The e-comm site tells stories with engaging original content
Plan de Ville, the online jewelry and fashion e-comm site that was launched by fashion writer and stylist Catherine Smith last year, is getting major media play by championing under-the-radar jewelry and fashion designers.
Baked into Smith’s business model is the mission of spotlighting unique and innovative jewelers/brands that may not have much of a presence in big stores—even ones that regularly stock boutique and handmade brands, à la Barneys New York.
Courtesy Plan de Ville
A screenshot from e-tailer Plan de Ville
The New York City–based company is “an online platform to nurture and support young talent.” And central to that mission is splashy, original content: well-written designer and brand bios and in-depth Q-and-A-style interviews—PDV Stories—with designers who detail their respective paths to success.
The interviews read like engaging magazine stories. In an interview with Andrea Lipsky-Karasz, founder of new collection Tilda Biehn, for instance, the designer posits that 3-D printing “is allowing people to move into the future with their designs…. A few times, I spent whole days carving the piece only to have it crumble in my hands…. So I started teaching myself a design program and managed to print the design within the first week. That’s when I decided that there was no going back. Wax carving is now what I do to think out an idea, but when it’s time to create a piece, I’m right back on my computer. It’s such a powerful tool for designers.”
Smith, who started her career in fashion as an assistant to T Magazine editor Stefano Tonchi, launched Plan de Ville in 2014 with a smattering of jewelry lines and currently carries collections including Smith + Mara, Mirlo New York, and Spinelli Kilcollin.
The site just recently added under-the-radar fashion to its offerings, from emerging brands such as Houghton, Ellery, and Haus Alkire. It also features same-day delivery in New York City—for those serious fashion emergencies.
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