Last summer, MoAnA Luu wondered if her strong point of view on jewelry that blended her contemporary Creole heritage with geographic shapes and woven design would resonate with the industry, consumers, and her own standards as her ManLuu brand left her brain and entered the world.
Turns out Luu didn’t need to worry. In the first six months of ManLuu’s launch, the jewelry line was selling on Goop and in Nordstrom stores as well as on its website. Luu watched media hits pile up as celebrities including Cardi B wore her stacked bracelets. She’s been in Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue, WWD, and JCK.
Best of all, Luu says she feels the confidence consumers have in ManLuu, buying her graphic rings, strong bracelets, and favorite bead necklaces to wear every day and as heirlooms. Having a connection with customers in real life and on social media gives her the confidence to stretch what ManLuu can be even further, the designer says.
“It’s a passion project that turned into a business,” says Luu, who served as chief content creator for Essence and created designs for hotels and more in her previous careers. “The learning process of this was actually the most important part of it.”
Luu says she felt like she leveled up as she learned more over the past year in not only design but her understanding of jewelry—an industry that she feels immensely proud to be a part of and wants to work in for the rest of her life. Basically, the first year has given this driven creative more juice to see what else she can make.
That includes clothing, such as her new Into the Blue streetwear and athleisure collection, as well as new jewelry lines, like the emerging engagement and wedding fine-jewelry launches. Doudou is Creole for “sweetheart,” and it is meant to capture Luu’s own affection for her Martinique heritage and traditional French Caribbean cane webbing that serves as her brand’s signature.
“I’m learning every day! People are supporting me during the process as well, so I’m feeling good,” Luu says. “I wanted my jewelry to feel good as well, to feel comfortable. I knew I was creating heirloom pieces that needed to be meaningful. That’s been the game-changing part of creating jewelry—I realized how personal it became for the people I’m creating for.”
For example, Luu says she started with fine jewelry that was “big and bold, but now people also want smaller pieces so they can wear it every day. They also wanted it to be precious, so they wanted diamonds and emeralds.” Luu also added different sizes of hoops, all of which sold out.
One thing she also learned is patience. In her first year, Luu dropped multiple collections but she did it too quickly, she says now. Now she will space out what’s new and enjoy the slow burn of her work. She’s also still collecting Creole jewelry and she is happy to see how her work will evolve. Luu has worked with museums, like when she collaborated with the MAD About Jewelry show, and she dreams of doing one about her own history.
“I’ve always been very conscious that you need to listen. You still make your choice [as a designer,] but you need to listen,” Luu says. “New brands need that agility. You try. You see how people react. You ask for feedback.… My core belief as a creator is art is for sharing.”
Top: MoAnA Luu had an established career in design and publishing when she decided to launch her jewelry brand, which is a celebration of her Creole heritage. The first year has been an exploration of what she wants to make, Luu says, and she’s ready for more (photos courtesy of ManLuu).
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