The team behind a jewellery brand worn by the Princess of Wales have hailed her "unbelievable" support as they expand their collection. Kate wore a pair of earrings from jewellery label Issy Star which had been given to her by grieving mother Sarah Renton when she visited Maidenhead Rugby Club in June 2023; they had been created in memory of Sarah’s daughter Issy Phipps after she took her own life that year aged 17.
And last week, the people behind the brand announced new additions to their range in the hope it will raise more money for the mental health charity which they partner with, Brave Mind.
In an exclusive interview, Issy’s cousin Sophie McGown, the founder of Issy Star, told HELLO! how the family would always be grateful for Kate’s support, especially as she waited several months to wear the earrings - until the very poignant date of World Mental Health Day in October 2023. Photographs captured her wearing the accessory while hosting a mental health forum, Exploring our Emotional Worlds’ in Birmingham.
A significant day
“Kate first wore the earrings on such a significant day that touched and resonated with so many people and she knew how much that would mean to us and to Issy,” Sophie tells HELLO! “She would have been gobsmacked by it all.” The new bracelets and necklaces, which compliment the design of the original earrings, will launch on September 12 on what would have been Issy’s 21st birthday.
Sophie continues: “I think what Kate did by wearing our earrings meant so much to us because it opened up a talking point about mental health and suicide. The amount of people that contact us that are buying the earrings for people who are struggling or gifting them to someone who has just lost someone is numerous. If I could reach out to every single one of them and say, ‘We'd love to know how we can support you,’ it would be incredible.”
The earrings sold out immediately after Kate was photographed wearing them in Birmingham and then again when she was photographed wearing them at a SportsAid mental fitness workshop in Marlow a few days later. “It was just unbelievable, demand went worldwide and thousands and thousands of orders poured in. They are still selling even today, although at a slower pace, of course,” Sophie explains.
The company even designed a pair of earrings called ‘The Catherine’ in honour of the royal, which immediately sold out. The Princess has now been sent a box of the new designs in the hope that she may wear them – although she is under no obligation to do so.
An impressive priority
And Sophie says she and her family are impressed that Kate has made speaking about mental health and child development one of her priorities. “I think Kate talking about all of the things she's been through and making space for these people who go through hell on a daily basis is phenomenal,” she says.
For every sale of a piece of Issy Star jewellery, £5 goes to charity Brave Mind, which was selected for their support as Issy was a keen rugby player. The charity partners with sporting communities to give young people the tools to protect their mental health by offering suicide prevention, early intervention and support; it is now an innovation partner of the Royal Foundation’s National Suicide Prevention Network.
So far, Issy Star’s contributions from sales have raised around £35,000 for the charity and they hope to double that amount with the new additions to their range. “Brave Mind goes into communities, universities and schools and educates people in how to spot the signs of someone who may be potentially suicidal, which is incredible.” And what would Issy think of it all? “I just think she wouldn't be able to believe it all. I think she say ‘Thank you for keeping my name alive’. I want people to still talk about her and who she was.”
