Gift Focus - Jan/Feb 2018 (Issue 105)

When did Talbot Fashions start up and what was the reason for setting up this business? Established in 1980, we began with Paua shell & Mother of Pearl jewellery believing it to be an original product, and here we are again with the branded Tide Jewellery Collection. The company was set up by myself and my twin brother Anthony Talbot, who has now sadly passed away. How were the initial products developed, and what was the response? The initial products were intricately carved Mother of Pearl, which was so different and unusual to anything else we’d seen. It was sourced whilst we were visiting Bethlehem. Each piece was then carded and beautifully packaged with a story attached. What challenges were overcome when the company was starting out? We now had to approach the retailers and hope they too would believe in this product we’d sourced. One in four retailers we approached placed orders to trial this new product which was a great success and repeat orders were soon rolling in. How has the company developed over the years? The company sources directly from the manufacturers and quickly reflects the market trends, we have some of our own designs that are exclusive to Talbot Fashions. Developing the Tide Jewellery gift-boxed range has proven to be a real hit with existing customers and we have secured many new customers. The line consists of pendants, earrings, bangles, bracelets, cuff links, brooches, pill boxes and compacts. Tell us about your product offering. Talbot offers a diverse range of fashion jewellery and accessories. The ranges include sentiment worded jewellery with slogans such as I love you to the moon and back – a real hot seller; woodland themed with diamante and enamel birds; owls, foxes, ladybirds, butterflies & dragonflies; trees & flowers; an equestrian range; faceted glass stone bracelets; pendants and earring sets. There’s also a selection of hair accessories and gift lines for children/teens including colour changing pendants and rings; pendants and hair accessories with popular motifs such as dinosaurs, owls, flowers, butterflies and fairy designs; bright and pastel coloured wooden bead necklaces and bracelets; a lovely range of plush purses and bags, pewter, leather bracelets and even a surf collection, What’s your most popular collection? Our Tide Jewellery Brand! Our Paua shell jewellery is extremely popular and it’s not difficult to see why it’s so well-loved. Its transcendent quality makes it stand out from any other kind of jewellery on the market. Paua shell jewellery is often referred to as the sea opal due to its opalescent blues, rich greens and fiery flashes. The ancient Maori people even named it ‘The gift of the God of the sea’. The natural swirls of the shell create Gift Focus chats to Robert Talbot, Director of Brighton-based Talbot Fashions, one of the UK’s leading suppliers of fashion accessories to the trade from Bethlehem to Brighton 42 giftfocus