MYSTORY

beautifulBAUBLES JAN LOGAN HAS CREATED ONE OF ’S MOST RECOGNISED FINE JEWELLERY BRANDS. SHE TELLS HER STORY TO NICOLE MADIGAN.

LATTE 5_MY STORY JAN NOV 23 REVISED SUBBED.idml 70 24/11/13 7:37 PM an Logan the brand is worn by stars around the world. Naomi Watts, Jennifer Lopez and Rose Byrne have been seen sashaying down red carpets dripping in the elegant designs. The woman behind the jewels is less known, but equally as elegant. Approaching its 25th anniversary, Jan Logan Fine Jewellery is an j international success story. Jan TOP!AND!LEFT&! THE!VAMPIRE! launched the business in 1989 at age 50, proving DIARIES’!PHOEBE! TONKIN!WEARING! that it’s never too late to follow your dreams. JAN!LOGAN"! It all began in the country town of Narrabri, TAYLOR!SWIFT!IS! in north-western NSW, Jan’s home before she ALSO!A!FAN" moved to in 1986. Jan says she spent most of her childhood living in her imagination, playing with her mother’s jewellery box, but never dreamt she’d make a living from it, let alone go on to achieve the level of success she has. A lover of movies and musicals, Jan initially believed she was destined to be a performer, but life had other plans. Marrying young, Jan went on to have three sons. Then, in the early 1980s, life took a new direction when she answered an advertisement in the local paper for a job as a promotions o! cer for the Narrabri Chamber of Commerce. The job involved dealing with stock and station agents, newsagents, publicans, Rotary and Apex.

THE!EMPTY!NEST from her, Jan already had quite “After my three sons had grown and reached a following by the time she set high school, I applied for a part-time job as a up her own store in Double Bay promotions o! cer with the Narrabri Chamber in 1989. “In the mid 1980s the of Commerce,” says Jan. family moved to live in Sydney “I was paid $1000 a year and my job was and I opened our fi rst store in beautiful to build up the Chamber membership and to the Royal Arcade, Double Bay promote Narrabri as a community.” in October 1989,” says Jan. It was here, she says, that many of the skills “It was a small shop and I had she now uses were set in place, and her passion one employee, Louise Herron, for marketing became evident. who had a Bachelor of Fine Arts fi tting that Jan is now designing jewellery for The turning point in her career though came degree and had studied at Sotheby’s in . the stars. Many international actresses wear through her friendship with the president of “Louise was a marvellous fi nd and was Jan Logan’s unique designs and she is also a the chamber who just happened to be the main instrumental in helping get the brand great supporter of Australian fashion design jeweller in town. Jan was drawn to his work and recognised. The fi rst year was fun, the learning and has contributed to the parades of our fi nest found herself spending a lot of time in his shop. curve was a challenge and dealing with the press designers, including Collette Dinnigan, Akira “I was continually playing with the jewellery was rewarding. During that year we had slow Isogawa, Easton Pearson and Leona Edmiston. and making suggestions,” she says. and steady growth, and based on this progress She believes the key to her success was her “He eventually o" ered me a 20 per cent we decided to move to larger premises in Cross keen awareness of the importance of working partnership so I took out a personal loan and Street, also in Double Bay.” with the media, which became instrumental in that was my serendipitous start in the industry. Exactly one year later, in October 1990, Jan building recognition of the brand. “We didn’t “This led me to hold private jewellery Logan o! cially opened with a small launch do much advertising as word of mouth from exhibitions and sales in country NSW and event. “From the beginning we started to get customers was very consistent,” she says. “I was Queensland which were very successful.” editorial attention which was very exciting and also very diligent in collecting customer names encouraging and in many ways instrumental in for our database, handwriting them into a book EMPIRE!IN!THE!MAKING growing the business.” and eventually using this list as a basis for the Jan learnt on the job, organising jewellery mail out of our fi rst print catalogue in 1993.” shows and travelling around the country to BUILDING!AN Part of her appeal, she believes, is that she promote and run them. INTERNATIONAL!BRAND designs for herself, so to speak. “If I’m not As a result of her diligence in keeping names Over the last 20 years, Jan Logan has evolved comfortable in something, how could I expect and addresses of the women who had bought into an international brand and it seems only anyone else to be?”

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Designer Akira Isogawa says he enjoyed every minute of working with Jan and would happily work with her again. “She has an ability to accommodate the style of others within her simple, elegant styling,” says Isogawa. “I admire her versatility – she always comes up with the goods, she never disappoints. There’s something, too, about her attitude.” There’s little doubt, Jan is truly passionate about her craft. Jan says what she loves more than anything about jewellery is simply the fact that it’s durable. “There’s intrinsic value in the metal and stones, so if you get tired of something you can always rework it.” In 1996, Jan Logan became a family business, with son Angus returning from London and joining the team. Her other children are Michael, who is a farmer based in Narrabri, and Andrew, a sculptor, based in the US. At the same time, Jan took over the space next door to the Cross Street premises to expand the Double Bay store. “I!LOVE!THE “The growth of the business is due to CHALLENGE OF Angus’s leadership,” says Jan. “We also took AND!THE on our store manager Frank Robinson DESIGN around the same time. Frank came to us with OPPORTUNITY!TO extensive experience in the jewellery industry, he is highly respected and inspirational in his PARTNER WITH management style.” OTHER!CREATIVE The new team then opened a PEOPLE.”. store in South Yarra in 1998 and subsequently moved to its Collins Street premises two years later. There are now fi ve Jan Logan stores open challenge of design and the opportunity to for business. “We have a concession in the partner with other creative people,” she says. David Jones Elizabeth Street store in Sydney, “We have worked with many Australian opened a store in the IFC Centre, Hong Kong fashion designers over the years, a highlight in 2003 and opened in Perth in 2008,” says Jan. being Collette Dinnigan’s Paris Show in 2000, “My family situation has allowed me some for which we created quite dramatic bespoke fl exibility. I enjoy time with family. I have fi ve JEWELLER!TO!THE!STARS brooches. I fi nd much reward in seeing our grandchildren in Sydney and another three in Angus initiated the a! liation with the jewellery worn by our loyal clients with USA. They are my passion.” Australian movie industry by each year pleasure and having the opportunity to work When Jan isn’t working or spending time featuring an up and coming Australian actress with many charities.” with friends and family, she fi nds the time to in Jan Logan’s annual catalogue. enjoy the food scene, movies and the theatre. It began in 2001 with the beautiful Rose CHALLENGES!OF!BUSINESS But despite her hectic schedule, growing Byrne who featured as the fi rst face of Jan Despite Jan Logan’s success, the business business and expanding family, Jan has no Logan. still faces many challenges. “The challenges plans to slow down. “Previously we had often used family in the we now face are the changes to retail due to “Professionally and personally the future catalogue and this transition was very refl ective technology and fi nding the balance between holds more of the same. I hope to continue of our business and the desire to support the pace of communication and our focus on making a contribution to both the business Australian talent, whether it be fi lm, fashion personalised service. and family as long as I can.” or the arts. “Our website has been up for fi ve years With this in mind, Jan has this advice for “Rose has gone on to achieve international and we are interested to see the way online other entrepreneurial women who aspire to success. Our association with fi lm has been a shopping is changing the retail environment. build their own businesses and follow their successful positioning for our business and has “We enjoy the involvement of Facebook, passions. led us to work with so many wonderful people, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram and the “My advice to others would be to stay true actresses Rachael Taylor, Teresa Palmer and opportunity to interact with our customers to your vocation, maintain your integrity, be Phoebe Tonkin are just a handful of beautiful and also introduce new people to Jan Logan.” persistent and to love what you do. women that we have worked with.” Now a single woman – Jan separated from “I opened the store in Double Bay in 1989 It’s easy to envy the passion and drive Jan her husband 14 years ago – she says her family when I was 50 years old and next year we will has to continue to hone her craft and to create has been instrumental in her success, both in celebrate our 25th anniversary. and build a fl ourishing business. “I love the business and in life. “My message here is – it’s never too late!”

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