NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ritani, a leading designer and manufacturer of custom diamond engagement rings and fine jewelry, today announced the launch of Ritani Designer Collections. This new program offers an assortment of luxury products direct from well-established brands and boutique designers, along with up-and-coming artists from the Fashion Institute of Technology on Ritani.com. Ritani Designer Collections enables customers to browse and purchase from multiple curated boutiques in one convenient online destination.
Through the partnership, designers have an opportunity to broaden their reach through Ritani’s innovative ‘clicks and bricks’ model, which combines its best in class e-commerce platform and robust partner retail network of nearly 200 locations across North America. Top brands joining the Ritani Designer Collections program include: Hulchi Belluni, Erica Courtney, Kara Ross, Mimi So, Omi Prive, Slane and Soho. Each collection has its own unique shopping channel on the Ritani website. They are joined by a select group of boutique designers, who will also have their handcrafted pieces available for sale at Ritani.com: Jose Hess, Stephanie Occhipinti, Nghi Nguyen, Alison Nagasue, and April Karavani.
Further bolstering the new program, Ritani also announced a new partnership with the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), the internationally recognized design, fashion and merchandising school in New York City, to support, cultivate and showcase some of the school’s most talented alums. This Ritani/FIT relationship underscores Ritani’s commitment to innovation, by empowering and illuminating the “next wave” of top jewelry designers. Each will leverage Ritani’s expert production and manufacturing process and through unprecedented exposure across Ritani’s ecosystem, bring their ideas to life and to a broad audience.
“With this unique project, Ritani has proven itself to be at the forefront of the industry. In terms of design inspiration, they truly understand the need for these new voices to be heard,” said Michael Coan, Chair of Jewelry Design Department at The Fashion Institute of Technology. “With Ritani's exemplary fine jewelry history, exquisite design, superior quality and business acumen, the fit for both is perfectly logical.”
The promising artisans from The Fashion Institute of Technology who will comprise the first class of FIT alums to join Ritani Designer Collections and have their products available exclusively via Ritani.com are: Daseul Lee, RJ Tan Bassa, Han Lin, Linda Koh, Ja Yong Shin and Lan Zhang. Ritani is uniquely positioned to support these emerging designers – as well as established boutique designers – within their own broad scale marketing efforts.
“We’re thrilled to launch Ritani Designer Collections with many of the industry’s leading brands, top boutique designers and most distinguished young artists,” said Brian Watkins, President of Ritani. “Bringing together these talented artisans within our fully integrated ‘clicks and bricks’ platform reinforces our vision for the future of the jewelry industry and the broader retail landscape.”
Ritani.com offers the optimal way to shop for jewelry by providing visitors with a best in class web experience, as well as a wide range of proprietary and interactive online tools to make shopping for engagement rings, loose diamonds and fine jewelry a less daunting task for today’s millennial consumer. Ritani’s unique ‘clicks and bricks’ approach to retail allows customers to create a custom engagement ring online and preview their purchase obligation-free at their own local independent jeweler, a network that now spans nearly 200 retail locations across the United States.
About Ritani
Ritani is a premium jewelry brand modernizing the way consumers purchase engagement rings and fine diamond jewelry. Founded in 1999, Ritani marries the online shopping experience for handcrafted and custom-made engagement rings, loose diamonds, and other fine jewelry with a network of trusted local luxury jewelers in one seamless transaction. Ritani is headquartered in New York with e-commerce operations in Seattle. Jewelers interested in becoming a Ritani retail partner can contact Ritani at partner@ritani.com
