My Story, Louis Wright, Founder of JacquesCDs

I’ve never done things the traditional way, and to be honest, I’ve never really fit into those spaces. I grew up skateboarding, struggling with school, ADHD, and a bunch of things I didn’t fully understand at the time. I didn’t know where I belonged. I bounced between different phases and passions, but skating was the one constant. It gave me a sense of belonging, a space where no one cared where you were from, what you looked like, or how you spoke. It was just about showing up and doing your thing.

Skating, Sound and Belonging

Skating taught me about community, about expression, about creativity with whatever you’ve got in front of you. That stuck with me.

Music was the other thing that grounded me. The first time I properly listened to a record, Gregory Isaacs’ Night Nurse, I just lay there. I’d never felt so connected to sound before. That moment changed everything. I started collecting records, getting obsessed with the storytelling behind songs, especially ones that tell real, lived stories. That same obsession shows up in how I design now. It’s always about narrative, about turning feeling into form.

“I design through obsession. That’s where the storytelling starts.”

The Turning Point

In my second year of uni, I got seriously ill with meningitis. It knocked me hard and left me in a dark place. Not long after, one of my best mates was in an accident and I thought I might lose him. Everything felt heavy. I nearly dropped out, but I decided to take a break instead, to intermit.

During that time, I didn’t know what to do with myself. I wasn’t ready to go back to normal, but I needed something. I started messing around on Rhino, a 3D CAD software. One thing led to another and I ended up 3D printing a rough prototype of a jewellery piece. It sparked something. I remembered making a ring in school once and loving it. I’d always thought fashion or jewellery was something other people did, not me.

Learning the Craft

I had nothing to lose, so I went for it. I enrolled in a Level 3 jewellery diploma at the British Academy of Jewellery in London. I didn’t know anyone. I was nervous, but I showed up. And I ended up loving it. The process, the tools, the stories behind the designs, it all just clicked.

That course made me realise what I was actually passionate about. I felt like I’d found something that made sense. Something I could wake up for. Something that gave me space to create, to learn, and to express everything I’d never had the words for.

ADHD and Rediscovery

That same year I was finally diagnosed with ADHD. So much of my past made sense — the burnout, the paralysis, the pressure. I started on medication and my world flipped. For the first time, I could focus. I wrote an essay in one go and actually enjoyed it. That was massive for me.

I went back to uni and poured everything into my work. Every brief, every module, I twisted into something jewellery based. Even though I was studying product design, I made it mine. In my final year, I created a conceptual jewellery project imagining future worlds — and that’s when it clicked. I didn’t just want to design. I wanted to build something of my own.

Why I Started JacquesCDs

This brand didn’t come from a business plan. It came from chaos, obsession, recovery, skate culture, records, and trying to make meaning out of it all. JacquesCDs is where I put everything I’ve learned, everything I’ve lived through, and everything I want to share.

And that’s why I started JacquesCDs. To create pieces that are deeply personal. To tell stories that last. To give other people the space to tell theirs too.