Tasmanian jewellery designer and winner of the 2012 Australian Global Student Entrepreneur award, Hannah Vasicek will open her first store in the Hobart CBD this afternoon.
Now 23, Hannah began selling her jewellery at 16 at Salamanca Market. While her original collection emphasised earthy stones, it has now evolved to focus on sterling silver. Her desire to create a high quality boutique range led to the creation of Francesca Collections in 2010.
“Opening my own shop is something I have dreamed about since I first began designing jewellery. For this to actually become a reality is so humbling.” Miss Vasicek said.
“Studying law took up so much of my time and Francesca was really more of a side project. Now that I’ve graduated, I can finally make Francesca my priority and that is really exciting.”
After being named the 2012 Australian Global Student Entrepreneur, Hannah was flown to New York to compete in the world final.
“New York was the most incredible experience. Meeting all the other finalists and talking about their ventures was so inspiring. It was their encouragement that moved me to open this shop.”
Although opening up a store offers so many new opportunities, Hannah will continue to sell her jewellery at Salamanca Market every Saturday.
“Salamanca is just amazing. People underestimate how many people go through there in a day and the feedback that you can get straightaway from your customers. So I can trial the market with a new product just for a day and see how people react.”
“Ultimately I would like to have flagship stores across Australia, and eventually break into the international market. For now though I will focus on Tasmania.”
Hannah has just been chosen as an Australian delegate for the Russian G20 Entrepreneur Summit.
Francesca Opening 2-6pm March 3rd
Hannah Vasicek
