by Jordy, co-founder Ateljé

Yara and I started this journey five years ago. At our kitchen table, a bag of pearls and an idea. We believed accessories could be more fun. Everyday essentials, like a phone case or cord, that still matched your personality, that felt like you. Little did we know the adventure we were embarking on.

Many ups, of course. But also some downs.

We started with a fashion idea, but the product we chose turned out to be anything but simple. Different phone sizes, different producers, technical specifications we had never dealt with before. And we wanted everything to be exactly right. The exact shade of colour we had in our heads, the exact bead, the exact finish. And so it became what it became: an adventure of trial and error. Improving, improving, improving.

The road wasn't always smooth. We had hurdles along the way. Cords that would break, products that lost their shine after a few months, rings that bent out of shape too soon. Real issues, experienced by real customers. And for a brand that believes your phone case is the most visible accessory you own, that's not something we take lightly.

So we did the work. I can't recall how many meetings, emails and calls I had with our producers. All the testing, all the back and forth, all the specific details I can now tell you about something as simple as a thread. But we learned. And we got better. And I want to take you through what we changed, because you were part of this journey whether you knew it or not.

And the results are what we hoped for. We're proud of what we make today, and we're not stopping here.