We want women to shine
What once started small, at the kitchen table, has grown into a professional jewellery brand with its own atelier in Hilversum. Ellen Beekmans has now been the face of Ellen Beekmans Sieraden for 16 years, working with an enthusiastic team of women on collections that are now sold in more than 250 fashion and lifestyle stores in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. EK Fashion spoke with her about craftsmanship, retail relationships and her ambitions for the coming years.
Jewellery that makes an outfit personal
For Beekmans, jewellery is much more than an accessory: it makes an outfit personal and gives women the freedom to express their own style. “Our starting point is simple: we want women to shine,” she says. Twice a year the brand launches a new collection, supplemented by at least two flash collections annually. Her creativity and interest in fashion come in useful when designing a strong jewellery collection.
According to Beekmans, the brand doesn’t simply sell jewellery – it offers retailers a complete package. “We think along with them about presentation, supply presentation materials, make sure the collection looks well cared for in store, offer an easy B2B system, and consider good customer service just as important as the product itself.”
Retailers as ambassadors of the brand
Retail plays a key role in the way Ellen Beekmans Sieraden operates. “I really see our retailers as our ambassadors,” says Beekmans. “They give our brand a face in their own store and have direct contact with the customer. They know what their customers want.” Personal contact, good service and long-term partnerships are therefore high on the agenda.
It matters to her that a retailer doesn’t feel like they’re simply placing an order, but that they’re truly working together. “We want to stand alongside the retailer and think along on collection, presentation, sales and service,” Beekmans explains. “And of course, we make sure we always have the most beautiful collections.”
Practical solutions that make a difference
Over the past few years, Ellen Beekmans Sieraden has grown strongly alongside the needs of its retailers. A good example of this is the mini EAN stickers attached to every piece of jewellery, allowing stores to easily scan the items and process them in their own point-of-sale and inventory systems. “It might seem like a small detail, but this kind of practical solution makes a big difference for a retailer,” Beekmans explains. “We are constantly looking at how we can best support our stores and where we can make processes easier for them.”
Craftsmanship from an in-house atelier
About 80 percent of the jewellery is made in the brand’s own atelier in Hilversum, where a large part of the collection is hand-assembled and finished. “That atelier is an important part of the brand for me,” Beekmans says. Around 10 percent consists of her personal designs, made by specialised manufacturers, and the remaining 10 percent is sourced from third parties, chosen for their style, quality and look, which have to fit seamlessly with the collection.
“That combination gives us the freedom to put together a broad and surprising collection, while most of the creative and hand-crafted work still comes from our own atelier,” Beekmans adds.
Feminine, colourful and timeless
Ellen Beekmans Sieraden’s collections are feminine, colourful, contemporary and minimalist, with a love for natural materials, gemstones, pearls and distinctive colour combinations. The brand works largely with a strong gold plating on long-lasting stainless steel, combined with accessible pricing. Alongside the regular collections there is the Signature Collection: a more luxurious capsule collection with minimalist, organic shapes, made from recycled brass with an extra heavy 14-karat gold plating of 3 microns. “We always try to find the right balance between fashion and timelessness,” says Beekmans. “A piece of jewellery is allowed to stand out, but you should also be able to wear it in different ways.”
Inspiration from Marrakech to Saint-Tropez
Beekmans draws inspiration from everywhere: travel, architecture, art, fashion, colours and people. “I find it especially interesting to combine different worlds,” she says. The autumn collection, for example, is inspired by Marrakech and Saint-Tropez, and the warm colours, natural materials and Mediterranean atmosphere are clearly reflected in the collection.
Proud of craftsmanship and long-term relationships
What Beekmans enjoys most after 16 years of entrepreneurship is that no two days are the same. “I’m still incredibly curious and I love developing new things,” she says. “I also find it very special to see that an idea that once started at the kitchen table is now carried by an entire team.”
She is proud of having built an independent brand with its own identity, its own atelier and a loyal group of stockists. One collaboration she is especially proud of is with the Van Gogh Museum, for which the brand has supplied jewellery inspired by the Almond Blossom and the Irises for years. “That may be one of the most beautiful aspects of our craft: not just finding new customers, but above all building long-term relationships in which both parties trust and strengthen each other.” She is equally proud of her retailers and of her team in Hilversum, where every order is processed with care.
Social commitment
For Beekmans, running a business isn’t only about commercial growth. The brand supports various charitable causes, including microcredit for mothers in Asia, giving women access to a small loan to start or expand their own business. Ellen Beekmans Sieraden also partners with My Lima Lima, a social enterprise founded by Eloise van Oranje that combines entrepreneurship with social impact. The brand’s jewellery display racks have a social purpose too: they are made at BVS in Veenendaal by young people who have been living on the streets, helping them build a stable daily routine. “It’s important to us to contribute in a concrete way to the causes we believe in,” says Beekmans. “Not just talking about social responsibility, but actually doing something about it.”
Joining EK Fashion
By joining EK Fashion, Ellen Beekmans Sieraden is taking a new step. “We see EK Fashion as a great addition to what we already do,” Beekmans says. “It’s interesting to become part of a larger network in which retailers and brands can strengthen each other.” For her, it’s not just about reaching more points of sale, but above all about building lasting partnerships: “It’s important to me that retailers feel seen and supported, and that we can grow together.”
From the partnership, she hopes to gain new contacts, inspiration and growth opportunities above all. “I’m looking forward to getting to know other entrepreneurs and brands within the network and exchanging experiences,” she says. What makes the brand interesting for the EK Fashion retailer? “We don’t just sell a box of jewellery, we offer a complete package,” Beekmans stresses. Alongside a broad collection with different price points, colours and styles, a retailer gets support with presentation, price tags, EAN coding and customer service. “But perhaps more importantly: we want to be a reliable partner.”
Looking ahead
In five years, Beekmans hopes Ellen Beekmans Sieraden will still be a strong, recognisable and healthy brand that keeps growing without losing its identity. Her ambitions lie both in the Netherlands and Belgium and beyond, with Germany in particular still offering plenty of opportunity in the coming years. She also wants to further develop the brand toward a somewhat younger, trendier audience, without losing sight of existing customers. “I hope that by then we will have built an even bigger international position, that we’ll still be making beautiful collections with a fantastic team from Hilversum, and that we’ll have built an even larger network of engaged retailers.”
