Alex Monroe - Bermondsey Boutique...

Last week I had the pleasure of attending a Press Day at the new Alex Monroe boutique. With a huge love for his pieces and of course that Bicycle Necklace, this was an amazing chance to see the inner workings of how a Monroe piece is made, and meet both the team the Man himself.

Established in South London back in 1986, Alex's jewellery is stocked in high-end shops all over the world, but the Boutique located in Bermondsey is his very first shop. Ideally the Pashley would have been my mode of transport there, but with torrential rain hammering down, I thought it best not to turn up dripping water all over the floor and displays!

Decorated with an eclectic theme, the feel of the shop is very organic; borrowed wooden cabinets which once housed preserved Butterflies, to logs, plants and birds, the boutique is a reflection of Monroe's fascination with nature and the beauty of the English countryside...

The Boutique is an intimate space, which showcases the jewellery beautifully. As Alex and his team explained, this lends itself well to the ethos of the Monroe Jewellery experience; each piece is handmade in their workshops (which also includes one in on the premises), giving both a personal and individual identity to the item - something the customer should experience when they walk into the shop.

Alongside showcasing some of Alex's most iconic pieces (you can't think of Alex Monroe without thinking of that Bumblebee necklace), visiting the boutique also gave me a preview of the new collections coming out. Every year Alex produces four collections, he's created two (yes, TWO) for the next season. These collections are entitled 'Dream of Me' which is made-up of quirky and romantic keepsakes (*hint-hint* to The Boy)  and 'Best of British', a tongue-in-cheek celebration of quintessential Britishness to coincide with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee

After a tour around the Boutique, I had the chance to chat with Alex and the team (who are lovely) about my favourite piece from their entire collection... the Vintage Bicycle Necklace!

A combination of my biggest loves, this intricate little necklace was borne out of Alex's love of cycling - and it was fantastic to find out that he cycles everywhere, as do a majority of his team! Of course, the Necklace simply had to come home with Lady Vélo... it was made for me, right?

I highly recommend cycling down to Bermondsey and popping into the magical Jewellery Box that is the Alex Monroe Boutique. Beautiful craftsmanship, gorgeous designs and a team more like a family than work colleagues... thank you all for a wonderful morning and allowing access to me and my Camera!

More of my photos from the day can be viewed in this Flickr Set.

Alex Monroe Boutique
37 Snowsfields, London SE1 3SU