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The Interview: Ben Harris, CEO of Metal Morphosis

Tom Shearsmith
13 June 2022

With 30 years of history catering to London’s trendiest postcodes, rebel jewellery brand Metal Morphosis has returned to its Soho roots and opened the doors of its newest piercing studio and jewellery store at London's Carnaby.

Located in one of London’s most popular and famed destinations, the Carnaby studio channels the authentic and defiant spirit of Soho. The brand has never shied away from the big issues and is proud to serve a loyal customer base of LGBTQ+ people in the Soho area and beyond.

Grown from a 1990's piercing shop in Soho, Metal Morphosis pioneers style, safety and self expression and has gained a cult following thanks to its inclusive, education-first approach. From launching the first ever piercing school in 1992 to placing concessions in the likes of Topshop and Selfridges, Metal Morphosis champions diversity and cutting-edge style.

TheIndustry.fashion speaks to CEO Ben Harris regarding the company's history, its support for LGBTQ+ clientele and how COVID-19 and Topshop's closure impacted the business.

Tell me about the your history Ben. I know the business has been in your family for generations - what's your background?

I’ve been around piercing and retail from a young age. My dad opened one of the first piercing studios in London in 1991, when I was two yours old. I guess I grew up thinking it was the norm that your dad was a body piercer.

I just remember my dad coming home relaying crazy stories. I’d go back and tell my mates at school and their reactions always stuck in my head. I went to university and did a business degree before falling into the world of media and advertising. I think my dad was all for me going to university, if I’m honest. He was an East End self-made market boy with no qualifications, so the thought of me going to get a degree was a bit alien to him.

Prior to that, I loved sport and specifically extreme sports... anything that boosted my adrenaline really. My passion and I’d say where I built up my real connection with my dad (which helped being in business with one and other) was my love for barefoot water-skiing. We would compete together in the British Team and from the ages of 13 to 18 I was travelling around the world training and competing.

I think looking back, it really taught me a lot about work ethic, dedication, and the simple calculation of the more you put in, the more you get out. It taught me a lot about what it feels like to achieve something and I've tried to apply it to anything I do.

What was your initial relationship with Metal Morphosis and when did you become involved in the business?

I always thought piercing was cool industry and being a family business, I was always in the loop with Metal Morphosis and thought there was further potential to grow it as a brand and community.

We had created a name that people recognised and offered a service that people loved. The foundation was there but the brand execution wasn’t. I had this vision to turn it from a one stop, back alley piercing shop to a piercing and jewellery brand that people felt a connection with and that was different to what was in the market.

I got involved in the business right after graduating, although being truthful, I remember vividly not really wanting to at the time. Unfortunately, I had just lost my mum and my family needed me. Dad was under a lot of pressure with the business, and I felt I needed to step in and help.

The business was my side hustle at the time and in 2011 we managed to get a concession in Topshop, with one piercing pod. That grew organically over the 9 years we were there and by the end we had 5 studios and we were the busiest beauty concession in the Oxford Circus store. That really laid the foundation of the future of brand and where we are now.

In a nutshell – tell me what you offer customers?

We offer professional, high quality, affordable body piercing, with unique surgical grade hypoallergenic jewellery; tailored to the needs of all our clients.

How does it feel for Metal Morphosis to have helped establish the foundations of safety and policy in piercings that we see today?

It’s been a long journey, the developments in procedures, equipment, and licensing since 1991 have been huge, and we’ve been there every step of the way as body piercing has moved from subculture to a global industry.

We began with the goal of making body piercing safe and accessible to all, and so it’s always been of upmost importance that sterile piercing be performed and safe policy developed around the operations of piercing studios, but also that information on safe practices be available to all so that misinformation could be challenged and corrected.

Our focus has always been on providing the best and safest available treatments to our clients. We're always keen to keep up to date too, as new types of jewellery and procedures are continually being developed and we feel excited to have been there from the very start, and to be part of the industry as it moves forward.

Metal Morphosis

Tell me about the jewellery that you offer, and how it differs to competitors.

We specialise in thread-less and internally threaded titanium jewellery. We offer hundreds of options for initial piercing to not only provide optimal healing, but to suit our clients individual needs and desired look.

Our main focus is to deliver high quality, affordable piercing jewellery options that will last and not tarnish. In a market flooded with low quality plated jewellery (normally plated silver or brass), titanium is by far the best metal to pierce with. It can be anodised to almost any colour, and is the most inert metal available - it is also the main metal used for medical implants such as hip replacements.

Going back to the low-quality plated jewellery, why do many of your competitors use it?

Because silver is cheap and malleable, so jewellery brands love it. There is a huge misconception in the market that silver (because it’s a “precious metal”) is a good and safe metal. Silver is in-fact one of the least safe metals for your piercings, because it has nickel in it which isn’t great for your skin. Plus, it oxidises, which is why when you buy cheap earrings, they go green, tarnish or change colour.

The small print across our competitors is that you shouldn’t swim or get your jewellery wet and should place it back into the box before bed. This is the opposite of what we want to achieve for our customers. We want to build longevity and show people when they wear MM products, they safe and made to last and can wear them 24/7.

What are your favourite pieces you stock?

Our solid gold selection is probably our highest priced pieces. We offer them in a variety of styles, with the most popular piece being the 14k gold seemed hoop. For something more special we have multi-jewelled pieces - coloured stones are having a real trend moment.

We also love the adaptability of our titanium range. We currently have over 200 options in store, and this increases every month.

What would you describe as your clientele?

Diverse to say the least! From families with children getting their first earlobe piercings to drag artists. Students, retail workers, barristers and judges, musicians, creatives and artists, city workers, nurses and doctors, tourists - we pierce everyone.

We strive to be inclusive and welcoming to all and that’s reflected in our client base. Our clients get to choose from a huge range of options and benefit from expert advice to help them achieve the look they desire. We are seriously dedicated to customer aftercare and are so happy to have clients still coming back to us after 30 years, sometimes with generations of their families.

You went from a central London store, to a concession, to a central London store again. Tell me about that journey.

When MM launched in soho in 1991 piercing was underground. Within a very short period of time we had queues down the street and Soho was booming with clients who wanted our services.

We were soon approached by Selfridges! Making that move was intrinsic for the industry, as we were involved in taking piercing from the back street to the high street. It established us as the premier piercing shop with a stamp and seal of approval.

We then operated as a concession piercing business for 18 years partnering also with Harvey Nichols and Topshop. COVID-19 brought that model to an end and after launching there over 30 years ago, we are back in Soho where it all started. It’s amazing to be back in a central London store again and have our own presence.

It’s amazing to see so many great reactions of long loyal customers come back to our new store after following us for all these years. We have mums coming into our store with their daughters for ear piercings, who got pierced as kids themselves in our Soho store over 25 years ago.

How did losing the Topshop concession impact you and the business?

Initially, it was very scary as we lost everything overnight. Unfortunately, we had all our eggs in one basket and we were left in a very sticky situation. On top of that, prior to Topshop folding, we had no consistent revenue for 10 months due to COVID-19 and having no online presence, so when we lost the concession, we were told by many professionals to call it day.

However, we came out fighting. I had a baby on the way and a team of piercers whose livelihoods were in our hands. I was destined to not let the brand die. I truly believed we had something special, as customers would keep coming back. The name was strong, the service was great. With a lot of dedication, late nights, a re-brand and incredible team behind us - we launched in Carnaby.

Metal Morphosis

Soho has such a diverse LGBTQ+ community, tell me about how the business has developed its relationship with the LGBTQ+ community.

So MM began in the heart of Soho. My dad saw a community of vibrant and diverse people from all backgrounds and areas, and felt there was no better place to be. When I asked him why he went there initially he said “I stood on the corner of Old Compton Street, looked around at everyone and thought- these are our people”.

We began trading at the tail-end of the AIDS pandemic, at a time when there was still a great deal of prejudice and fear mongering targeted at the LGBTQ+ community, as well as at those involved in body piercing and tattooing.

Body piercing emerged from subcultures of the club scene, kink scene, and underground fashion and music. Soho defined these scenes and so it was logical to be there and it has been an honour and a privilege to serve this community and provide safe and high quality piercing services to them. The rise in commercial body piercing has been exponential over the last decade and even though it has become very mainstream, it remains at its roots a powerful method of self expression.

We know from our years in service that an ear piercing can be both gender-confirming and also an act of non-conformity. It can provide a sense of belonging amongst your peers, mark a sign of marriage or coming of age. There are so many motivations behind getting a piercing.

As a piercing studio that has predominantly served the LGBTQ+ community we have so many stories to the personal reasons people come to our studios. At a time when there were very few safe places to exist as an LGBTQ+ person piercing, a tattoo or piercing parlour has often been a safe space that is free of judgement.

The act of connecting to your body through piercing and tattooing is a universal human experience and tradition that goes back to the beginning of time. Our belief is that body piercing should be accessible to all, and delivered safely and professionally to everyone who walks through our doors. As Soho became a safe haven for the LGBTQ+ community, we will continue to provide inclusive safe-spaces at all of our studios.

What does LGBTQ+ mean to Metal Morphosis?

To be accepted and loved for who you are, and to live authentically, in safety, protected under the same human rights as all people should be. We are, and have always been, an LGBTQ+ community supporting and identifying business. It’s an incredibly important topic to our staff as many of our team over the years sit within this community and are strong advocates.

It’s interesting to look back on how things have changed since we opened in 1991, and the challenges that have been faced by alternative people into body piercing and the LGBTQ+ community.

We have stood up to challenge negative stereotyping, fear-mongering and miss information every day since we opened our doors, and will continue to do so. As we move into Pride month, and the increasing commercialism that accompanies it, we feel it’s important to not lose sight of the ongoing challenges facing the LGBTQ+ community, and the sacrifices of those who came before us who fought for the rights we have today. Pride for us is a time to celebrate our diversity, to honour LGBTQ+ activists, and to continue to campaign for a world that is safe and inclusive for all.

As LGBTQ+ people we have directly struggled through abuse and homelessness and understand the heightened risks to those in our community, particularly those who are trans and POC. Our partner charity Stonewall Housing continues to provide vital support to vulnerable LGBTQ+ people, and will be fundraising additionally for them this pride month.

Tell me how the last 6 months in business has been for you financially?

It’s been an absolute whirlwind if I’m honest. Since opening the doors of our Carnaby store 6 months ago, we simply did what we do best and that’s offering people a professional and friendly experience that my dad ingrained from all those years ago.

The team has doubled in size both in-store and in our back office, plus we launched an online offering and are looking to grow even more.

What’s the future look like for Metal Morphosis?

The demand for Metal Morphosis and the professional services we offer has never been better. Coming out the other side of the pandemic and people being able to travel safely again, along with the boom of ear curation/styling has seen a big rise in what we offer. Seeing our loyal customers come and find us from all over the world has opened our eyes to future growth and locations.

Tailored with the re-brand and community we have, we are, and have always been welcoming to anyone and everyone offering a safe space for people who want to self-express themselves. We are androgynous in style and tell a story through the piercings we offer with authenticity, care and pride. We continue to support the LGBTQ+ community and have done so since opening our doors in the 1990s. Our continuation of commitment to inclusivity has cemented us at the forefront of piercing culture.

For me, piercing is a thrill, is fun and interchangeable. It can tell a story. You can create any look to express yourself as you wish. I’m excited about the future of the brand and proud of where we are.

Additional thanks to Saoirse Flyn, Head of HR & Services at Metal Morphosis.

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