At the height of the pandemic, Damson Idris had a realisation. “My peers were involved in other projects, and I realised I had to stay busy,” the actor tells me. This manifested not in a whisky or rum brand, but a genuinely stylish fine jewellery house that has gone on to become genuinely coveted among his Hollywood peers. 

Like everything related to Damson Idris, DIDRIS is rooted in family. His mother Silifat Idris, wanted to be a jeweller but sacrificed her dream to raise a family, he tells me. “She would work between London and Nigeria and used to spend time in Hatton Garden. She had an incredible eye.” With Idris’s success, he decided to finally revive her dream, co-founded by Stephanie Moy, his trusted manager, and Stephen Ready, who brings in his business acumen. “I was just saying before I even got the call, I’d love someone like Damson to spearhead a project like this,” Stephen says. “He has his heart in it. You can’t help but fall in love with his ambitions.” 

Every piece tells a personal story, all of which are from Damson’s imagination. He also comes up with every unique design, follows the build process, and then devises new collections, Stephanie explains. Nothing is mass-produced or cheaply made. “The purpose is to continue traditional techniques with ethically sourced materials and craftsmanship,” she adds. “It’s very authentic, like Damson.” They are also incredibly versatile. I got hands-on with select pieces from the Fine Jewelry collection, including a beaded necklace and signet ring. While they’re undoubtedly bold, it’s impressive how refined and elegant each item is—inspired by Idris’s life but also not shouty about it, as though he is separating both of his trades and applying something new with DIDRIS that has all the hallmarks of many of the great heritage houses. “While designs are rooted in personal stories or instances, we want wearers to apply their own stories to them, too,” adds Stephanie. “Also, we’re not making anything we wouldn’t wear.” 

The High Collection is an evolution of this. While Fine Jewelry is more around Damson’s specific tastes, the new collection is looking outwards, to newer inspirations and tastes. “The style is lifted from everyday life,” Stephen says, “you can even wear these pieces casually.” Then, should you want some Hollywood magic at your wedding, there is a Bespoke by Damson Idris engagement ring. When I spoke to the actor about DIDRIS, it felt as though he was using it as a genuine expression of his own creativity. “When you work in cinema, most things are on the director’s terms. I can only work when I get called up,” he explained. “But with DIDRIS… I get to create whenever I like. Right now, I could conjure something and make that into reality. It thrills me,” he continued. “I have many of my peers organically asking about my jewelry, and I love that they take an interest when I tell them that they’re my designs.” Heritage is at DIDRIS’s heart too. When they first met, the DIDRIS founders had longevity in mind. The idea of a lineage that goes back to his mother will continue into a maison generations after Idris’s film career. That’s the hope, at least—that it becomes a legacy brand. 

That’s also why, despite being worn by Brad Pitt (who even sorted the DIDRIS Wide Ring for the London premiere of F1) and Margot Robbie on the red carpet, DIDRIS still remains a quiet part of Damson’s life. “There’s elegance in being subtle,” both Stephen and Stephanie add. “The pieces speak for themselves. And we are already gaining many high-profile fans.” 

But there’s undoubtedly crossover in the film world, too. With Damson set to star as Miles Davis, “He’s now thinking about what Davis would wear,” Stephen says. A ready-to-wear collection will also produce more accessible, affordable pieces in the future. An empire is quietly growing. 

“Regardless, I just want it to be an authentic part of my life,” Damson told me finally. “I want it to stay true to the ideas I have of family, ancestry, and artisanship. I’m putting my heart into this, after all.”

DIDRIS.com