When Tunisian Financial Manager, Sonia Feki, founded “HABIBA Jewellery” in 2016, she wanted not only to keep her mother Habiba’s memory alive, but also to channel her own grief. Having won over the hearts of Tunisian women, the brand is now ready to conquer overseas markets with the help of WIPO’s Madrid System.
HABIBA – a brand of handcrafted jewelry made in Tunisia
Reborn from the ashes
“It has been an exciting adventure”, says Sonia Feki, as she recalls the journey that has brought “HABIBA Jewellery” to the covers of well-known lifestyle magazines in Northern Africa.
After Habiba died in 2016, Sonia felt the need to tell her mother’s story to the world, so that her message could live on. The vivid memory of the colorful, lavish gemstones her mother used to wear so elegantly inspired Sonia to found her own jewelry brand, named after this key figure in her life.
The brand’s mission is two-fold:
- to preserve and promote traditional Tunisian craftsmanship through accessories that make women feel elegant and confident in their own skin; and
- to honor the hard-working women that help to sustain Tunisia’s economy every day.
Handmade jewelry – unique gemstones and fine craftmanship
Setting the first stone
Sonia knew from the start that, to set her artisan jewelry apart from her competitors’, she needed to develop a branded story, built on values and emotions.
Creativity dominated the company’s first year of activity. Sonia set up her own atelier and dived straight into the creation of new collections.
With no previous training in jewelry craft and design, she recruited four local artisans and travelled through France and Italy – attending major international events such as Bijorhca and Vicenzaoro – as well as within Tunisia, in search of unique gemstones. HABIBA Jewellery’s creations are handmade with prominent and brightly colored stones endowed with therapeutic properties, and embroidered with pearls.
During those first twelve months, Sonia and her team did not sell – or even reveal – a single jewel; they invested all their resources into building a solid foundation for the brand, developing their products and protecting their intellectual property (IP) rights.
"Due to the digital ecosystem, information spreads faster than before. The risk of competitors imitating your brand is even higher."
Sonia Feki, HABIBA Jewelry
At a time when it was not very common to do so in Tunisia, Sonia registered her trademark nationally through the local IP Office, the National Institute for Standardization and Industrial Property (INNORPI).
"Habibi, meaning ‘my love’, is probably the most well-known Arabic word around the globe. I wanted to deliver a love message to all women, regardless of their age and profession. Arab and Mediterranean women’s resilience in particular is truly inspirational to me."
Sonia Feki
Selling HABIBA’s signature jewels in the Middle East and Africa
Turning a new page
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020, it seemed that the chances of HABIBA Jewellery becoming an international brand grew slimmer each day.
The company had built up a considerable stock of luxury goods that – due to the economic crisis raging in Tunisia – was becoming increasingly difficult to sell. There was no longer enough demand on the Tunisian market to absorb Sonia’s supplies.
So, against all the odds, and regardless of business experts’ cynicism, Sonia – who so firmly believed in her dream – opened an international franchise chain. And she had good reason to do so!
HABIBA’s signature jewels quickly started to turn heads outside of Tunisia. The brand spontaneously caught the attention of Egyptian media outlets, raising awareness in the Gulf countries. And, demand grew in other African countries.
It was time for Sonia to protect her trademark internationally.
International trademark protection made easy
When she started to enquire about ways to protect HABIBA Jewellery in foreign markets, trademark specialists at INNORPI directed Sonia straight to WIPO’s international trademark system – the Madrid System.
Using her national trademark as its basis, Sonia would be able to file a single international trademark application – in one language and with just one set of fees payable in one currency (Swiss francs) – to seek protection in most African and Middle-Eastern countries, as well as other markets around the globe, accounting for 80% of world trade!
She filed an application in 2022. Knowing that she could expand protection to other countries in the future, Sonia started by designating – and gaining protection in – two Madrid System members: Egypt, and the African Organization of Intellectual Property (OAPI), covering 16 French-speaking countries in the region.
Guaranteeing protection of the HABIBA Jewellery’s product range
HABIBA Jewellery has the potential to be about more than just jewelry – it could represent a whole, wearable lifestyle. It is only natural that customers would be interested in additional branded products to complete their outfits, helping them to become a vehicle of everything the brand stands for: elegance, resilience and durability.
So, having originally requested protection in only one class of goods and services – Class 14 (jewelry, precious stones; timepieces and chronometric instruments) – Sonia is already planning to file another international application in order to expand her business into new classes and product categories such as textiles and leather goods, which are typical of the Maghreb region.
Expanding international trademark protection to new countries
Sonia is determined to expand into even more overseas markets, and plans to designate other Madrid System Members in the near future:
- France, where large communities from the Maghreb region live. Wearing HABIBA’s jewels would be a way for them to reconnect with their roots.
- The United States of America, where the brand received praise from professional fashion designers during a fashion show in New York in 2016.
- Saudi Arabia and theUnited Arab Emirates, where HABIBA’s collections meet the tastes of customers. Although Saudi Arabia is not a member of the Madrid System yet, it will likely join in 2024!
Protecting the brand internationally – HABIBA Jewellery’s top priority
Facing the future with confidence
Having successfully leveraged the Madrid System to protect her trademark abroad, Sonia was in a position to face the challenges ahead with a calm state of mind.
"I feel confident, even when I am threatened by competitors. Having my trademark protected in Tunisia and my other main selling markets is a guarantee, not only for me, but for my franchisees as well. It is the only way we can prevent other companies from making our ideas their own, or from taking advantage of the reputation we have worked so hard to build from the ground up."
Having a long-term vision was Sonia Feki’s secret to success.
"When I founded HABIBA Jewellery, I projected myself 15 years into the future. Protecting my trademark – first nationally and then internationally – was one of my top priorities."
After seven years of activity, the company’s team has grown to 15 people working in three different departments: product development, logistics and digital marketing. The brand has concept stores in Cairo and branches in the Ivory Coast – one of OAPI’s Member States – and Sonia is planning to open another in the United States of America.
Preserving Tunisian artisanship and empowering women
The courage to dream
Sonia Feki has already achieved so much!
"When I founded HABIBA Jewellery I wanted to invest in local artisans’ training, and guarantee them a fair wage. I am happy to say that 90% of our employees are women."
Last year, the Council of the Commission of the Middle East and Northern Africa (MENA) named her “Ambassador of Arab women” to reward her efforts to protect women’s rights to work. But the entrepreneur aims to reach even greater heights. Sonia’s dream for the near future? To open a “Habiba Foundation” to promote and preserve Tunisian creativity and artisanship.
How to build a successful brand
According to Sonia, there are two vital ingredients in any entrepreneur’s recipe for success: passion and perseverance.
"Businesses do not prosper by some miracle. You have to work every day to achieve your goals gradually. You can find market researches and business plans in banks and consultancy agencies, but what a project really needs is a leader who believes in their dream and follows their inner voice."
Sonia Feki
You can find out more about HABIBA Jewellery’s International Registration No. 1690228 in Madrid Monitor available under eMadrid.
More about the Madrid System
The Madrid System is a convenient and cost-effective solution for registering trademarks in up to 130 countries by filing one application and paying one set of fees.
