DANNIJO Explodes in 2009 - A Recession Miracle

by Annie Scott (RSS feed)
Dec 29th 2009 at 11:01AM

Sister jewelry wonders, Danielle and Jodie Snyder

DANNIJO is a jewelry line from sisters Danielle and Jodie Snyder (right), and though they only started up in 2008, their handmade-in-NYC collections have been seen on an extensive list of A-list celebrities from Beyonce to Natalie Portman, featured on The Today Show and in countless magazines. I first ran into them at a Fashion Week party in 2008, and I've been more than impressed by their progress, especially during a recession -- the whole industry has. In this exclusive interview, I asked Danielle Snyder how they made it happen.

Luxist: What has been the most exciting moment for your company so far?

DANNIJO: As a start-up company, there is constantly excitement. Being on the TODAY show with Natalie Morales was a huge honor. This past weekend, I went to an SNL rehearsal and saw the jewelry worn in several skits. Being featured in New York Mag was also very exciting, and just seeing the jewelry worn by random people on the streets of New York is always cool.

L: What have celebs been saying about your jewelry -- any fun celebrity anecdotes?

D: Milla Jovovich told People StyleWatch " [DANNIJO is] Elegant but modern -- my favorite new find." Beyonce bought one of our signature entangled necklaces at Bergdorf Goodman and has been photographed wearing it several times. Rihanna ended up keeping a pair of earrings that she wore in a recent music video, and Natalie Portman recommended DANNIJO on Dailybeast.com's buzz board. Natalie had brought back some stones and material from a Paris flea market that we custom-made into a cool bib-necklace for her.

L: Which are your favorite pieces?

D: I love the entangled Celia and Bahlia necklaces and chainy Harley necklaces because you can wear them several ways and get tons of use out of them. They are statement yet effortless, which is perfect for day into night. I also love our stackable mini cuffs and oversized rings. I'm especially loving our signature holiday Coco ring. I've been wearing it non-stop to all the holiday cocktail parties.

L: What's coming next for Dannijo?

D: We just opened a pop-up shop at Henri Bendel on the 3rd floor which features an entire wall of DANNIJO. We have DANNIJO reps run the shop to ensure that customers get a real personal shopping experience. We just revamped dannijo.com with tons of new user-friendly features for the ultimate accessory shopping experience. You can now shop an interactive lookbook; share, email and wishlist products; shop celebrity style; find the perfect gift by browsing the DANNIJO gift guide and consult an in-house style-expert for the perfect accessories for your look.

L: How have you grown so quickly?

D: We've been very focused on organically growing and establishing solid partnerships with select high-end retailers. We've been careful to not grow too quickly and ensure that the product is never oversaturated. DANNIJO has been fortunate enough to have a solid celebrity clientele and it's really given the brand a lot of exposure.

So there you have it -- good, old-fashioned solid business practices and a couple of lucky contacts have helped, but the real reason we think DANNIJO is such a success is the goods. Check out their stunning designs, including Danielle's favorites and some as-seen-on-celebs selections, in the gallery below.

Gallery: DANNIJO - Celebrity and Designer Favorites