Eric loves to make women look more feminine and beautiful. After a first try with fragrances for women when he was young, he finally turned towards the creation of costume jewellery. “It is so much easier to dress a woman… and it is so gratifying,” he explains. So, four years after settling in Mauritius to be closer to his wife, Cindy, they set up Acadia in 2003. Since that time, colours and beads have inlaid their daily lives and kept them on a permanent look-out for originality and beauty.

While working for renowned French brand Agatha when he was still living in Europe, Eric has acquired a certain know-how in creating costume jewellery that was evidently useful to him as he opened his own workshop. Inspiring himself from European trends – which all involve an “ethnic” touch for the moment – Eric creates fashionable necklaces, rings, belts and even sandals for the Mauritian market. “All our jewellery is 100% hand-made by local craftsmen and women,” he insists.

<B>Dressy or casual</B>

Even though he tries to use local raw materials as much as possible for his creations, he sometimes has to import beads or semi-precious stones from Europe or Asia. “We do our best to help locals but it is not always easy,” he explains.

Acadia has two main ranges: a ‘dressy’ collection and a more casual one. “We want to please everyone,” says Cindy. This is probably why there are more than 3,000 types of products at Acadia. “We always try to innovate to make sure we will meet customers’ demands and wishes when they come to buy,” she adds.

Even though Acadia does not have its own shop, its creations can be found in the ‘Folies’ lingerie shop or in other shops like Maille Street for which they create exclusive pieces. But their main business is with hotel shops. “We work a lot with the shops of Sun International – Alamanda – and with Telfair hotel in Bel-Ombre. We create exclusive pieces for their customers and we must admit they seem to appreciate our work a lot,” comments Eric. They also supply the Residence as well as a few others but they definitely seem to have a penchant for five-star hotels. “We actually position ourselves on a middle and upper-class market but it is clear that we focus on upmarket creations for hotels.”

Acadia has also started exporting a small amount of jewellery to France and Reunion but this is still a tiny part of their business. “Of course, we are interested in exporting more products but this will take some time to develop”, the couple explains.

<B>Feminine touch </B>

For the moment, they do not have much time or enough resources to expand this side of the business. Eric has so much to do with the marketing and administrative side that he hardly has time to design… As a result, Cindy has been trying her hand at creating some pieces and it’s been a real success! “She brings a feminine touch which I may not have and that definitely adds to the quality of our products,” says Eric with a touch of tenderness in his voice.

Thanks to their complementary talents, Eric and Cindy can now create non-stop. Of course, this demands a lot of time and a few sacrifices but it may be the only way of fighting competition from imported products from India and China… Adding value and quality to their products is the best way for them to ensure their continued success!