I’ve worked hard to grow the brand to where it is now and I’m so proud of everything I’ve achieved.
I sat down with our amazing founder last week to chat through some of her biggest achievements, favourite products and all things Yvonne Ellen!
“I’ve worked hard to grow the brand to where it is now and I’m so proud of everything I’ve achieved alongside my team.”
Where did the brand ‘Yvonne Ellen’ come from?
With a passion for art ever since I can remember, I originally trained as a printed textile designer at Nottingham Trent University. After I graduated, I was working as a menswear designer. But a career in fashion isn’t for the faint-hearted and I found that I wasn’t passionate about it.I knew I needed to do something else.
Yvonne Ellen all started with a vintage tea set. It was my best friend’s wedding and I was struggling with what to buy for a wedding gift. I wanted to give a gift that was both beautiful and unique, something super special which I just couldn’t find on the high street, no matter how hard I looked.
I had a huge collection of absolutely stunning vintage bone china which I had collected over the years from various charity shops, market stalls and car boot sales (my passion!). I decided to upcycle some of it by hand-painting it to create the perfect gift. I got amazing feedback for it from friends and family and so I took the leap and started selling my designs online.
I spent my days working at my full-time design job and by night I ran my online store - creating listings online, updating stock inventory and packaging orders. On the weekends I made more of my vintage stock, and I had a stall at Spitalfields Market. Looking back, it was exhausting but I knew I was onto something good, and I wanted to grind to make it happen!
What is your fave thing about owning Yvonne Ellen?
I love the flexibility. Having my two kiddos I am constantly running around, especially with my little Wilfy, trips to the hospital happen a lot, so being able to work around that and know I can always be there for my little pooch’s is amazing. I also absolute love the day-to-day work, I get to design, create social media content, art direct photoshoots and so much more, it’s a creative person dream!!
What’s next for the Yvonne Ellen Brand?
Yvonne Ellen has grown hugely since then and I still have to pinch myself when I stop and think about it. I now have my own central London studio and a full team working on my website, social media and brand. My range has also grown. I now have tableware, home fragrance, bedding, gifts, greeting cards and my latest new addition – a kitchenware range. There are also lots of new products being developed and launches in the pipeline – watch this space!
What is it that keeps you going when times are tough?
To be honest, it’s the community of followers and customers that we have. I recently hit 100,000 followers on Instagram and can’t quite believe that there are that many people loving my little brand! All the lovely messages and reviews we get really make this worth doing and keep the whole team going when things get super busy! I really do love what I do and that always helps, it doesn’t feel like work when you love it so much.
What is your favourite Yvonne Ellen product?
I really love a lot of my new kitchenware… the ‘butter me up’ butter dish is up there in my top 3. It’s iconic. I would have to say that they sushi range is my favourite collection. As a sushi lover I reckon I use this at least once a week and I am always so chuffed when I get it out the cupboard. It is pastel, has some of my favourite illustrations on it, but is also so practical for my sushi feasts, especially the dip bowls for all the soy sauce!
Can you give us a sneak peek of some of the new things coming for Yvonne Ellen?
Oooo, we have some VERY exciting launches happening this spring, it is probably the busiest time of year at Yvonne Ellen… I’ve added a lot to my kitchenware range but I definitely have some favourites. The oil and vinegar pourers are amazing, and I’ve included a new vintage illustration on one of them, so that’s exciting. I really wanted a serving bowl in the collection so that’s coming soon, it is the perfect size for serving up a salad, or (much more likely in my world) a big bowl of crisps. Finally, the vintage looking tea, coffee, sugar canisters are INCREDIBLE, simple but so so cute perfect for any kitchen!