Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Morgan Mackintosh. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Morgan , thanks for joining us today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

I guess the biggest risk I have taken is launching LÖF. I left the stability of a job and invested my own savings into this ambitious dream I had, and it continues to be terrifying! I have felt the fear deeply. I guess as this has happened in my 30s, and not in my more youthful 20s, I feel so much is at stake. I feel the pressure of time in a way I haven’t felt before. That, coupled with the fact I have two small children depending on my husband and me means that the pressure is real, and failing has consequences! However, despite all of that, my love of what I am doing, in a way I have never experienced before, and a faith in the brand and what I imagine for it, compels me to continue. And I think it is what makes me the most proud as I truly believe in what we’re building here.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I design fine jewellery using lab and natural gemstones and recycled gold. The designs are bold with strong lines and statement gemstones that you can wear day or night.

LÖF initially lived as an unattainable dream. I have always loved fashion and design and would fantasize about making it my profession, but fear and self-doubt always got in the way. Many of the designs that are in the collection today had been floating around my head for years and eventually, after the birth of my daughter, I finally thought, I have to make this happen. Perhaps the insane hard work of having a child put everything in perspective and I was like, if I got that, I’ve got this! I didn’t want to rush into things though. I thought carefully about what I wanted the brand to be. I knew exactly how the brand would look, and what the pieces I wanted to create were, but I wanted it to stand for something as well. I think it is so important for luxury brands – or any brand – to acknowledge their environmental impact and so that was a huge part of the process to launch. Every aspect of the business is considered when it comes to sustainability: All paper items (like the shipping boxes, the tissue paper or branded inserts) are made from recycled materials and the companies themselves offset their own carbon through various initiatives; the stone suppliers use solar energy in their factories and plant trees in their local communities; and I use recycled metals in all of my jewellery.

I spent a couple of years looking for manufacturers who not only could bring the designs to life, but who also shared these values. One thing I was very aware of was the amount of greenwashing that exists and so I really didn’t want to be another brand that wasn’t following through with their message. I wanted to be authentic and transparent. I work with Climate Ostrom, OneTribe and have been recently accepted into The Positive Luxury accelerator program in order to achieve my Butterfly Mark – a globally respected trust mark awarded to luxury brands, retailers and suppliers that meet the highest standards of independently verified ESG+ performance. Working with these renowned companies keeps me accountable. Aside from my sustainability drive, I also wanted to acknowledge social causes that are close to my heart. A portion of profits at the end of each year will be donated to charities across various sectors: social justice, and the communities impacted by mining to name a couple. This was hugely important to me and is one of my brand pillars along with design and sustainability.

When someone wears a piece of my jewellery, I want them to feel bold and empowered, by the piece itself, but also by what buying a piece of LÖF jewellery represents: the unwavering support of both environmental and social causes. My goal is that this doesn’t actually set the brand apart in any way. My hope instead, is that luxury brands coalesce in creating a normalized practice of “giving back” in some way. I recently read this book to my daughter called ‘The Wild’ by Yuval Zommer and there is a line that really struck a chord with me, “but this time nobody took without giving something back”, and that kind of sums up exactly how I want my brand to exist. To create pieces from the earth, but also to give back to it.

I think the thing I am most proud of is actually just launching! I love what the collection is, what the brand stands for, and how each piece has been inspired by moments throughout my life. I feel excited to be on this creative journey.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

My three biggest passions growing up were music, theatre, and design. My career took me into music and theatre, where I was able to work with some great artists and on some great theatre projects. As much as I loved (and still love) the creativity and the joy that came with those things, I always had this little voice in my head telling me to pursue my dream of design. It was only when I moved to Los Angeles and started a job in music supervision that I started taking the voice more seriously. I was disillusioned by a rather uninspiring boss and I had this epiphany moment where I thought to myself, what am I doing here?! It was such a negative environment and it really gave me that final push to turn my passion into a reality. I just had a baby though so I couldn’t just up and leave, plus I did love the work. So, for nearly three years I juggled both until it became necessary to give LÖF my undivided attention. It was scary to ultimately make the decision to just focus on LÖF, but I have never looked back and I feel so excited every day to be doing this thing that I love. I guess the most transformative milestone for me was that first piece I got back from the manufacturer. The whole design process and brand building was an essential part of launch, but it still was arguably the intangible part of it. My studying, endless refining of the pieces, and the extensive research was gratifying but it wasn’t until I held that first piece in my hands that it all felt real, and like “ooooh, I’m really doing this!” The first piece was The Van Alen ring, one of the more simple pieces in the collection, but it will always be a special piece for me.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

I am still extremely new as a brand so I am slowly growing and gaining traction, but I would say, aside from just having a product you believe in so that you can authentically and positively talk about it (to anyone who will listen!), the team around a brand is vital. I would say I am pretty indebted to my incredible social media manager, Ana Saavedra, who creates and grows my social media on a daily basis, and who instantly understood what the brand was and what the aesthetic I wanted to present was. The other person who has been a huge brand ambassador, even before I officially launched, is a phenomenal stylist called Laura Sophie Cox who has consistently dressed her clients in my jewellery so that the pieces have been featured on red carpets and in editorial – something that I am endlessly grateful for! Brand awareness is pretty much my main goal at this early stage so having strong social, a great stylist on your side, and great PR have been so important to me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lofjewellery.com
• Instagram: @lof_jewellery
• Other: Spotify https://open.spotify.com/user/31jf6mdhdjf6dpyp56a3kj7chhl4?si=fedc1ab3d6224722
  TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@lofjewellery?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
  Pinterest https://pin.it/1UE1eqq7o

Image Credits

Sam Kim
Yulia Saparniiazova
A’Shaun Benjamin