About Us
The story behind DesigNA – where science, family legacy, and a commitment to living fully came together to create something genuinely new.
The Beginnings
DesigNA was founded by Oliver Sullivan, a Loughborough University Economics graduate and the son of Neil Sullivan and Louise Allcroft — the scientists who first conceived the idea of DNA jewellery over twenty years ago. Back then, the technology and the timing weren’t quite right. The idea sat quietly in their laboratory notebooks, waiting for the world to catch up.
Neil and Louise spent decades building Complement Genomics into one of the UK’s most respected DNA testing laboratories, with expertise spanning parentage testing, forensic science, and clinical research. Through all of it, the idea of wearing one’s DNA persisted — not as a gimmick, but as something genuinely meaningful. It simply needed the right person and the right moment to bring it to life.
The Journey
Oliver’s route to founding DesigNA wasn’t a straight line. During his third year at Loughborough — a year he took out specifically to build the company — he suffered a brain bleed. It was the kind of experience that recalibrates everything. He had been on course for a 2:1. After it, something shifted. He returned to his final year with a clarity about what mattered and what was possible, and graduated with a First Class degree.
“It sounds strange to say it, but the brain bleed changed everything for the better,” Oliver reflects. “It was a reminder that tomorrow isn’t promised. You either go all in, or you don’t go at all.”
Graduating with his degree in hand, Oliver committed to DesigNA fully. He incorporated Double Strand Ltd — the company behind the DesigNA brand — and set about building what his parents had imagined decades earlier, combining the scientific rigour of their laboratory background with the commercial instinct of someone who had studied economics his whole life.
DesigNA is Oliver’s chapter of a story that began long before him — a business built from lived experience, inherited passion, and a genuine belief that science can be worn, given, and felt.
The Journey
Oliver’s route to founding DesigNA wasn’t a straight line. During his third year at Loughborough — a year he took out specifically to build the company — he suffered a brain bleed. It was the kind of experience that recalibrates everything. He had been on course for a 2:1. After it, something shifted. He returned to his final year with a clarity about what mattered and what was possible, and graduated with a First Class degree.
“It sounds strange to say it, but the brain bleed changed everything for the better,” Oliver reflects. “It was a reminder that tomorrow isn’t promised. You either go all in, or you don’t go at all.”
Graduating with his degree in hand, Oliver committed to DesigNA fully. He made it his goal to build what his parents had imagined decades earlier, combining the scientific rigour of their laboratory background with the commercial instinct of someone who had studied economics his whole life.
DesigNA is Oliver’s chapter of a story that began long before him — a business built from lived experience, inherited passion, and a genuine belief that science can be worn, given, and felt.
Personalisation
Personalised jewellery is everywhere. There is an initial here, a name engraved there. But true personalisation goes far deeper than a laser and a serif font. At DesigNA, personalisation begins in the laboratory, not the workshop.
We extract and analyse your DNA, identifying a unique combination of genetic markers that are entirely yours. These markers are then mapped to a specific sequence of pearls and semi-precious stones, all which are chosen for its quality and colour, each arrangement governed by your individual genetic profile.
The result is a piece of jewellery that cannot be copied, because the blueprint doesn’t exist outside of you.
Gifting
The search for a truly meaningful gift is something most people know well. Flowers fade, candles burn down, and engraved keepsakes gather dust. DesigNA exists for the moments when you want to give something that genuinely cannot be replicated — because it literally cannot be.
Each DesigNA piece is created from the recipient’s actual DNA. Their unique genetic profile is translated into a one-of-a-kind pattern of pearls and semi-precious stones — a necklace that no one else in the world could own, because no one else shares their DNA.
Whether it’s a milestone birthday, a wedding anniversary, a new arrival, or a tribute to someone you’ve lost, a DesigNA piece becomes more than a gift. It becomes a keepsake — something tangible, scientific, and deeply, irreplaceably personal.
Legacy
There is something profound about the idea of leaving a piece of yourself behind — not metaphorically, but literally. A DesigNA necklace made from your DNA is, in the most scientific sense, a representation of you: your genetic identity, rendered in metal and stone.
For many of our customers, that is precisely the point. A piece created for a grandparent to pass to a grandchild. A tribute commissioned after a loss. A parent’s DNA preserved in a form that a child can hold and wear for a lifetime. These are not just gifts — they are heirlooms with a depth of meaning that conventional jewellery simply cannot carry.
At DesigNA, we believe the most valuable things we can pass down are those that cannot be replicated. And nothing is more irreplaceable than who you are at a genetic level.
What We Do
Every DesigNA piece begins with a simple DNA collection kit, sent directly to your door. Using a gentle cheek swab, you provide your sample — then post it back to us in our prepaid packaging.
In the laboratory, our scientific team analyses your sample to identify a unique set of genetic markers. These markers form the basis of your personal pattern: a precise, non-repeatable sequence that reflects your individual DNA profile.
Our skilled craftspeople then bring that pattern to life. Each pearl and semi-precious stone is individually selected, positioned according to your genetic sequence, and mounted on a high-quality chain. The finished piece arrives with a certificate of authenticity confirming the science behind what you’re wearing.
From swab to finished necklace, the entire process takes several weeks — and produces something that is, in every measurable sense, uniquely yours.
Our Scientific Partner
Behind every DesigNA piece is the DNA analysis expertise of Complement Genomics Ltd — one of the most experienced genetic testing laboratories in the United Kingdom, and the company founded by Oliver’s parents, Neil Sullivan and Louise Allcroft.
Complement Genomics holds ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation and is accredited by the Ministry of Justice to carry out parentage tests for civil courts in England and Wales. With decades of experience spanning human identity testing, clinical trials, and non-human species identification, they bring a level of scientific rigour that few laboratories in the country can match.
This is not a partnership of convenience — it is the scientific foundation upon which DesigNA was built. When you wear a DesigNA piece, the DNA analysis behind it has been conducted by scientists who have dedicated their careers to the frontier of genetic science.
