DEBORA HUISMAN-READER: "FOR GASSAN WE ALL GO THROUGH FIRE"

Her background as the scion of a family of jewelers and out-of-the-box training at the Amsterdam Fashion Institute resulted in a unique combination of knowledge and creativity. This forms the basis for the success of her own jewelry line, Choices by DL. In addition to being a designer, Debora Huisman-Leeser is now also a member of the management of GASSAN.

Text: Bart-Jan Brouwer | Online Editor: Natasha Hendriks
Image: John van Helvert

Your first job was in the clothing store of your grandfather, Rolf Leeser. It was even planned that you would take over his store. What made you switch?

"The age difference between my grandfather and me was such that I could not yet take over his business at the time he was about to retire - I had just finished high school, was still going to college. His deputy director then took over the business. I first got my propaedeutic law degree, but because I found the study too tough and also because I still had the idea that I wanted to go into fashion, I went to the Amsterdam Fashion Institute. A great course, where you learn to think out of the box. But I wondered what this would do for me in the business world. In the final year I thought I'd still like to work in my parents' company, but my own company within theirs. That's exactly what happened with Choices by DL: 18-karat gold interchangeable jewelry that you can adjust to your outfit or mood at any time of day. It started twelve years ago as a graduate project and has since grown into a successful jewelry line."

How did your parents react when you showed your graduation project?

"At first they were pretty skeptical about it. My mother asked, 'Will it stay on well, won't it fall off?' Indeed, I needed to perfect it further. When I went to test my jewelry at MASTERS EXPO in December 2008 - I hadn't graduated with it then - people were incredibly enthusiastic. They were really like, wow, what is this? That was the confirmation for me that I had to continue with it. Then I started to further develop the jewelry in collaboration with the goldsmiths at GASSAN."

Did you immediately know you had gold in your hands?

"Not that. The idea really came from practice. I wouldn't buy a ring with a color stone myself, because the color is so defining. And if the stone is in gold, the ring costs a lot. Quite a waste if you can then only wear it with the color you are wearing. The value is mainly in the gold and not in the color stone. So I thought: by taking the ring and the stone apart, you make 18-karat gold jewelry more accessible. That's how the idea was born. But you can't patent an idea. You can patent the system we came up with: a bayonet clasp with a magnet. That combination had never been done before and that makes the system unique in our industry. This concept with different jewels that are all interchangeable and also fit together does not exist in the higher segment. I see copies here and there, but only with two parts: ring and stone. With Choices by DL, there are three: ring, bezel and stone. The success is evidenced by the fact that Choices by DL is in the top 10 best-selling items within GASSAN. And that, like Rolex, we are standing tall despite the covid situation."

Give an example of that mixing and matching with a ring.

"If you're wearing a black dress in the evening, you put a black stone in the ring with a diamond border around it to make it a little fancier. In the afternoon, if you're standing in the schoolyard wearing a cashmere sweater, you put in a beige stone with a smooth edge around it. The customers of Choices by DL are women who also really enjoy adapting their jewelry to the moment. They are jewelry that is never in a vault, but always being worn."

What have been the most important choices you have made in your life?

"At one point I got requests to start making the jewelry in silver as well. In the end I didn't do that. Partly because silver turned out not to be suitable for this system, but above all because I think that as a brand in the highest segment you should not start making products that are out of the industry. I also got offers to make a perfume and sell it at Douglas. Once you are a successful brand, parties like that come at you. I'm very glad I always said no to that. With a perfume you soon find yourself on sale and then your brand is automatically associated with that."

Have you ever made the wrong choice?

"Of course I've developed things for collections at times that didn't catch on as much as I expected. But the longer I've been in the business, the better I know what the customer needs. Now, for example, people want less conspicuous jewelry, so we respond to that. What I hear from the customer, I apply to my own jewelry."

What is it like to be part of a family business?

"Incredibly fun, but it's also challenging. If you disagree about something, you take that home, which is quite difficult. But so far I have found it to be very positive. GASSAN is our baby, we all go through fire for it. You also see that family businesses come through a crisis comparatively better than some listed companies."

Your husband, Dustin Huisman, also works at GASSAN. How do you keep business and personal separate?

"At home we also talk a lot about things, but to a certain extent. I'm always the one who says, 'Now it's done, I want to watch Emily in Paris right now.'"

You take your place as Chief Creative Officer on the board of directors at GASSAN. How do you like that role?

"Very well. Indeed: I like that role better and better. I really enjoy the challenge of working together. And to drag each other through this time of crisis. I personally really enjoy working with people, managing teams and making people better."

Is the energy at the boardroom table very different from what it used to be at the dinner table at home?

"Yes, at that time the business comes first. I don't just sit at the board table with my father and brother either; at least eight other board members join me. The nice thing is that with my father the glass is always half full. In times of crisis, we learn the most from him. This is no different now. No tourists in Amsterdam because of corona? Then we focus more on the Dutch market. That's how he keeps the spirit going."

In the Netherlands, Choices by DL has become a well-known brand. What are the main factors that have contributed to this?

"First, the interchangeability of the jewelry, we are unique in that. Secondly, the quality of the system: you really can change without limit. Third, the returning customer. We build a personal relationship with our customers. As beautiful as our new website is, a piece of jewelry is an emotional product that you still want to see and feel for yourself. That's how you get customers into your store the old-fashioned way, which in turn gives you the opportunity to point them to other products."

You look back on twelve years of Choices, but also on twelve years of DL. How have you developed yourself during that time?

"I was quite young when I started my own brand. And because it was a very big success right away, I had to learn to make choices quickly. What I notice is that as you get older, you make your choices much more deliberately. In the past I could make a decision and then think 'oh no, not really'. Whereas now I think longer and more carefully, so I know much better why I am making a certain choice."

75 years of Gassan. What does that do to you?

"Very special. Too bad, though, that the anniversary coincides exactly with the year when you can't do anything at all. Hopefully we can catch up next year. I am proud that we are able to keep our heads above water despite these bad times. Proud also of what my parents have put up. Of course I look back more often in such a year. For example, I find it very special that we are still doing certain things my great-grandfather set up, such as giving tours."

What is your biggest business dream on the way to another anniversary?

"That we turn GASSAN and Choices by DL into brands that people also know internationally. I myself am a great believer in the creation of our own content. The moment you can produce and deliver to the end user yourself, you have something unique in your hands. And we can do that, with our own atelier, our own gold smithy and our own grinders on staff."

Masters #44

MASTERS #44