"Raising voices of planet-positive changemakers who are working towards a more brilliant tomorrow."
Introducing Victoria Rickard
Victoria is Head of Design & Development here at SkyDiamond. After graduating from Central St Martins she went straight into the jewellery industry working for trail blazers Erickson Beamon, then further fashion and jewellery houses including Jade Jagger and Louis Vuitton. With pieces worn on runways, celebrities and by royals alike, she has also had work exhibited in the V&A and Kensington Palace. Recently trained in Sustainable Business she gained a Masters Level PgCert at Cambridge University and is a published academic on the digitalisation of circular fashion.
What was the moment you knew you had to dedicate your time to your cause?
The pandemic. I was on maternity leave with my sweet daughter who was 7 months old at the time things kicked off and everyone’s world fell apart. I was contemplating how to re-enter my industry with something more meaningful to give - at such a devastating moment, it was the time for reflection.
Sustainability was swirling around as a term, but I felt (probably as many still do) cynical and hopeless what it ‘really’ meant and how to make an authentic impact. Going to Cambridge turned that around.
By meeting thought leaders in every path of life, it simply gave me a different approach, the knowledge and a new purpose to my work, that could not be more exemplified in what we do at Skydiamond.
How do you keep motivated when it feels one step forward and two steps back?
Personally being a combination of critic and eternal optimist, it’s conflicting, but keeps me driven. With the bird’s eye view - standing back from the day to day and seeing the whole picture best you can - if you believe in where you are going, it’s worth it. Failing that, the alternative to keeping going is usually less appealing!
What does a diamond represent to you?
So much. I have to go further and say a diamond in the context of thoughtful jewellery design, which is of course how it is intended. There is no adornment other than fine diamond jewellery that stands the test of time, that captures a moment and then carries imbued sentimentality through generations, that can leave a symbolic legacy of ourselves. Hard yet full of light, small yet powerful, they are a wonder.
What would you say to Mother Nature if you could shout it up to the Sky?
Thank you for what you give, but please take back what is yours.
Who or What are you currently most encouraged by that will help us deliver a more brilliant tomorrow for people or planet?
Tamara Cincik.
With a fashion background she has set up @fashionroundtable, a think tank that works directly with parliament as a spokesperson for the creative industries. To put it in their own words - They work to support the UK fashion, textiles and fashion-craft industries through their relationships with decision
makers and parliamentarians, generating positive and impactful opportunities for the sector as it transitions towards greater environmental and social purpose-driven business models.
