Boticca was a
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
-based retail website for
jewelry
Jewellery ( UK) or jewelry (U.S.) consists of decorative items worn for personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, pendants, bracelets, and cufflinks. Jewellery may be attached to the body or the clothes. From a western ...
and
fashion accessories, that featured a selection of emerging
fashion
Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion in ...
designers.
History
Kiyan Foroughi, a
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
former
investment banker while on holiday in
Marrakesh
Marrakesh or Marrakech ( or ; ar, مراكش, murrākuš, ; ber, ⵎⵕⵕⴰⴽⵛ, translit=mṛṛakc}) is the fourth largest city in the Kingdom of Morocco. It is one of the four Imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakes ...
in December 2008, engaged in conversation with jewelry designer Mariam.
Living in the
Atlas Mountains
The Atlas Mountains are a mountain range in the Maghreb in North Africa. It separates the Sahara Desert from the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean; the name "Atlantic" is derived from the mountain range. It stretches around through Moroc ...
, Mariam travelled to the
souq in Marrakesh three times a week to sell her jewelry, mainly to tourists. Foroughi decided to launch a retail website with co-founder
Avid Larizadeh selling emerging designers like Mariam.
Since launching in January 2010,
[ the company featured in ]Vogue
Vogue may refer to:
Business
* ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine
** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine
** ''Vogue China'', ...
,[ and worn by ]Kate Moss
Katherine Ann Moss (born 16 January 1974) is a British model. Arriving at the end of the "supermodel era", Moss rose to fame in the early 1990s as part of the heroin chic fashion trend. Her collaborations with Calvin Klein brought her to fas ...
, Cameron Diaz
Cameron Michelle Diaz (born August 30, 1972) is an American actress. With a variety of works in film, she is widely recognised for her work in romantic comedies and animation. Diaz has received various accolades, including nominations for ...
and Jessica Alba.[
In the company's first round of funding, Boticca raised $2.5M, led by ISAI and joined by Japanese Internet incubator Digital Garage.]MMC Ventures MMC may stand for:
Business
* Mail.com Media Corp., a former name of the US digital media company PMC
*Marsh & McLennan Companies, an American-based global professional services firm
*Master Municipal Clerk, a certification in the US for a munici ...
, and high-net-worth individuals, including Sina Afra.[
In April 2014, co-founder Avid Larizadeh, left Boticca operationally in her role as COO while remaining a founding shareholder of the business.
In September 2014, Boticca unveiled a fully rebranded website with major UI improvements, a novel content strategy, a shipping partnership with DHL and the appointment of Dave Killeen (formerly Product Lead at Badoo and Executive Product Manager for the ]BBC iPlayer
BBC iPlayer (stylised as iPLAYER or BBC iPLAYER) is a video on demand service from the BBC. The service is available on a wide range of devices, including mobile phones and tablets, personal computers and smart televisions. iPlayer services del ...
) as Product Director.
In October 2014, Boticca appointed former Liberty
Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom.
In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...
Fashion Director and MyWardrobe Buying and Merchandising Director Luisa De Paula as the new Fashion & Brand Director.
In August 2015, Boticca was acquired by Wolf & Badger
Wolf & Badger is a global online marketplace for independent brands, with storefronts in London, New York City and Los Angeles.
History
Wolf & Badger launched in February 2010 and was named one of Britain's Best Boutiques in the April 2010 ed ...
.
As of June 2020, Boticca.com redirects to the Wolf & Badger website.
Operations
The company took only a maximum 35% of the sale price,[ as opposed to the normal online retail model of between 40% and 50%, leaving the creator with 65%.][ The company garnered between 30 and 40 new retail designer applications each week, of which on average just 3 or 4 were listed on the website.][ The company also sourced through two in-house style hunters, who through researching through web, magazines, blogs, trade shows and fashion weeks spotted new talent, and hence sourced around 90% of the newly listed product.][ Global designers could apply to be featured, but all designers had to uphold the "Designer Charter" in order to ensure quality of both product and customer service.]Estonia
Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...
, Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
, South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
the United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
and Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
.[ 155 of the 350 brands sold through the website led on jewelry, whilst the rest covered accessories such as bags, scarves, belts and hats.][ After the second round of fund raising, the company launched Boticca.fr in September 2013, making ]France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
the companies' third biggest market after the UK and United States.[
]
Awards
''The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' rated it first in their 2014 survey of the top six jewelry retail websites.
References
{{reflist
External links
Boticca website
Retail companies established in 2009
Online jewellery retailers of the United Kingdom
Retail companies based in London
Internet properties established in 2009