Legacy Lives On

Luca + Danni keeps a brother’s dream alive

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After growing up with the family’s business, Fred Magnanimi “ran” from the jewelry world and threw himself into hedge funds and investment banking. But after 12 years in the business world and the passing of his brother, Danny, Fred was back into the jewelry industry. In August 2014 he launched Luca + Danni, his own jewelry line, as a legacy to his late brother. The brand’s name stems from Fred’s son, Luca, who is soon to be 6, and meshing Danny with Fred’s 3-year-old daughter, Stella’s middle name, Dani, which is a tribute to her uncle.

Growing up, Fred would work summers at Mag Jewelry, the 64-year-old family business, which produced mostly religious jewelry.

When Fred moved to Dallas and entered the business world after college, Danny returned to the family business, excited to take over and “revitalize” the company.

Fred, now founder, CEO and creative director for Luca + Danni, was on his way to becoming partner at his company in Dallas when a “gut feeling” told him to take an investment banking job in New York.

Then in May of 2012 his younger brother, Danny, was diagnosed with leukemia. What was thought to be a great job opportunity also allowed Fred to be closer to his brother, to see him more regularly as he received treatment for his condition in Boston.

Throughout Danny’s treatment, he continued working, answering emails and checking on shipments for Mag Jewelry.

Fred said, “When we were together he would talk about this place; when he was getting chemo this was what was on his mind. He wanted to beat the disease to have his time here and to reinvent the business just like our father did when he took it over.”

Unfortunately, in April 2013 Danny lost his battle with leukemia at the age of 33. Not long after, their father got sick and was rushed to the hospital, where he spent a few weeks healing.

“I thought, this doesn’t end this way,” Fred said. “This business was so important to both of them. This was an opportunity to do something for my parents and in the memory of my brother. I thought if I didn’t like it I could always go back.”

Fred left the business world, moved back to Rhode Island and began working at Mag Jewelry. At first he wanted to quit, but knowing how important it was to his brother to “re-invent” Fred pushed through each day.

He refined his late brother’s dreams for the company, until 2014 when he launched Luca + Danni at a trade show in New York City.

“This story is what our brand is built from and that means a lot to us,” Fred said.

All of the line’s jewelry, which predominantly focuses on bracelets, is hand strung and made at their manufacturing facility in Cranston. A lot of the infrastructure was in place with Mag Jewelry and as Luca + Danni grows the other business shrinks. The company also has a lot of material to pull from in terms of creative material from the former business.

The idea for the signature bracelets is to display charms or symbols on top of the wrist rather than dangling under or on the side where it may be left unseen. The concept came from watches, something Fred was used to in his previous occupation.

“You can tell a lot by someone’s watch,” he said. “A watch sits right on the wrist, very obvious and visible. People buy bracelets typically for very meaningful and sentimental reasons, so why not show that off and bring the watch concept to them?”

Although Fred said it sounds like a relatively simple idea, across this “homogenous” industry it’s actually rather innovative.

The company has seen enormous growth in the past 18 months selling their merchandise online as well as in more than 800 retailers in the U.S. and Canada. The jewelry is popular in southern states such as Florida, the Carolinas as well as Pennsylvania.

Initially, Fred made all the bracelets by hand. The bracelets are still made by hand, but the company now has 38 employees where it started with only 16.

In December Fred appointed Allison Carley, the former vice president of sales for Alex and Ani to president of Luca + Danni.

She believes the line attracts a large demographic from young millennial women to older generations.

“The quality of work on these bracelets is the best I’ve ever seen,” she said. “Their uniqueness and designs stand the test of time. People like knowing they are getting American made handcrafted jewelry.”

Carley said the company has the distinct ability to follow trends and test new ideas because of the preexisting framework of Mag Jewelry. New ideas can be “fleshed out” within a day.

She said, “We can flush the market with new products constantly, which is perfect. People don’t like seeing the same things over and over again. This is a good spot to be in”

Carley said that the business is slotted to reach double digit millions for revenue this year. She sees Luca + Danni growing at a “slow boil” ensuring there is a stable foundation on which to grow the brand for years to come.

Fred said, “It’s not a race and we are in this for the long haul.”

For more information on Luca + Danni or to purchase their merchandise visit www.lucadanni.com. Jewelry runs between $28 and $38.

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