Editor’s Note
This article highlights Amondz Lab’s strategic pivot from a specialized jewelry platform to a broader K-Jewelry incubator, backed by significant investment. Its ambitious plan to cultivate 100 brands in three years underscores a growing trend of platforms evolving into comprehensive ecosystem builders within niche fashion sectors.
[Apparelnews Reporter Park Haeyoung] Amondz Lab (formerly Visual, CEO Heo Seil), which operates the jewelry-specialized platform ‘Amondz’, is rolling out a full-scale execution strategy to grow into a K-Jewelry nurturing platform.
‘Amondz’, launched in 2017, is a rare case of a successful turnaround among category-killer platforms. After securing cumulative investment of 26 billion won from investors including Dunamu Partners, it recently succeeded in attracting investment from MCP Japan’s Evolution Fund, laying the groundwork for business expansion.
First, from among the 3,000 brands on its platform, it has selected brands with global growth potential and differentiated design, and prepared a master plan to nurture over 100 K-Jewelry brands within three years. To this end, it has developed a nurturing program called ‘BGP (Brand Growth Program)’ that allows partner brands to focus their capabilities solely on design development. BGP provides one-stop support from product planning to production (OEM, ODM), marketing, and overseas expansion.
This season, it is operating customized cooperation models with Heese, Kicha, Saltana, and Another Cell, creating success stories beyond expectations. Amondz and each brand jointly developed products targeting customer needs, secured differentiated design and quality, stable supply, and reasonable price points through in-house production, leading to tangible results.
‘Heese’, which advocates for minimalist daily jewelry, jointly planned influencer-exclusive products like the ‘Margarita Necklace’, achieving dramatic sales growth and brand awareness expansion. This was largely due to precisely analyzing target customers, product planning, and target channels using Amondz’s channels and data, and executing digital performance marketing.
‘Another Cell’ drove Amondz’s expansion into a full range of categories, achieving external growth. Its products feature artisanal designs inspired by objects, nature, and structures, forming collections like Blueprint, Vivant, and Tie. Since 2022, it switched to recyclable aluminum packaging, gaining support from women in their 30s.
In this program, with strategic support from Amondz, it launched a gold line and utilized Amondz’s CRM data to promote sales, becoming an opportunity to enhance premium image and boost sales. The gold line is so popular it ranks 1st to 3rd in Amondz’s daily best top 10.
‘Kicha’, popular for its unique designs, worked with Amondz’s dedicated MD to readjust price points, images, and design directions optimized for the platform and developed exclusive products. With support for comprehensive marketing plays, its sales increased significantly compared to the previous year.
Products like the ‘Note Necklace’ (a small cross pendant also wearable as a choker), the ‘Raindrop Necklace’ with a water droplet point, and the signature ‘Snow Earring’ resembling an eye and water droplet have consecutively become bestsellers.
They are quickly achieving results not only domestically but also in the global market.
All four brands that conducted partnership projects with Amondz have simultaneously entered the Japanese market. The speed of entry is fast because Amondz Lab utilizes its established overseas distribution infrastructure, logistics, and distribution systems to minimize the initial risks domestic brands face when entering foreign markets. Amondz plans to expand its BGP partner brands to 30 by the first half of next year.
Heo Seil, CEO of Amondz
