Alex Monroe’s early life sounds like a book Lemony Snicket might have penned, but those hardscrabble years from childhood through college taught him how to look for opportunities at every turn.
“I’ve always thought that life turns out best for people who make the best out of how life turns out,” Monroe says of the sometimes challenging path that led to Alex Monroe Jewellery, his London-based brand celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2026.
Monroe grew up in a small village in Suffolk, on England’s east coast. The area was rural and unspoiled, he says. He and his four siblings rambled about their home’s old Victorian gardens and took care of one another. The family’s budget was limited, but the creativity was there.
“We had no money at all. I remember being hungry and cold a lot of the time. We had to make everything ourselves,” Monroe says. “I kept ducks so I’d have a good supply of eggs.”
About age 14, Monroe became interested in music and fashion, and a bit of the rebel came out in his personality. Think punk-rock spikes on a leather dog collar—that’s what he wore around as a teen. Unfortunately, he endured bullying at his private boys’ school; fortunately, it helped shape him into the man and artist he is today.
“I was never comfortable there, although I formed strong friendships based on mutual hatred of the system,” he says. “To fit in, you either had to be clever or good at sport. I was neither, so I left when I was quite young and went to the local art school instead to do a foundation course where you tried every artistic discipline in the hope something would fit.
“This is where I met my people: creative teenagers who didn’t fit in anywhere else,” Monroe says. “After my foundation course in Suffolk, I hitchhiked to London, found a flat, and worked when I could. It was a bit tough, and I was very poor, so I applied to go to college where I could get a grant from the government to study.”
It was luck, Monroe says, that got him into Sir John Cass School of Art (now known as the School of Art, Architecture and Design at London Metropolitan University), and when he graduated in 1986, he felt ready to change the world through jewelry. He sold most of his work to collectors at his degree show, but by the time he rented studio space and bought equipment, he had run out of money.
“I got a job waiting tables and did a bit of gardening for people, but it was hard to pay the rent, buy food to eat, and to get enough time in the studio. I worked all day every day, fitting in things where I could. I was mostly making jewelry and sculptures to put in a gallery and hoped they’d sell. They didn’t,” Monroe says.
One day, he had the idea to make some fun fashion-led earrings, and he then took them to a clothes shop and sold them for cash. He remembers buying curry, chips, and a pint of beer that night and feeling warm, full, and happy.
“The fashion shop sold the earrings and asked for more. Then I went to more shops. Things always sold well, and before I knew it, I was paying the rent and eating every night,” Monroe says. “It was tough, but I saw the rewards from all my hard work, so it was also really fun.”
As his business—originally called Jewelry by Alex Monroe—became successful, Monroe has continued to focus on the “little things,” like sketching, getting time in the studio, and working collaboratively with the people on his team. All the brand’s pieces are still handcrafted in London.
“You have to be honest about who you are and what your design philosophy is and just plough ahead with that,” he says. “There are so many people out there making gorgeous jewelry. Your only point of difference is that you’re you. That’s your superpower. Find it and use it, and don’t lose it.”
Top: Alex Monroe is celebrating 40 years in the jewelry business in 2026. (Photos courtesy of Alex Monroe)
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