5 minutes with India Hicks
India Hicks (indiahicks.com) wears many hats (model, author, entrepreneur, wife, mother, daughter of famed interior designer David Hicks, goddaughter of Prince Charles, and real-life Royal—she’s roughly 500th in line to the British throne), but lately she has been focused on another accessory: fine jewellery. Inspired by her father’s strong design aesthetic, her debut collection (available at Holt Renfrew) launches this fall. Here, this Bahamas-based beauty talks family jewels and the great unknown.
Why did you decide to launch this collection?
“I think I’ve reached the age now where fine jewellery comes into play. My mother has a beautiful collection that she inherited from her mother—my grandfather designed a piece for my grandmother every year for their anniversary. And my father designed for a collection for Chaumet in Paris, so it wasn’t a stretch for me to fall into jewellery design.”
What’s your favourite piece?
“I am a total earring person. I wear them a lot in the evening for big events; I’m not trotting down to the beach wearing them. The Island Living collection is very accessible too—we did sterling silver and diamonds. I would wear it on the island quite comfortably, even though it’s fine jewellery.”
What has been the biggest challenge so far?
“The unknown. Working with Crabtree & Evelyn, they are a small but global company, so there is a huge infrastructure there. It has been scary to do a collection with very little experience and guidance. It’s been a learning process. I will grow and develop.”
You have a strong business sense. Where does this drive come from?
“I’ve always felt the need to be independent and to be individual and to not have to rely on anyone else. As a result, you have to make your own living—so you do push yourself.”
As a working mom, how do you balance it all?
“I’ve got a lot of help. The kids come first. I am a ferocious organizer and pack a lot into the trips that I do. [The kids] don’t miss me as much as I miss them.”
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