Today, we will be delving deeper into the CARISMA backstory and speaking to founders Carlos, Ismael and Martina Borg about what led them to start their jewellery and accessory brand and the various exciting challenges that have come with building their brand from scratch.
“Everyone who knows us knows how dedicated we are to the family company, Mannarinu Caterers,” Carlos starts. “We are very proud of being such an integral part of so many people’s happiest moments and are always looking to getting better and better at what we do, however, we have been wanting to do something a little different for a long time.”
Citing their shared passion for fashion as their departure point, it was actually the COVID-19 pandemic which gave them the opportunity to crystallise their ideas and move forward: “We went from having these twelve to sixteen hour days where we would barely stop to breathe to literally grinding to a complete halt because events and weddings were being postponed all the time. We took this opportunity to sit down and finally progress with what we wanted for CARISMA.”
Speaking about the process from idea to a tangible object, the siblings give an interesting overview: “After we met and brainstormed about what we wanted, we sent the designs to various suppliers and saw what they came up with. For us, quality is absolutely the most important thing so we paid a lot of attention to whether items would tarnish and how heavy they were. We wanted our jewellery to have weight and feel expensive, and in fact, each of our pieces is 18k gold plated. Although we have only recently launched, we have already added scarves to our CARISMA family and each of them is made of 100% silk and has hand-rolled hems. We only sell things that we would wear ourselves.”
Not only dedicated to bringing affordable luxury to their customers, the siblings also want to make sure to keep everything fresh: “We want to try to launch something new every single month and collaborate with different people. We are already planning our Christmas campaign and will be releasing 75 new pieces in October. We want everything that we sell to reflect us and our values. We are extremely proud of the company our family built and its heritage, and now, we too want to make something new keeping our roots in mind. That’s one of the reasons why we launched ‘The Maltese Lira’ collection because we wanted to shine a spotlight on the beauty of our national culture and heritage.”
So, what kind of woman or man do they have in mind when coming up with new concepts? “The bywords which we use when speaking about our brand are diversity, charisma and self-love for a reason. We want everyone to feel welcome to being part of the CARISMA world no matter their age, race, size, style, or gender. It is extremely important to us that we show and encourage diversity and beauty in all its various forms. We believe that beauty does not come with a dress size which is why we will be using a plus-size model in our next campaign and which is why we used three very different women from three dissimilar walks of life in our launch campaign. We are dedicated to making things relatable and promoting a feel-good factor for all our clients.”
This feel-good factor doesn’t just extend to the promotion of the pieces themselves but is also part of the CARISMA experience: “We believe that quality should also be extended to our customer care which is why we offer a sixteen-hour live chat and a return policy which is second to none. We even ensure that our packaging conveys the opulence we want our customers to feel. Our bags, tissue paper and boxes are custom-made for us using high-quality material so that every single customer is made to feel like they’ve gotten a little piece of luxury brought straight to their door. We believe in giving the whole package to our clients and making their lives that little bit more special. No one is more excited than us about the future!”
Comments
It all started with buying my initial pendant and then I fell in love with Carisma jewelry. Their pieces are so unique and beautiful as they are centered around Maltese Heritage which makes them even more meaningful & of a sentimental value. The best gift to give to someone special who you love so dearly that will surely be cherished :)
Wow thanks for being an inspiration for everyone. Looking forward to receiving my mosta dome scarf! Keep shining.
I believe in and love to support anything that is locally made. We were usually used to having locally produced food and beverages, pottery, stained glass, paintings, and yes jewellery amongst other things. But seeing this CARISMA Collection was way beyond my expectations! The high quality finish, the coulours, styles, patterns and above all the touch of heritage made each and every piece from your collection a unique fine piece of art in itself. I wish you all, the best of luck in keeping this collection alive. You make us proud to be Maltese! Xx