Gift Focus inc Attire Accessories - Page number 66 - May/June 2021

66 are designed and printed in the UK using paper from responsible sources. • Textiles – All our textiles are designed, printed and manufactured in the UK. Our textiles are made using only water-based inks, which have virtually no impact on the environment. • Gift Sets – Our gift sets feature various combinations of our products in FSC card bags and boxes. What are your most popular products? Soaps! We have an extensive range of fragrances that are all popular, however our Coastal, Wildflower, Lemon Sorbet and White Jasmine soaps are always competing to be top of the table. Have any styles taken you by surprise with their popularity? We knew soaps would be popular but we had no idea just how popular they would be. We are constantly getting emails and messages from customers who were delighted with their purchase. They are the perfect product for now. Hand washing has never been so important and bar soaps are an easy swap from plastic bottled liquid soap. How do you keep your designs fresh and current? Do you follow trends? We create all our designs in house, including all the original photography, well I say ‘we’, its mainly my award winning wife Sarah who is the creative director and responsible for interpreting trends and combining this with customer feedback to create something fresh and desirable. What sets you apart from your competitors? We are constantly being creative and striving to produce the very best UK made, sustainable and quality gift collections possible. This isn’t always the easiest approach but we believe it gains the best results. How are you finding the current climate in the UK? This conversation always starts with the mention of COVID-19, but as devastating as the pandemic has been there is also Brexit to consider. We were dedicated to producing UK made products for the UK market before it became as difficult as it is at the moment to import, so although that is a challenge it is one that we are overcoming. Are you active on social media? How is this important for your business? In a word connection. We are active on Instagram and Facebook and really value the connection it gives us with our customers. It not only allows us to showcase new products, but also allows us to gather feedback and generally just feel part of a community. Do you have any advice for new businesses starting out in the world of gifts? As a new company I don’t honestly know if we have all the answers, but dedication and flexibility are two things needed to achieve success. Dedication is something that has always been essential, but in the current climate flexibility and creativity are more important then ever before. What can we expect in the future from the company? As a company we are constantly designing and being creative, whether it be extending a current collection to include additional products or adding a completely new collection. We are greatly influenced by our surroundings and feedback from our knowledgeable customers so there is always something exciting just around the corner! THE SEA SHED +44 (0)1736 793 541 , E: contact@theseashed.com, www.theseashed.com