We’ve selected some of our favourite designers, craftspeople, online retailers and independent brands to be scrutinised under the Desirable spotlight.  We ask them four simple questions – ‘Who are you?’, ‘What is your design or buying ethos?’, ‘What are your Christmas gift recommendations?’ and ‘What’s in your bag?’  (we’re very nosy).

So now, for your enjoyment, is one of our top jewellery shopping destinations online, Plush Jewellery!

Who is Plush Jewellery?

To answer that simply would be to say that Plush Jewellery is Allie (follow her on Twitter!) and Holly, but Plush Jewellery is equally the product of the jewellery designers we work with.

We have gorgeous jewellery from established names in contemporary jewellery design such as James Newman and Kimberley Selwood as well as limited edition pieces from small scale artisans such as Kate Gill and Dorothy Borland. Right now, we’re showing work from 2 dozen jewellery designers but we’re always looking for new design talent to join our ranks and we run schemes throughout the year to enable new designers to bring their work to a wider audience.

What is your buying ethos?

It’s got to be different. We don’t buy jewellery that you can find on every high street. We don’t show two designers whose work is similar, it’s not fair to the designers to do that. All of the jewellery we buy has to be finished to a very high standard, basically if we wouldn’t buy it and wear it, we won’t offer it for sale (and we are very fussy). Finally we buy from designers who are passionate about what they do; their enthusiasm shines through in their work.

What are Plush Jewellery’s Top 3 Gift Ideas for Christmas?

Just three? We love all of our jewellery (yes, we would say that) but if you’re making us just choose three then these are top of the list this year:

1. Kimberley Selwood Butterfly Effect Silver Cuff (shown above, £235 GBP). This is a stunning piece of jewellery, Kimberley cuts each of the butterflies and forms the cuff by hand. It is beautiful, feminine and completely wearable.
2. Chris Hawkins Corvid Crow Cufflinks with Dark Garnet Eyes (shown above, £240 GBP). Chris’ Corvid collection is new this winter, it is inspired by the obsession the Victorians had for collecting. These cufflinks are made from polished blackened silver and enchance any chaps cuffs.
3. Gemma Clarke Silver acorn cup on champagne pearls – (shown above, £70 GBP). Gemma’s pearls are popular with our customers. She joined us last Christmas under our New Designers scheme and has shown with us ever since. This necklace, featuring champagne pearls, sterling silver and 18ct gold plate is elegant and stylish.

And finally, Allie and Holly, what’s in your bag?

Allie: I’m going stand up and show my complete geekness here: I’ve only just got my hands on an iPhone 3Gs on o2 (shown above F, £745.89 GBP from Amazon) and it’s already changing the way I work with a wealth of apps that tie in with the things I do online.  I’ve used Moleskine Pocket Notebooks for a few years now (shown above B, Plain Cahier £3.96 GBP at Borders). They’re gorgeously tactile and the pocket size fits perfectly in a bag. I always go for the ruled version.  Finally the Montblanc Meisterstuck hommage a Frederic Chopin Platinum Line (shown above C, £235.00 GBP at Wheelers Luxury Gifts), which writes beautifully and feels gorgeous. It’s not available to buy online but can be found in most John Lewis stores or from Montblanc boutiques.

Holly:  I use Clinique lip gloss (in Air Kiss, shown above A, £13.00 GBP from Debenhams) because it has an spf factor and keeps your lips soft through out the day.  It also has a lovely understated colour with a beautiful shine.   I use the Montblanc Boheme roller ball pens (shown above D, £235.00 GBP at Wheelers Luxury Gifts) – they’re beautifully designed, and have a lovely shape and weight making it a pleasure to write with – even if it’s a cheque! It was given to me as a gift and has very happy memories attached to it hence I never leave home without it in my handbag.  I also carry Bliss High Intensity Hand Cream (shown above E, £18.00 GBP at Amazon). When my hands are feeling a little unloved this is the product I reach for. It’s the ideal handbag size for use on the go. The cream is quite rich so you don’t need a lot but doesn’t leave your hands feeling greasy. It also means that it lasts along time.

Thanks so much for letting us have a nose through your bag and your store Allie and Holly! To check out Plush Jewellery for yourselves, click here!

I was just browsing around, as you do, and came across the Fat Face knitwear collection.  It conjured up images of roaring fires, steaming mugs of hot chocolate, cold mornings and dark, crisp nights.  I think White Stuff may have some serious competition for my ‘Ultimate Knitwear Fashion Brand’ award:

A: Lainie Longline Cardi, £30.00 GBP

B: Lucy Knit Jacket, £40.00 GBP

C: Nevis Knit Jacket, £60.00 GBP

D: Bessy Cardi, £25.00 GBP

E: Charlie Check Pattern Hoodie, £50.00 GBP

F: Betty Bobble Knit, £55.00 GBP

And if the above weren’t enough, we have another reason to love Fat Face – they’ve done a collab with Andrea Williamson and created a limited edition Fat Face Big Foot Scarf:

We caught up with Andrea and asked her, ‘What drives you to consistently come up with such beautiful, creative pieces?’

I just have to make things, it’s like some kind of compulsion there just aren’t enough hours in the day to do everything though.  There are bits and pieces I’ve collected and scribbles for future projects everywhere, they might all happen someday.

What advice would you give for selecting the perfect Christmas gift?

A perfect Christmas gift is a little something you don’t need but would really like to have, a little luxury you wouldn’t normally buy for yourself.  So I try to think about that when choosing something for someone else but most importantly it needs to be appropriate for the person, so if 3 dozen golf balls would make them delighted then so be it.  And something handmade usually goes down well as it’s unique and time and care has gone into it, something like putting together a photo album for example is good for a friend or family member.  There are so many of us with drawers of prints in boxes or just files on the computer that can’t be accessed at leisure in the way it’s nice to flick through an album.

Finally, what advice would you give for any of our readers who are perhaps considering taking up knitting themselves?

Knitting has become ever more popular again in the past few years and there are some lovely shops stocking knitting yarns and everything you need to get started, some of them run classes so find out if there are any clubs or classes in your area to make it more social and swap experiences.  It’s a good idea to start with something simple and use big needles and a nice chunky yarn so it grows faster and is easier to fix mistakes.

If you want to get your own limited edition Andrea Williamson scarf, we suggest you get online early!  There’s only fifty scarves available and they retail for £65.00, AND you have to buy them online (or from the Blueswater, Kingston, Canary Wharf or Norwich stores)! Get your clicking fingers ready ladies!

We’ve selected some of our favourite designers, craftspeople, online retailers and independent brands to be scrutinised under the Desirable spotlight.  We ask them four simple questions – ‘Who are you?’, ‘What is your design or buying ethos?’, ‘What are your Christmas gift recommendations?’ and ‘What’s in your bag?’  (we’re very nosy).

So now, for your enjoyment, is one of our favourite independent crafty brands, Bonbi Forest:

Who is ‘Bonbi Forest’?

Bonbi Forest is me Lee May Foster, an artist and maker of things who lives by the sea in deepest, darkest Cornwall.

What is Bonbi Forest’s design ethos?

My screen print and jewellery designs have their roots in my drawings and paintings which feature many a critter, creature and scape of trees, sea and sky. In my work I like to explore patterns, rhythms and stories, and the connection of people to nature. The wild world shapes us and we shape it. In my work you will see that I like shapes and I like colours.

What are Bonbi Forest’s Top 3 Gift Ideas for Christmas?

My raw edged cotton Owl Pattern scarves (£12.00 GBP each, shown above in pink, yellow, olive green and blue) are a great gift and have been popular with teens and older ladies alike. It’s all about how you wear it – wrapped around and around again, or lovely and long…they are super for adding some pattern detail and colour to the winter days and are lightweight enough to see you through into spring and as a cover-up in summer…and who doesn’t like an owl in a pattern anyway? Most people like owls and patterns.

Indie gifts for men are a little harder to find than those for the ladies, and my mens tees have always been popular as gifts. I actually started making them when I couldn’t think what to get the men in my life and they are all still asking if they can have more. Favorites have been the Howling on the Wind tee (£20.00 GBP, shown above), Alphabet Owl and The Butterfly Catchers…

Lastly, if anyone wants to get me a present for Christmas I am coveting with a big heart these necklaces ($175.00 USD, shown above) from American jewellery designer Laura Lombardi (in fact anything from her Etsy shop would be awesome).

Lastly, what’s in your bag?

The most important things that I carry everywhere are my sketch/notebook and a bunch of pens. I don’t have a preferred notebook (the Desirable team love this V&A one available at Debenhams, £8.00 GBP, shown above) but I love the Staedtler pens (£9.99 GBP from Amazon.co.uk, shown above) for everyday use as they come in a crush proof pack of different colours so they are ideal for scibbling ideas and kicking about in my Tardis of a handbag…

I always have a hand cream with me. I’m pretty fickle as to exactly which tube or pot I happen to have in my bag, but my favorite all time brand (for all skincare) is Liz Earle (Heavenly Hands Pack, £14.25 GBP, shown above) It’s wonderful stuff and the active ingredients are all natural, which makes sense seeing as we are natural beings…

I’m also growing out my fringe at the moment and some days my flyaway mane just won’t keep out of my eyes (not good when I’m trying to make pictures) so I also always have some grips with me. They are a little boring though and I like to add a little cuteness and wear a big silver snap hair clip on top of them (try these, available at Accessorize, £6.00 GBP, shown above).

Apart from those things I usually just have a bottle of water, my old phone, a hairbrush (the Desirable team like this one by Trevor Sorbie, £5.00 GBP at Boots, shown above) and an apple in there (and loads of old receipts!)…

Thanks so much for letting us have a nose through your bag and your range, Lee May!  To check out Bonbi Forest, click here!

I’m sure you’ve all come across the ‘good gift’ style of presents, particularly around Christmas time.  You know the sort I mean – you see them in Tescos and Sainsburys and in stores along the high-street, where you can buy a gift card that promises to buy a disadvantaged farmer in a developing country a goat or a handful of chickens.  Perhaps you’ve come across charity gift cards that promise to give their profits back to the charities they represent – many stores do this.  And you’d be forgiven for thinking that your well-earned money was going straight to the people that need it – this is, after all, the whole point of charitable gift giving.

Sadly there are many brands who take advantage of people’s charitable spirit and their desire to do good.  There have been highly publicized cases where major brands (no names mentioned here, but you can easily do the research and find out who we mean) sell charity cards or do-good gifts but actually take the majority of the profits for themselves.  Another common concern is that foreign governments or forces intervene, preventing the funding or gifts from getting to those they’re intended for.  So how do you know exactly where to purchase your charitable gifts and cards, and who is the most deserving?  We spoke to Dame Hilary Blume, Director of the Charities Advisory Trust (the closest thing to a watch-dog that the industry has) and founder of the Good Gifts Catalogue and Card Aid organization, to get the low-down. Read the rest of this entry »

Paul Gorman has a CV that would make your average lover of pop-culture physically ill with jealousy. Having successfully worked as a journalist, a music and fashion historian, an author, a DJ and club-owner, and a creative consultant, Gorman has now switched his focus to the promotion and development of his innovative new fashion label, The Look Presents. With limited edition t-shirts already on the hangers at TopMan and two more books in the pipeline, you’d think Gorman would be just about ready to call it a day and, you know, give some of the rest of us a go? Instead he’s tackling ready-to-wear men’s fashion with the aim of giving casual wear a much-needed shot in the arm. The current designs available in store, by iconic Wonder Workshop duo John and Molly Dove, include reworked versions of the ‘Wild Thing’ tee, originally worn by Sid Vicious and Marc Bolan, and the ‘Hawks and Doves’ design once worn by Paul McCartney. The garment designs to be released next will be designed by Nigel Waymouth (co-creator of famous fashion boutique Granny Takes a Trip) and Antony Price (fashion designer renowned for collaborations with Duran Duran, Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music).

Not in the least; it all happened by chance. But the pop star interviews I did were partly responsible for my book The Look. I often found the artists and musicians were more interested in talking about clothes (and many showed a surprising knowledge which would put your average fashion writer to shame) than answering the same old questions about their new album/single/tour.

Then the label sprang from the book; I felt sympatico with many of the people in it and found it ridiculous that great talents such as Antony Price, Wonder Workshop and Nigel Waymouth (to name just a few) were being all-but ignored in fashion circles. It was also clear that their work was being “referenced” without credit, so the label was a way of paying them their dues. Read the rest of this entry »

This ‘Featured:’ article is the first in what will hopefully be a long series of regular interviews with some of Desirable.co.uk’s most loved artists, designers and entrepreneurs. We aim to support local craftspeople and business people, and we like being nosey! We hope you enjoy the ‘Featured:’ series. So without further ado, meet our first interviewee, Di Overton:

Di Overton is a well-known figure within the British design industry. With a solid background in advertising, Di, along with her partner Harvey Roll, set up the website WhereDidYouBuyThat.com, an innovative online store which sells unusual designer items. After a move to the country and the sale of the WhereDidYouBuyThat.com business, Di and Harvey decided that it was time to try something new – and thus Ghost Furniture was born. Ghost Furniture is an innovative business which is centered upon the philosophy of giving quality vintage furniture a new life and a new home. Di also runs an inspirational design blog, Designers Block. We’re thrilled to be able to share our interview with Di, as we believe she is the perfect role-model for any up-and-coming designer or craftsperson within the UK.

What initially drew you to the idea of ‘ghost furniture’?

I had the idea when I owned wheredidyoubuythat.com but never had time to put it into action. When we decided to sell wheredidyoubuythat.com and our advertising agency I, at last, had that time.

Our youngest daughter lives in Paris so we were going to France quite a lot and it is just the BEST place for vintage items. I have always seen the best in discarded pieces of furniture, they are like old people, sometimes you can look at an old person and think – you must have been so beautiful or handsome when you were younger – well furniture is like that to me. Neither should be discarded.

Read the rest of this entry »