THE PROCESS

Fashion media and industries graduate Caroline Justine, 25, came up with her handmade jewellery brand as a medium to convey positive messages through her fun designs, incorporating natural gemstones, freshwater pearls and glass beads. What started out as a school project in 2014 during her student days at Lasalle College of the Arts ended up as serious business, with her label being stocked at stores in Singapore as well as Malaysia (Snackfood) and Tokyo (Tokyuhands).

Caroline says she produces locally to cut cost and save time. “Materials can be expensive in Singapore, so I produce the pieces in-house to cut out middleman costs,” she says. “Apart from having control over the workmanship, production time is shortened so we can send out orders faster,” she says.

Though it’s mainly a one-woman show, a handful of stakeholders are involved. She enlists the help of silversmiths in Bangkok, and works with partners in Japan and China for materials like beads and gemstones. Her mother and sister also help out in the studio.

Caroline also relies on other factors to keep prices down. “Customers help by requesting for less packaging or making trips down to our pop-ups to pick up the accessories,” she says. The brand is now transitioning to a madeto-order basis to reduce wastage.

Her proudest achievement was participating in the Design Festa jewellery fair in Tokyo in 2019, where locals gave affirmative responses and shared memories of visits to Singapore. She says: “It made me feel proud to be a Singaporean. I love how 3125 brings people together, regardless of where we’re from.”

With the pandemic causing physical stores to