When Damson Idris set out to make fine jewelry, he didn’t want to just “create a cheaply made brand that wouldn’t be something that I would wear,” the actor says. “I didn’t think that would be reflective of me.” Idris is referring to his company DIDRIS, which launched this spring. You might have seen a glimpse of it on the Met Gala red carpet when he ripped off a Formula 1 uniform to reveal an all-red outfit accentuated by a stunning custom DIDRIS emerald brooch.
Now, fresh off the success of his sports drama F1, Idris is gearing up to launch DIDRIS’s first ready-to-wear collection. The line builds on the initial offering released earlier this year and includes 22 pieces, ranging from $1,200 to $9,300, with two additional items priced at $12,400 and $19,100.
DIDRIS is also an ode to Idris’s mom, Silifat, who had dreams of making jewelry herself. “She has always been an inspiration to me,” he says. “I always want to make her proud… This brand is about creating a legacy.” He sees this next chapter of DIDRIS as another iconic moment for the brand, just like his May red carpet appearance.
Ahead, Idris and his founding partner, Stephen Ready, who has a background in marketing for luxury brands, discuss the upcoming launch; where DIDRIS is going from here; and his upcoming onscreen projects.
Damson, why jewelry?
Damson Idris: As an actor, you’re thrown so many opportunities to collaborate with brands. I’ve worked in many different categories, from fashion to alcohol to automobiles. You name it. I always knew there was something I was going to give, not only to my fans, but to my peers, that would be personal to me. And jewelry was a no-brainer.
The brand is also an homage to my mother. When she was in her twenties, she sold gold. She would buy it in Africa and then travel to Europe to sell it. She’d turn a profit and bring it back to Nigeria and use it to uplift my family. She eventually brought everyone to London, where she had me. But her dream [of working in jewelry] was deferred because she was a single mom raising all these kids in Southeast London. So, I wanted to bring that dream back. That’s what DIDRIS is.
Stephen, what was it about Damson that made him seem like a good business partner?
Stephen Ready: In one of my first meetings with Damson, he actually named the brand in the room when I asked him what he thought the name should be. That was pretty amazing. I have a lot of experience in the business of jewelry. I saw a lot of emerging brands, particularly catering to the male audience. You could almost throw a dart and hit 10 different brands that were trying to do the same thing. I thought that there was an opportunity to build a truly luxury fine jewelry brand, and it would take the right founder with the right audience.
So when I heard Damson’s story, I was just overwhelmed with excitement to get behind that. I’m big into being a disruptor. I love to take something that a lot of people say is impossible, like “Can you build a brand on par with Cartier?” A lot of people would say no, and now they’re saying, “Well, maybe you can.” That really got me excited and when I met Damson, I was like, “This is the only guy I know that could do it.” So we jumped right in.
DIDRIS is about to launch its first-ever ready-to-wear collection. What can you tell us about it?
DI: The main purpose of this collection is to bring more people into the world of DIDRIS. We’re deconstructing many of those high jewelry pieces from the initial collection so that they’re more accessible to more people. When I launched the first collection, many of my fans were like, “Oh, he’s only making this for his friends.” I want everyone to be able to wear the brand in their everyday life, whether they’re going to a wedding or across the street. We have beautiful dog tags to pendants to hoop earrings. I think it’s gonna be amazing and I can’t wait.
SR: We’re taking that same level of craftsmanship from high jewelry and bringing it into this fine jewelry ready-to-wear collection. These are just derivatives of those other pieces. And that’s really important.
DI: Even this right here [Idris leans close to the Zoom camera and shows off his silver necklace] is coming in a simple mini and maxi version. I wear this every single day. You might not always want to wear the beaded necklace or the rope chain with the pennant that I wore at the Met Gala. Sometimes you just want to wear this, something simple. The beauty of jewelry for me is that you can buy different iterations of a piece and wear each for different occasions.
When this collection launches, you’re just gonna see it everywhere. You’re gonna see me wearing it, you’re gonna see my peers wearing it. We have so many people who are already supporting the brand, from Brad Pitt to Margot Robbie to Idris Elba to Letitia Wright. The list just goes on.
SR: To Damson’s point, if somebody sees him on the red carpet with one of those high jewelry pieces, they can find a derivative in the ready-to-wear collection that they want to wear every day and that they can afford, and that feels pretty amazing.
Damson, you mentioned your mom earlier. What does she think about your brand? Does she have any of the pieces?
DI: Oh yeah, she can’t stop stealing pieces. Actually, she wore the same Met Gala rope chain to my F1 premiere. She’s a part of this process with me. She can’t wait to tell me her ideas as well, so in the future I’m sure there’s gonna be a collection that’s made by her, and I think that’s so cool.
What do you see for the future of DIDRIS?
DI: Right now, we’re really focused on ready-to-wear and we’re so excited about this moment. But expect to constantly see the brand growing and moving into different spaces. I have the same passion for this that I do for my acting career. I’m constantly trying to improve the brand, make it more accessible, and make it more enjoyable.
SR: We’re still gonna create more high jewelry pieces, and when we do that, the ready-to-wear collection will evolve alongside it. So we’re never gonna leave anybody out of the DIDRIS ecosystem because we’re not looking for a one-time customer. If you buy with us once, we’re gonna handhold you and support you in the most amazing way. We want you to be part of this brand 50 years from now, so we’re gonna keep it exciting. We’re gonna keep it fresh. We’re gonna show you the love.
Damson, transitioning to your acting career, F1 has been such a huge success, and it recently returned to IMAX. What’s this moment feeling like for you?
DI: It’s incredible. Before the movie was even out, everyone was so excited, so now they’ve all seen the hard work that we put into it. My only regret is that I didn’t have any DIDRIS pieces created while we were filming. But, it’s funny, the costume department managed to squeeze some DIDRIS into my next movie, Children of Blood and Bone, which is really exciting. But yeah, F1 is returning to IMAX and I think it’s the best way to view the movie. I’m just really excited for the future, not only in my career, but for the world of F1. This movie has brought so many people to the sport. I reposted on my Instagram recently that someone watched it 17 times. They sat and watched my big head 17 times on the big screen. It’s just really exciting and I’m excited to see what happens next in my career, and how DIDRIS can be a part of that.
If there were an F1 sequel, would you return?
DI: Yes, 100 percent. And he’d be flooded in DIDRIS. In the movie, my character Joshua would say, “Yeah, my friend Damson Idris gave me a bunch of jewelry.”
Going back to Children of Blood and Bone, what was it like working with director Gina Prince-Bythewood and the rest of the cast?
DI: Every day was so amazing. We filmed in Cape Town, and I was out there just taking it all in. Like I said, the costume department and design team on that movie gave me so many ideas for DIDRIS. There’s definitely going to be a new collection created around that release that I’m going to wear on the press tour. And the cast is stacked. The same feeling you had when you walked out of Black Panther is what you’re gonna feel with this, but to an even greater extent. We’re creating something that you have not seen before, and I cannot wait for people to see it. We gave it everything. We were out there for six months. It was sword fighting, and there were lots of abs. You’re really gonna love it.
And you’re also going to play Miles Davis in an upcoming film. Have you started prep?
DI: Yeah, I’m living with the trumpet. [Idris holds up a trumpet lesson book.] These are all over my house. It’s all about paying homage and being a good representation of one of our icons. And Miles loved jewelry too, so we have that in common.
DI: I have nothing to say. One thing I will say is, whenever that next James Bond movie comes out, I’m gonna be in the cinema with everyone applauding and watching.
The DIDRIS Ready-to-Wear Collection is now available for inquiry on DIDRIS.com, and can be purchased in the fall.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
