THE DECADE

It's been ten years in the making...

When you start a business you never really know where it will take you… It’s a combination of excitement, ambition, nerves and the unknown. We like to say you get ‘that feeling’. It’s the feeling that boils up inside you that makes you want to tell everyone you’re about to start something amazing. You don’t know if you’ll succeed, you don’t know the struggles that will come, but you know you want it. 

We had that feeling. It’s the inception of an idea. The excitement to create something that’s YOURS. You get to make something that is a true reflection of yourself. Through every facet of the work you do you inject a little bit of ‘that feeling’ and that’s your special blueprint for your brand. No one can replicate who you are and if you throw yourself into the business then that special uniqueness shines through. 

Francesca is more than a business to us, it is a platform of expression, design and family. Over the past ten years these little quirks, values and characteristics of who we are as people have developed into our brand. A brand that is passionate about its people, the true meaning of success and beautiful design. 

As sister’s we have evolved and learnt so many incredible lessons on our journey in business together. We have failed, we have thrived and we have built a company with a heart. At the centre of our beautiful company the greatest achievement our team has accomplished is donating close to $1 million to Australian charities. This is our purpose, this is how we truly define success. 

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being a part of this incredible journey. We hope you love this collection as much as we do.

Hannah & Rachel x x

2011- Freezing cold days, where it all started

It all started in little old Tasmania, at the freezing cold Salamanca Markets. It took 5am starts with no guarantee of a stall to sell the dream to whoever would stop and chat. Every week would consist of hand making Saturdays stock, juggling uni for Hannah and school for Rachel. At the crack of dawn they would jump in the car, Rachel would run down to the waitlist in the freezing cold and see where on the casual stall waiting list they were. Some weeks they were declined, other weeks they were thriving. This is where their determination and resilience was fostered and where the business grew. 

2012 - Hello NYC!!

This was a pivotal year for the business that really consolidated Hannah’s decision to pursue her passion rather than signing with a corporate job in Law. Hannah won the Australian Global Student Entrepreneur award and represented Australia in New York City. Although this was a huge achievement in itself, It was a conversation had with one of the judges that provoked Hannah to pursue her dreams. He said that he really saw something in Hannah’s vision of the company and encouraged her to persist! It was a life changing moment that solidified the dream of what Francesca could be. 

2013 - Sisters in business

Two is better than one! After years of working together at the markets, Hannah’s sister Rachel, joins the business as Creative Director. It was in 2013, the first bricks and mortar store was born! On the outskirts of Hobart’s CBD, we opened a tiny store filled with big dreams.

There are some funny memories and lessons to be learned from this store. One day Hannah went to set up for the markets early on a Saturday morning and left the shop door wide open, so it wasn’t until Rachel got there later in the morning to a shop filled with customers that she realised one of the biggest ‘oops’ moments in history.  

On another occasion, the store had been broken into with every single piece of jewellery taken from the store! This is when you realise business insurance is so important to have, if only it was something we had at the time!

2014 - Francesca amongst the big brands

Within one year of having their first store the girls grew an amazing Hobart customer base. They decided it was time to open in a proper shopping centre surrounded by other brands. This was the ‘dream store’ at the time, and an absolute dream to be within one of the city’s main shopping centres. It was in this store that they introduced permanent store staff adding to the Franc Fam.

2015 - Business of the year!!

They won Tasmanian Telstra Business of the Year! A huge win after years of hard work! A funny story from the event was when the girls were announced as winners, they both stood up and knocked heads. Luckily they redeemed ourselves on stage when accepting the award! Such a huge honour and something so pivotal in Francesca’s history! 

2016 - Hello Melbourne

With a growing customer base, the girls had only ever dreamed of being on the ‘mainland’. It was this year that they decided to take the leap and ask their beautiful customers for help. They started a crowdfunding campaign in exchange for a beautiful piece of jewellery and the response was incredible! Within 2 weeks they had raised enough money to pay the deposit on a store site in Melbourne Central. The customers put their trust in the brand and we are forever grateful to them for the opportunity.

2017 - International shoots

Rachel’s new found passion for photography had new sights set for the brand’s vision! An international photoshoot was on the horizon with internationally renowned models, including the 2017 Miss Universe Australia contestant, Olivia Molly Rogers. With a team of 5, the girls jetset to Bali to shoot upcoming campaigns for the business. Having always dreamt of being like the big brands, travelling to shoot campaigns in exotic locations, this was an exciting milestone.

2018 - Franc HQ

It was this year that the team grew, and so did the Franc office! Moving into the dream Franc HQ in Hobart’s CBD, where 50 girls would work on building Francesca. Giving each department their own space to grow, this new space was revolutionary to the business and the Franc Fam!

2019 - Wow Melbourne you look good!!

It was time for an upgrade! The Melbourne Central store was more than we could have asked for when we opened with the help of so many generous customers, however with growth we needed to update the store to keep it in line with our brand’s overall vision! We worked tirelessly night and day to get it finished! The new design is everything and more that we could have envisioned!

2020 - Nearly $1million donated

With a world turned upside down, it was our mission to continue to giveback. With the bushfires that ravaged Australia, we decided we needed to do something. We released a bracelet donating 100% of the purchase price to the Australian Red Cross, and within 6 hours we had sold out, donating $100,000! With our annual efforts of Awareness Bracelets and our Be Hers collection donating 100% off the purchase price, we’re nearly at $1 million donated to charities across Australia. 

2021 - DECADE

Now with 2021, a decade on from where it all began, our hearts are filled with gratitude for everyone who has supported us. Whether you’ve been with us since the market days, or have only recently come across us - we are incredibly thankful! This year our vision is clearer than ever and we can’t wait to show you what’s in store for the next decade of Francesca! 

To celebrate 10 years, we thought it was only right that we designed an all new Signature Collection that encapsulates the logo in each design to celebrate a decade of Francesca. A collection that will complement any Franc collection! We hope you love the Decade Collection as much as we do! We can’t wait to see everyone wearing it! See the collection here.