John Ayton | |
---|---|
Born | 1962/1963(age 59–60) [1] |
Nationality | British |
Education | Oxford University |
Occupation | Businessman |
Spouse | Annoushka Ducas |
Children | 4 |
John Ayton MBE (born 1962/1963), is a British businessman and investor in the luxury goods industry, [2] and the co-founder of Links of London and Annoushka, an English jewellery brand founded in 2009. [3]
Ayton was educated at Oundle School and graduated in modern history from Oxford University in 1983.[ citation needed ]
After university, Ayton worked in corporate law in London and Hong Kong.[ citation needed ]
Leaving the legal profession in 1995, he was on the advisory board of Halston Borghese Inc, a US-based cosmetics company, responsible for restructuring their Japanese and German operations. [4]
In 1990, together with his wife, jewellery designer Annoushka Ducas, Ayton co-founded Links of London, a jewellery brand with sales of over £50m. In July 2006, they sold the company to Folli Follie SA. [5] In October 2007, Ayton stepped down from the company. [4]
In July 2009, Ayton and Ducas launched English jewellery brand Annoushka Jewellery. [5]
Ayton has invested at the earliest stage in emerging luxury brands including Bremont Watch Company, [4] Orlebar Brown, [6] Mr Hare, [7] Boticca.com, [8] and Grind & Co. [9]
He also acts as a mentor and advisor to the founders, and is chairman at both Bremont [10] and Mr Hare. [7]
Ayton was the founder of Walpole Brands of Tomorrow and its chair and a director until 2014. Since 2007, he has been mentoring and supporting British emerging talent within the luxury goods industry. [4]
Ayton and wife Ducas were ambassadors for Team 2012, the campaign to support British athletes in their quest for medal success in the London Olympics. The campaign raised over £18 million. [11]
In the 2012 New Years Honours List, Ayton was awarded an MBE for his services to the UK jewellery industry. [12]
Ayton and Ducas live in a Georgian cottage in Pimlico, London, since 2007, having previously lived in Notting Hill. [1] They also have a seaside house in Bosham, West Sussex. [13] They have four children. [13]
Boucheron is a French luxury jewellery and watches house located in Paris, 26 Place Vendôme, owned by Kering.
Garrard & Co. Limited, formerly Asprey & Garrard Limited, designs and manufactures luxury jewellery and silver. George Wickes founded Garrard in London in 1735 and the brand is headquartered at Albemarle Street in Mayfair, London. Garrard also has a presence in a number of other locations globally. Garrard was the first official and most notably important Crown Jeweller of the United Kingdom having supplied jewels for Queen Victoria herself, and was charged with the upkeep of the British Crown Jewels, from 1843 to 2007, and was responsible for the creation of many tiaras and jewels still worn by the British royal family today. As well as jewellery, Garrard is known for having created some of the world's most illustrious sporting trophies, including the Americas Cup, the ICC Cricket World Cup Trophy and a number of trophies for Royal Ascot in its role as Official Trophies and Silverware Supplier, which originally dates back to the first Gold Cup in 1842.
Asprey International Limited, formerly Asprey & Garrard Limited, is a United Kingdom-based designer, manufacturer and retailer of jewellery, silverware, home goods, leather goods, timepieces, and a retailer of books.
Mappin & Webb (M&W) is an international jewellery company headquartered in England. Mappin & Webb traces its origins to a silver workshop founded in Sheffield in 1775. It now has retail stores throughout the UK.
Michael Hill International Ltd. is a speciality retailer of jewellery in North America and Oceania. As at 30 June 2018, it operates 312 stores in Australia, New Zealand and Canada. The Group employs approximately 2,600 permanent employees. The company's headquarters are in Brisbane, Australia.
Boticca was a London-based retail website for jewelry and fashion accessories, that featured a selection of emerging fashion designers.
Dame Natalie Sara Massenet, is a British-American fashion entrepreneur and former journalist, who founded the designer fashion portal Net-a-Porter. From 2013 to 2017, she was the chairman of the British Fashion Council. In 2018 alongside Nick Brown, she co-founded Imaginary Ventures and became non executive co-chairman at Farfetch.
Bouke de Vries is a London-based Dutch artist specializing in Ceramic art and porcelain.
Boodles is a privately held British luxury jeweller and jewellery designer group founded in 1798. Boodles is a family company located in Liverpool, it also has stores in London, Manchester, Dublin and Chester. Their flagship store is found on New Bond Street, London.
Bremont Watch Company is a luxury aviation-themed British watchmaker based in England. Annual production is approximately 10,000 pieces for an approximate annual revenue of £40 million.
The James Pascoe Ltd Group of Companies is a privately owned New Zealand retail group with holdings across New Zealand and Australia. JPG owns and operates chains Pascoes the Jewellers, Stewart Dawsons and Goldmark ; department store Farmers ; homeware retailer Stevens; and bookshop Whitcoulls in New Zealand. The group's three Australian businesses are jewellers Prouds the Jewellers, Angus & Coote and Goldmark, with over 460 stores across Australia as of 2012. Goldmark is the only brand operating in both countries.
Annoushka Ducas MBE is a jewellery designer, creative director and entrepreneur who founded British jewellery companies Links of London and Annoushka.
Monica Vinader Ltd. is a British jewellery brand producing and retailing necklaces, pendants, earrings, rings, and friendship bracelets. It markets itself as crafted demi-fine jewellery positioned and priced in the "gap between fine and fashion jewellery".
Links of London was a British brand owned by Greek jewellery company Folli Follie, with headquarters in London, England. It was founded in 1990 by John Ayton and Annoushka Ducas. It sold through outlets in Europe, the US, Asia and online. The business struggled and needed a buyer which the business couldn't obtain so it disappeared from the high streets and is no longer trading. The last known store to close was Hong kong and from June 2020 they were no more.
Astley Clarke is a British jewellery brand that was founded in London in 2006 by Bec Astley Clarke. started as an online retailer, selling designer jewellery In 2009 Astley Clarke started designing their own jewellery, after employing a creative director, Lorna Watson. In 2014, following the appointment of a new CEO, Scott Thomson, Astley Clarke pivoted from being a pure play jewellery marketplace to a jewellery brand, selling jewellery designed only in-house in their London Studio. Astley Clarke is known for having contributed to the creation of the demi-fine category of jewellery and uses only Noble metals with coloured gemstones and 14k gold with diamonds. Pieces are designed to be layered and worn together with a relaxed luxury feel.
Orlebar Brown is a British clothing brand specialising in tailored men's swim shorts.
ROX is a British jewellers, established in 2002 by Kyron Keogh and Grant Mitchell, that specialises in diamonds and luxury watches – stocking brands such as Hublot, Chopard, Bulgari, Roger Dubuis, Zenith (watchmaker), Tag Heuer, Tudor, Gucci and Jacob & Co. ROX currently operates eight stores across Scotland and England - in Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, Liverpool, Newcastle upon Tyne and Leeds - with an expected turnover in excess of £20m in 2022.
Shaun Leane is a British jewellery designer best known for his sculptural pieces created for Alexander McQueen. His eponymous jewellery brand is a four-time winner of the UK Jewellery Designer of the Year award.
François Delage is a French businessman, entrepreneur, investor, adviser and board member.
WatchShop is a UK online watch retailer. Established in 2007, it was acquired by the UK's largest luxury jeweller, Aurum Holdings Ltd., in 2014. It carries high-street and designer watches and jewellery from brands including Raymond Weil, Coach, and Frédérique Constant.