The Croatian jewellery brand Grubić Design from Zagreb has more than 30 years of tradition in creating unique jewellery, thanks to the efforts of Mladen Grubić and his son Petar. They have recently expanded their operations outside Croatia. In addition to selling jewellery through an official website, there have six stores, in Zagreb, Split, Šibenik, Cres, Pag and Novalja, and they recently opened a store in Miami, reports Poslovni.hr on November 26, 2018.
“This is not an experiment, because the shops are the main point of contact we have with customers and tourists who visit us from all over the world. Americans are our best customers, so it is not a risk for us to present our work in Miami,” Grubić said, adding that tourists from all over the world like to buy their jewellery. “After buying, they return to their homes, write us, send photos, and come back again. We believe in what we create,” he said.
They started in 1987 when Mladen created his first pieces of jewellery. He still keeps the first necklace he made more than 30 years ago. Twenty years later, he was joined by his son Petar and their family business has become a true brand in the Croatian fashion industry. Mladen said that every business could be analyzed in several different ways, and in the late 1980s their main focus was on enthusiasm and curiosity.
“The clay was the first material, and it was used to create a number of elements which later became jewellery. We gave away our first pieces of jewellery because we wanted to test the market. I am happy I have experienced many different stages in my business development. You sometimes need to fall and get up; you need perseverance and faith in what you are creating. Today, when we have seven shops, numerous partners and associates, I know it was worth it,” Grubić said.
For them, every day is a new challenge that carries a great deal of responsibility. Over the years, they have created many collections of designer jewellery and have a recognizable style. “Our collections include metals, metal alloys, chains, leather, glass, Venetian crystal and semiprecious stones,” Mladen explained. Much of their business is tourism related. When one tourist season ends, they immediately start preparing for the next one.
In addition to jewellery making, they also apply their various projects related to art crafts for EU grants, which they use to decorate their shops’ interior, improve production and for promotional and marketing activities. They will strive to maintain their special approach because they do not want the business expansion to endanger their creativity.
For more on the Croatian design, click here.
Translated from Poslovni.hr (reported by Lucija Špiljak).
