Gift Focus inc Attire Accessories - January / February 2021

COMPANY PROFILE 137 HILL & ELLIS @hillandellis www.hillandellis.com but it has been so popular that it is now part of our brand collection and is one of our bestsellers. How do you keep your designs fresh and current? Do you follow trends? We always use cycling as our inspiration. How people use the products on their bike and what they need it for are key to our designs. We do pay attention to trends in material, and colours but as we are not a fast fashion brand, trends are not our focus. We want to make pieces that last for years – both in the quality of the product and in its style. What sets you apart from your competitors? Our style. From the outset we have been focussed on style and function. We felt that other companies were only focused on the functionality of a bike bag but ignored the importance of its looks and how it works when off the bike. We want to design that bags that work all day – on and off the bike, at work, at the shops and in the pub. How are you finding the current climate in the UK? Is it affecting business? It is affecting business. The lockdowns are causing uncertainty and that is being reflected in buying patterns. But what we are seeing is more people taking to cycling. Which frankly is really exciting. I am a cyclist and love it, so I always extol the virtues of it as a mode of transport. We are hopeful that next year will be a boom time for cyclists as more people realise what a great option it is for commuting, shopping and everyday travel. Are you active on social media? How is this important for the business? Social Media is really important to our business, it’s a great way to speak to our target audience. Our products are very visual and look great on Instagram. (Even if I say so myself.) It’s a great medium for speaking to your customers. Do you have any advice for new businesses starting out in the world of gifts? Find your niche, there are so many gift products out there now that you have to stand out. Harness the power of your packaging, it can sell the product for you. Also consider how you can make your products bespoke. We recently purchased a de-bosser so we can add initials on our products for customers hunting out a special gift. Unique gifting is hugely popular and you stand out from the rest if you can personalise your products so its definitely worth considering. What can we expect in the future from the company? On the 1 st December we are launching our small saddle bags, which are the perfect gift. They don’t just attach to the saddle they also attach to the front of the bike as well as onto the front of a scooter. These are a lovely gift for any cyclist, or scooterer (is that a word?) and look great with initials. They are British made, handcrafted in Italian leather and are available in a range of colours. We are also working on our sustainable collection and hope to have a new range with recycled fabrics for spring 2021. Finally, we are also gearing towards being plastic-free from source to saddle for 2021 and we continue to commit to planting one tree for every bag sold. So, we hope to continue growing our mangrove forest!