Missoma founder Marisa Hordern on how they stay ahead of the curve

“It all started in 2007, long before the advent of ‘side hustles’. My mum and I were hand-making jewellery on our kitchen table. It was a passion project that I did on weekends while working at Richemont.”

“I started working with students at design school, helping with beadwork, and later expanded to factories in Bangkok and Jaipur. I attended every trade show, tested different materials and finishes, and spent years learning the craft and honing my skills through trial and error.”

“Back then, everything was done by hand – even the technical specs were drawn on graph paper. Over time, we built a team, embraced digital tools, and helped pioneer the semi-fine jewellery space. We were pioneers in online retail, social media and digital marketing, and were one of the first brands to work with influencers.”

“It’s been a long journey, full of highs and lows, but I wouldn’t replace it for anything. Missoma was founded on resilience, authenticity and agility, and that’s what has made us what we are today.”

“Not at all. Missoma was founded in 2007, and we grew organically, without any business plan or idea of ​​what we were going to do. We were one of the first brands in the semi-fine jewelry space, so we learned a lot through trial and error, and paved the way for many brands that are emerging today.”

We’ve made a lot of mistakes that hopefully other brands can learn from—finding the right metal, the best finish, the ideal price point, and how to market to customers. But I’ve loved the journey. I always say that you learn more from your mistakes than from your successes. It’s taken a lot of sweat, blood, and tears (literally) over the years. It’s not just about making jewelry, it’s about building the brand, shaping the culture of the team, and creating pieces that we’re truly proud of.

“I started out selling jewelry wholesale, attending every trade show, scouting out factories, testing price points, quality, and gemstones. I did everything myself. I later transitioned to online retail early, embraced social media before many, partnered with an influencer to launch my first jewelry collection, and invested heavily in digital marketing ahead of the times. Now, we’re expanding into physical stores (pretty much the opposite trajectory of many retailers who started with brick-and-mortar stores), which is a new adventure and learning process for us. The constant evolution keeps it exciting, and we love trying new things and thinking outside the box.”

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