ving out meaningful territory of its own. With over 50,000 photo lockets sold globally, a drag-and-drop ecommerce design platform, in-store engraving and real-time locket printing, Francesca is evolving ambitiously into an interactive design destination. Its Create Your Story platform is one innovation born from a simple customer friction point.  “We realised customers didn’t know how to shrink images to fit inside lockets,” co-founder Rachel Vasicek told Inside Retail. “So we solved that problem.” “Since launching our drag-and-drop component, our basket size has probably increased to $400,” said Hanna Vasicek. But what makes Francesca more than just another direct-to-consumer brand is its multilayered approach to growth. On the surface, it’s sleek ecommerce. Underneath, it’s deeply human. A brand strengthened by markets, not algorithms The sisters’ entrepreneurial roots are refreshingly unpretentious. At just 16 and 10, they spent over a decade manning a handmade jewellery stall at Tasmania’s Salamanca Markets, fine-tuning pricing and learning to sell and understanding customer behaviour in real time. “A lot of people see Francesca now, how big we are on Instagram, and think it’s an overnight success. But we’ve lived every part of the business from the ground up,” said Hanna. The brand’s evolution from “Handmade by Hannah” to Francesca, named after the moniker their mother had originally chosen for Hannah, marked a critical turning point. It was about more than aesthetics and maintained a strategic shift toward scale, relevance and brand protection. “We weren’t necessarily passionate about the designs that we were creating, they were things that we would even wear,” Hanna recalled. “Francesca became this rebirth of the brand in the sense of a new demographic, that younger generation.” That shift has paid off. Today, Francesca’s evergreen pieces, like their stacking bracelets, represent the kind of brand longevity most fast-fashion jewellery houses envy.  “We’ve got our top 30 products that are like our bread and butter, they’re our evergreen stock.” Hanna noted. The flagship formula Earlier this year, Francesca unveiled a redesigned Hobart flagship store, a physical manifestation of its Create Your Story component. The new space features customisation pods, on-site engraving and instant photo printing for lockets, creating an in-store experience that mirrors its online innovation. “In store, customers feel the weight and see the plating,” said Hanna. “Our biggest struggle is conveying the quality of our products online.” That tactile difference is underscored by impressive conversion rates. “Our in-store conversion rate is 15 –19 per cent,” she added. To bridge the digital divide, Francesca’s in-store teams use iPads to help customers build pieces virtually, often replicating the same drag-and-drop platform seen on its site.“Customers often come into the store with a screenshot of the product,” Rachel noted. “They do the browsing and decision-making online, then come in to finalise the purchase.” A human centred approach The brand has donated over $1.1 million to Australian charities including Endometriosis Australia, Motherless Daughters and more. But the Vasicek sisters aren’t stopping there. “In 2014, we discovered that selling jewellery alone wasn’t enough,” said Hanna. “We aligned on a greater sentiment to empower with purpose and give back.” Their long-term vision includes launching a dedicated foundation to manage impact directly. It’s part of a deliberate decision to build a business that scales depth and not just breadth. “We want to become Australia’s jewellery brand of choice based on who we are and our brand story,” Hanna said. What sets Francesca apart in an increasingly crowded market isn’t just their technology or on-trend customisation.  It’s the sincerity of their story and the consistency of their values, from a 5 a.m. market stall to a flagship store offering soldering on the spot. As retail becomes more automated, Francesca is a reminder of the power of the personal. And for this Tasmanian-born brand, custom doesn’t just mean engraving, however, crafting something people feel. “Building a brand is a marathon, not a sprint,” Hanna reflected. “It’s not just about business, it’s about building a brand.”