Looking back: Loulerie’s Louise Stokes shares her entrepreneurial journey

“I always have a number of irons in the fire and in that way, you're not dependent, so if one thing doesn't happen you have lots of options.”

Simmering with a poised passion, Louise Stokes talks about her business as if it’s a new endeavour – with that first-year enthusiasm that drives entrepreneurs to finally execute their long-held visions – when, in fact, her jewellery store Loulerie is celebrating its 17th anniversary this year.

As a seasoned entrepreneur, Louise says this drive is essential for surviving all the bumps along the self-starter road, and the business owner has encountered some mammoth-sized bumps indeed before growing the brand into the success it is today.

Getting started

Louise Stokes grew up in Dublin and always had an affinity for creativity. Like most, she started out on a completely different path, studying psychology and sociology at Trinity College Dublin, but her true passion was for fashion, a field she worked in throughout her college years. “I worked for Brown Thomas and then most notably, Louise Kennedy, which had a massive impact on me long term because I learned luxury retail early on. I had a great relationship with her and I’ll always be very grateful.”

In her 20s, she landed a summer internship in New York with designer Alexis, before moving on to a jewellery internship that would alter her career course. “I really wanted to work in fashion, so I was devastated at the time. I actually thought I was a failure because I didn’t get a job in fashion, but this jewellery internship changed my life. I fell in love with it and I suppose the rest is history.”

Louise worked for two massive corporate jewellery companies, and by the age of 27, she was travelling the East Coast selling to buyers herself. “It was the best training ever, but I had always wanted to work for myself. I saw an opening in the market for all the brands I was dealing with in New York.” So, when Louise moved home in 2007, she set her sights on opening her own jewellery shop.

But, as you know, this was right when the recession hit – Louise’s first bump, and a behemoth one at that. “We were open six months, and then it was the recession so I think surviving that was some form of miracle. I had to quickly pivot. We went exclusive and tried to bring in designers that were never before in Ireland. It was a success and this was our strategy for about 10 years.

“I remember another business owner at the time saying to me, ‘Being open, that’s what the success is.’ There’s so much focus on growth but actually, a lot of the time as an entrepreneur and business owner, surviving those hard times is a massive success. That’s what counts.”

Finding inspiration

Ever the innovator, Louise felt it was time for something new and started creating her own jewellery designs. “Developing our fine jewellery was very iconic. I didn’t set out to be a fine jewellery designer but I think there was always a connection in me. I worked on a few designs for people in the store and then I developed them, and now there’s a collection that we release every year. A majority of our business is our own brands – but, I still love to find brands from around the world.”

When it comes to her design process, Louise says that avoiding distraction is key. “I can get distracted very easily. It’s just the mind that I have, so I have to have a ritual. I have to sit down straight away, and it has to be completely quiet. My fine jewellery is all about waves in the sea and very soft, feminine shapes, so I often take a walk by the sea for inspiration.

“I also like to take photos and cut things out of magazines. I have lots of different mood boards on my phone via Collect. For fashion jewellery, it’s big, bold and fun, and then for fine jewellery, it’s often ideas leftover from the last time that I want to expand on. Once I look through these, I sit down, open up the book, turn off my phone (which is key!) and just start writing.”

When it comes to inspiration, Louise draws from everything around her, and while social media can have an influence, she is often inspired by real women – for both her personal sense of style and her jewellery designs.

“I have a minimal classic style; some wardrobe pieces I have are years old. I think it comes from living in New York when my apartment was so small. Even now, I don’t have a summer or winter wardrobe, I just have good basics that I can layer up. My typical work outfit is so simple, usually involving a blazer. My daughter, who’s 13, always laughs at me, asking which of my 75 blazers I am going to wear, but I know what works. You could wear a sweater or hoodie with a blazer and you still feel tailored. In the winter, I’d go for leather pants and gorgeous knitwear. Then in the summer, I’d opt for a T-shirt and trainers.”

“I also wear a signet ring that’s inspired by my stepdad. I love chunky men’s pieces and seeing how can I make them a bit more feminine. This one is navy enamel and has a little white sapphire baguette, and it’s really smooth and lightweight. Testwear is so important – I have the team, my mom or even my daughter try out samples. Then, if they catch, make a funny click, snag on clothing or you can feel them on, it’s an immediate no for me.”

Louise is always observing stylish women around her. “I have these Phillipe Model trainers that I stopped a girl in Paris to ask about. Now, I wear them every day. I love nothing more than sitting on my own and observing other people – real women on the streets or in cafés, that’s where I draw inspiration from, especially when I travel for work. I’ve just come back from the Chanel show in Paris, which is what I need as a creative. I didn’t go with any intention but as I was standing there looking at the lace and the old perfume bottles, the ideas just flew into my head.”

And when it comes to trends, she looks for the ones that will suit her and her work best. “I keep an eye on trends. The business I’m in – design and buying – I’m seeing things quicker, ahead of time, and I can tell what’s coming. But in terms of buying into fashion trends, I did that so much in my 20s. Now, I only do it if a trend works for me. I think it’s okay to look at a trend, but it’s still got to be a part of you rather than the trend wearing you.”

Striking a balance

Another important part of her job is maintaining a work-life balance. And, although it’s still very much a work in progress, Louise has learned the importance of setting boundaries and prioritising her husband and two children. “I’m a lot better now. When I first had my children – not that I have regrets about how I handled it – I felt sad because there was so much pressure on me from the outside and myself to keep all the plates in the air, which is so unnatural. My husband is half-Danish, so I’ve seen the Scandinavian model and you should be able to take that time – life’s not a race.

“What I try and do now in a business setting (and I think COVID helped with this) is not be afraid to say ‘no, sorry, my child was sick’ or ‘nope, I’m with my son that day’. That’s my priority and I feel like if you want to work for me and you know that my family comes first, then you know that’s how I run the team. So now, I don’t feel like I have to explain; I’m not trying to be everything to everybody anymore. This is something I’ve done in the last three or four years.”

And on the other side of that, Louise has loved involving her kids in the business and showing them what it takes to be an entrepreneur. “My son is 10 and my daughter is 13, she’s very creative and artistic herself. She often sneaks into my office and tries out jewellery samples. And sometimes, she loves things I’ve been thinking of not putting into production, but I always listen to her because she’s the generation coming up.

“As a family, we’re in a new phase, and I want to be around for the important stuff. But at the same time, I think it’s no harm for them to see what it takes, where value comes from, and what I care about. During COVID, I had to make a decision and I shipped everything to the house. So they lived and breathed what it is to be an entrepreneur. It’s not easy, but I think that was a good learning for them.”

Marking milestones

In 2020, when another bump in the form of COVID hit, Louise cleverly used this time to grow her online presence and website, which, to her delight, exploded becoming an integral hub to the business. “We grew our online so rapidly to the point that we expanded into a second location. So we now have an online studio where the designs and everything happen.”

This constant adaptation wasn’t easy though, and despite her mastery of it, Louise says she fears change. “I always tell my team that the only thing constant in life is change. But at my core, I don’t like change – who does? Just when you feel you figured out this thing in business – boom, social media comes or something like that, but I think I’m very good at it.

“I always have a number of irons in the fire and in that way, you’re not dependent, so if one thing doesn’t happen you have lots of options. I think that’s where my strength is. You have to be forward-focused. I start every year as if I’m starting something brand new; nothing is off the table for me. I’m asking what can we change, what can we do. You have to ask these questions to survive and stay relevant.”

Another big part of navigating entrepreneurship, Louise says, is listening to your customers. “We posted on Instagram asking our customers, ‘What do you like about the boxes? What can we keep and what should we change?’ I know there’s a lot of negativity about social media and I personally struggle with spending too much time on it. But I think building your brand on it and going forward with your community excites me. I love that.”

Along with opening her store and bringing in her own designs, Louise says a huge win for her is maintaining an invaluable team. “I think a milestone for me is keeping the majority of my team, some of my core team has been with me for up to eight years. Also, my part-timers generally stay with me the whole way through college. Again, I count that as a massive success, and having a loyal core team who believes in your vision matters to me.”

Stay tuned for our next article with Louise Stokes, where she’ll share her ‘Secrets to Success’. This series is in partnership with Range Rover. Together, we are spotlighting seriously successful women like Loulerie founder Louise Stokes. To learn more about Range Rover, visit landrover.ie.