader. Creating a sustainable luxury brand that’s consumer-centric and empowering is a true mission for me.

Transparent leaders are the most inspiring. As a leader, I’m highly passionate about what we are doing and being honest, communicating goals and ideas, creates a contagious excitement and trust all around. Building and nurturing a team focused on a shared vision is a leader’s main purpose.

Navigating your team through change is extremely important as change is a constant in the global market condition. Managing a team through transformations at the rate a business needs is an essential trait.”

My personal strength as a leader is…

“Having a diversified background and wearing many hats has shaped my strength as a leader. Being a previous entrepreneur, I founded a company, raised funding and managed investors. My engineering experience provides a strong background in managing technology. I was also fortunate to gain extensive experience in consumer luxury brands marketing and sales. These combination of skills helps me in managing multiple aspects of the business from technology to design to sales and marketing to operations. Over the years, I’ve learned to be more observant about the strengths & weaknesses of individuals and have prioritised building complementary teams.”

Courtesy

The biggest priority for my business right now is…

“We’ve been growing exponentially fast and launched VRAI internationally this past year, so I want to build on that momentum. We are also focusing on expanding our offline presence with showrooms in the US and China, and operations in the UK, EU and Canada. Creating a touchpoint for our consumers to see our beautiful diamond jewellery and experiencing the brand in real life is something we’re looking forward to.”

The economic outlook may be uncertain, but I’m mitigating risk by…

“Innovating and iterating quickly is what enables us to push boundaries in sustainable luxury and impact the standards in the jewellery industry. We are vertically integrated which means from the moment the diamond starts growing in our zero emission foundry to when it is set in a piece of jewellery and in the hands of a consumer, we control the entire process. This allows us to operate like an agile tech company and respond to changes in the market.

Plus, VRAI offers an option without compromise for consumers, with no human or environmental toll. With sustainability at the core, staying true to our mission and values even during an uncertain time has only strengthened our brand equity and grown our customer base.”

I keep my team motivated by…

“I am a believer in giving the team autonomy so they can find their purpose in the organisation and truly choose how they want to make an impact and add value. Creating an environment where they can focus on what they like to do or learn and are good at is also rewarding and will keep the team motivated.

But as a leader You can’t motivate unless you are motivated, and that’s contagious to the team. We’re a result-oriented company, so every team member is involved in defining what success means to them and everyone naturally has a drive to succeed.”

The hardest decision I’ve had to make as a leader was…

“No matter how long I’ve managed teams and ran a business as a founder or CEO, having to part with people is still one of the hardest decisions. For me it’s always a question of is there anything I could have done to find another path but the answer is usually growth happens when one gets out of their comfort zone.”

The worst mistake I’ve ever made as a leader (and the lessons I learnt from it)

“Not trusting my intuition and gut feeling about a business decision which usually follows a direction that doesn’t feel right or true. As I took on management positions in my career starting in my mid-twenties, I led multi-disciplinary teams that were sometimes not inclusive. I was managing teams and media for global sports events and later advertising for consumer brands. During these fast paced projects, I had to focus the team on results but that sometimes meant sacrificing a collaborative and authentic culture and that didn’t feel true to me. It always backfired one way or another.”

An effective leader will always…

“Trust their intuition and stay true to their values. I am also a strong believer that an effective leader ruthlessly prioritises what is moving the needle and reviews those on a regular basis. This helps the team to have a compass of clear direction. What was important a few weeks ago may not be the highest priority today. Time and resources are limited.”

An effective leader will never…

“Stop listening! Always listening to customers and the team. Asking for feedback and being open to ideas. To be an authentically nurturing leader, I make a point of publicly praising the team members for good performance and sharing regular positive affirmations while giving feedback in private.”

My role model for leadership is…

“A few too many to name but I’m fortunate to have incredible mentors around me and I’m inspired by transformative leaders who not only innovate but create a ripple effect impact in industries and categories towards a better future for the environment and humanity.

These may be change makers and activists or visionary leaders of a company. Diamond Foundry CEO, Martin Roscheisen is a great example of a leader who’s leading a disruption in the diamond industry.”

The one piece of advice I’d give to a new leader is…

“The path to become an inspiring leader is different for everyone and it’s a journey more than a job or a role. It’s important to stick to your core values and try as many different paths as possible to gain as much experience as possible until you find what you’re truly passionate about. Only then, start laser focusing on that path & start the journey to grow into an effective leader.”

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Vidéo Pass sanitaire : “J’ai payé 300 euros pour obtenir un vrai faux QR Code”

Alors que le pass sanitaire obligatoire est entré en vigueur pour de nombreuses professions, certains n’hésitent pas à acheter de faux certificats de vaccination à l’insu de leurs employeurs. L’un d’eux a accepté de témoigner.

L’idée s’est imposée comme une évidence. Corentin, 31 ans, est éducateur auprès d’enfants et adolescents en difficulté. C’est un anti vax convaincu. Pour lui, la quatrième vague n’existe pas. Alors, quand il a entendu dire que le pass sanitaire serait probablement obligatoire dans quelques semaines pour exercer sa profession, il a cherché un moyen d’obtenir un faux certificat de vaccination.

Une connaissance lui donne un nom sur un réseau social. Après une prise de contact virtuelle, le jeune homme se retrouve dans sa voiture à 90 kilomètres de chez lui, avec 300 euros en liquide dans la poche. La transaction se fait de la main à la main. Son contact lui demande son nom, prénom, date de naissance et numéro de sécurité sociale. Quelques heures plus tard, Corentin reçoit un mail officiel de la sécurité sociale avec son vrai faux QR Code.

De faux QR Code validés par Ameli

Selon Nicolas Baudelot, cofondateur de Medicalib, plateforme de coordination des soins à domicile, l’exemple de Corentin est caractéristique d’un système. Le principe est simple : un intermédiaire, transmet les informations à un professionnel de santé (médecin, pharmacien, infirmier, etc) qui a un accès personnel à la plateforme de vaccination. Ce dernier entre sur son clavier les informations de la personne en question comme s’il venait de la vacciner et le tour est joué. Il arrive même qu’on jette une dose de vaccin à la poubelle pour que les stocks correspondent au nombre de personnes prétendument vaccinées. Le faux QR code est donc en fait un vrai-faux QR code validé par Ameli, la plateforme de la sécurité sociale. La supercherie est indétectable.

Le contact de Corentin était-il lui même un professionnel de santé ? Ou a-t-il transmis ses coordonnées à un complice infirmier, médecin ou pompiers ? Impossible de le savoir. Il affirme ne pas connaître celui qui a encaissé les 300 euros. “Je ne veux rien savoir de lui”, explique le jeune éducateur, qui n’avait qu’une peur, perdre son emploi : “C’est la première fois que j’ai un travail qui me plaît. Ne plus aller au cinéma ou au restaurant, je m’en fous, c’est uniquement pour mon travail que je l’ai fait.”

Pourtant, Corentin ne culpabilise pas de frauder. Il considère qu’il ne représente nullement un danger pour les enfants qu’il encadre. La preuve, pense-t-il : “Ceux qui sont vaccinés peuvent être porteurs du virus et le transmettre. Selon moi, ce n’est pas un vaccin anti Covid mais un vaccin anti forme grave du Covid”. Et Corentin de conclure : “Ce faux QR Code, c’est un acte de résistance”.