Creating a Global Brand from Scratch

Starting any given business from scratch is not an easy feat. But for Ana Piteira, passion drove her forward and now, she is the proud owner of Reliquia, a global jewellery brand.

Ana describes Reliquia as her family heritage. "I could see a gap in the market for jewellery that could be worn every day. At the time there really wasn't anything like that around. Its the type of jewellery I really love wearing and growing up, my mother and grandma would wear. I wanted to recreate that feel but with a more accessible price point. And that's how Reliquia started." Ana admitted that her experience and contacts in fashion PR helped. "It meant I practiced what I preached. From the very beginning our main goal was making sure the jewellery was out there and being worn by as many people as possible, so I basically leveraged every connection and friendship I had and gave everyone all the jewels they wanted."

She said it helped because it meant the jewellery was being worn by everyone and it was really visible and accessible, and it also meant she got a first-hand reaction really quickly. The result is that Reliquia is now a successful brand.