Beyond Expectations

According to Peter Webster, co-founder and president of Roberto Coin, Inc., he has two seemingly limitless problems on his plate: Roberto Coin’s design inspirations and loyal followers’ desire for more.

“The production at the factories has exceeded what we thought was possible, and Roberto has designed hundreds of new pieces for this year’s collections,” said Webster. “Our customers cannot get enough of Roberto Coin. Since we created the brand, it has always been a part of our philosophy that we have to
be different from others in our industry. A lot of brands are satisfied with introducing one collection and have that same collection year after year, but Roberto consistently introduces new collections and pieces every year. Though it is not easy to constantly create new collections, it is the secret to our success.”

Related Articles

Laughingly, Webster shared that the designer’s interminable spirit could be summed up by examining his reliable response to the question “what is your favorite piece,” to which Coin has always answered, “my next one.”

Put simply, he said, it’s both exhausting and exciting. Importantly, the designer’s excitement for cultures and beauty shines through even more brilliantly in the jewelry’s design than through the volume of pieces.

For example, Webster shared with WWD that Roberto gets a lot of his inspiration from reading history. One of these inspirations brought about the company’s signature of including a hidden ruby in each piece. This references an Egyptian legend that wearing a ruby close to the skin promotes long life, health and happiness – something that Coin wishes for the wearer.

A very popular new collection for the brand, the Cialoma Collection, is inspired by a Sicilian song about those who have chosen the sea as their home. Each piece has been created to be reminiscent of this Mediterranean world that emanates all the fascination of Southern Italian tradition.  According to Coin, “Wearing Cialoma jewelry is like wearing the night and setting sail out to sea for an adventure that begins each evening, and that by dawn has become unforgettable.”

All of the brand’s collections receive continuous expansions which include different price points and added elements to the collection’s offerings. Notably, the expansion of collections speaks to Roberto Coin’s philosophy of being able to resonate with anyone; offering pieces that are very wearable and very stunning to both consumers who are aspirational luxury shoppers and more affluent jewelry collectors. This is evident in the incredibly successful new Love in Verona pieces as well as the Venetian Princess Collection that has been expanded to include color stones such as lapis, malachite and turquoise.

Furthermore, Webster said, his prediction of forthcoming sales was very different from what actually happened, the results being high double-digit growth. In part, he said the growth could be explained both by the consumer’s lack of travel and large celebrations during the pandemic.  This left the consumers wanting to treat themselves in a very special way.

“People are looking for more adornment,” said Webster. “With the pandemic, there’s more romanticism and this led people to spend more quality time with loved ones. This created an appreciation and feeling that a loved one deserves something special.”

While much of this shopping occurred online, Webster credited retail partners for the majority of the brand’s sales. In fact, in contrast to many brands who were forced to reduce retailer relationships during the pandemic, Roberto Coin made sure to keep those partnerships strong.

Part of fostering these relationships has been through brand events, which Roberto Coin continues to participate in about 250 every year. The brand also encourages consumers to support the retailers by purchasing in a store location, rather than online.

“Back on day one of the pandemic, we made the decision that we were going to keep all of our salespeople and our in-house customer service,” said Webster. “We saw the salespeople were anxious to get out and see their customers. Many brands could not do this and were unfortunately forced to downsize. We took the gamble and in doing so, we have become much closer to our partners. The support we gave them is now reflected in the support they’re giving us.”

When the Roberto Coin team is not traveling to stores, they are consistently updating retailers and sales personnel about the brand’s growing assortment and offerings through its Retailer Resource Site and marketing programs.

“We offer our partners strong support,” said Webster. “All the sales team travel regularly and get to know the staff in the stores, the salespeople and the clients as well. We are a consistent presence for them whether they need us in-store, online or through customer service.”

In the upcoming months, Webster said that the Roberto Coin consumer seems to give the impression that despite what is going on in the world they are feeling very buoyant, very romantic and as they carry on treating themselves, the company will do its best to help them find the perfect piece.