VASHI OPENS DIAMOND CONCEPT STORE IN LONDON’S PICCADILLY
VASHI OPENS DIAMOND CONCEPT STORE IN LONDON’S PICCADILLY
“The Brave Make”
The Diamond Engagement Ring and Jewellery Made by You for The One
46 Piccadilly, London
The future of diamond jewellery shopping is unveiled this week, as leading retailer, VASHI, opens the doors to its eagerly anticipated concept store in Central London’s Piccadilly. Set across 1500 square feet and two floors, the disruptive new retail concept has turned the traditional jewellery retail model on its head by putting the customer centre-stage for the first ever deeply experiential proposition. Unlike existing diamond retailers, VASHI’s customers are encouraged to get truly hands-on creating their own rings and other jewellery with diamonds of exceptional brilliance and quality but at price levels substantially below equivalent Bond St and even High St pricing.
“By establishing our first concept store, we want to make you the heroes and heroines, the stars of the show, fully immersed in the incredible and hidden world of diamond jewellery, whether for the love of your life or for yourself – the whole experience is about you, not about us”, explains diamond expert Vashi Dominguez, Founder and CEO of the business established as an online retailer over 10 years ago.
“We are all about helping you to recreate the sort of raw, intense and pure emotion and overwhelming love that brought tears of joy to your parents’ eyes as you proudly presented your first love letter to them, drawn at school – a drawing that was of course treasured for life”.
The extent of the VASHI revolution is immediately clear. Its vibrant windows on Piccadilly showcase the magic and dramatic theatre of diamond craftspeople – the Alchemists – at work right alongside customers in a startlingly modern and disruptive store. The store design is unlike anything in the jewellery sector, with an incredibly engaging story line – even the door handle is crafted from exquisite kimberlite, the birthplace of diamonds deep within the Earth’s crust. Conventional practices are bravely debunked, with diamonds openly on display and accessible to customers instead of locked away behind glass. The atmosphere is disarmingly relaxed and friendly.
Vashi Diamonds, 46 Piccadilly, Mayfair, London W1J 25 September 2017
“We don’t really want to sell you what is on display – we always prefer you to handpick your own diamond, to play with them while you choose the one that appeals most to you, match this with your favourite setting – or even design it from scratch – and then put your own heart into making your ring, with us as your support crew”, commented Vashi Dominguez.
“Try doing that with existing retailers”, he added.
The VASHI Journey
A team of resident ‘Guardian Angels’1 and ‘Alchemists’2 are on hand to take you through the full sensory experience of “The Brave Make”3 . After honing in on a design and creating a digital mood-board, you get hands-on with dazzling three billion year-old diamonds, every one of which has been specifically selected for its exceptional brilliance by Vashi himself, until you find the perfect one for them.
Then it’s off into the amazing underworld of the VASHI diamond lab, where you sit right alongside your personal Alchemist at their bench as the Alchemist sets to work with state-of-the-art lasers, chemicals and flames to melt and form precious metal to encase your diamond. You are invited to roll up your sleeves and take part in the creation of your ring, polishing and setting your diamond yourself. Every step on your journey to creating this unique ring is captured as a personalised film to share on social, and as an impressive coffee table book to be shared with your loved ones.
Vashi Dominguez concluded: “I love you, I made this for you” will always win over “I love you, I bought this for you” because you have invested heart and soul into creating your own unique and very intimate symbol of your love”.
VASHI is located at 46 Piccadilly and is open 7 days a week.
Instagram @vashiuk
#THEBRAVEMAKE #THEONE #BETHEHERO #BETHEHEROINE #FEELTHELOVE #YELLHELLYES
Media information To arrange a visit to the concept store, or for more information, images, clips or interview requests please contact Connor PR:
Siobhan Connor +44 7966 177025 siobhan@connorpr.com
Hayley Hamburg + 447799 714727 hayley@connorpr.com
Editor’s Notes
About VASHI
Vashi is a leading diamond jewellery multi channel retailer. Based in London but selling worldwide as Vashi.com, the business has grown rapidly over the past 10 years by focussing on on-line customisation of jewellery with diamonds of exceptional brilliance but at accessible pricing. In 2017, Vashi has intensified its special fully-immersive approach to personalisation, opening a ground-breaking concept store at 46 Piccadilly in London, where customers get directly involved hands-on in creating their jewellery, from selecting their own diamond all the way through to setting the gem with the help of the resident Alchemists. Vashi also operates a popup store at 13 Grafton St, just off London’s Bond St.
1 About The Guardian Angels
The ultimate wingmen and wingwomen for the purchase experience. Vashi Guardian Angels are there to offer a guiding light to the customer, The Hero, taking them through the choices, akin to a personal shopper.
2 About The Alchemist
The Alchemist is the ultra-skilled magician behind the craft that is personalised jewellery – their excellence of craft can bring any idea to life, creating the ultimate expression of love.
3 About The Brave Make
The overarching marketing creative for VASHI focusses on a robust new brand identity: “The Brave Make” and “The One”. Each of these battle cries targets the notion that a gift into which you have invested real personal effort and thought will always trump a comparable gift bought off the shelf, whatever the price.
Connor PR expert in Luxury PR, Connor PR working with VASHI, Connor PR expert in lifestyle PR