Jewellery competition KickStart launches

KickStart, an initiative developed by trade show International

Jewellery London and the British Jewellers’ Association to support up-and-coming design talent looking to develop their businesses, has opened for 2012 entries.

Now in its fourth year, the commercial launch pad gives ten promising designers the opportunity to exhibit on a group stand within the Design Gallery at the UK’s only dedicated jewellery trade event, and also allows the designers to gain business knowledge, exposure, and retail contacts.

Closing date for the competition is the end of March, with the winner’s to be announced in April.

IJL, which takes place September 2-5 at Earls Court 2, has also announced that more than 60 per cent of the 2012 event is already booked, with new exhibitors including Hockley Mint, one of Europe’s largest manufacturing jewellers joining the line-up. In addition, designers Mirpuri, Claire English and Abigail Stradling, who were selected for the 2011 KickStarters project, are all set to return to the tradeshow as fully fledged exhibitors in 2012.