Gift Focus inc Attire Accessories - Page number 38 - September/October 2021

38 When was Cinnamon Aitch launched? We established Cinnamon Aitch in September 1995, just one year following our graduation from Nottingham Trent University where we (Directors Sara Burford and Sarah Fitzpatrick) studied textile design. Wanting to utilise our skills, to keep making and designing, we found there were limited jobs in the industry upon graduation, so we decided to make our own and Cinnamon Aitch was born. What was the initial focus of the company? For the initial five years the business focused on designing fabrics for high end fashion and couture markets. Clients included Chanel, Christian Lacriox, Philip Treacy and Jasper Conran to name but a few. In addition to this we also had our own range of embroidered scarves and wraps that we sold through the likes of Liberty, Harrods and Saks Fifth Avenue. Have you encountered any challenges along the way? Greetings cards were something we had always made. The early designs all incorporated an element of stitch, nodding to our textile roots. After five years of working in the fashion industry we found we were facing many challenges with the business – cheap competition overseas being one – so we decided to diversify and change direction into the greeting card world. We exhibited at Top Drawer with our designs, which included threads across windows and stitched pocket details. We received such a phenomenal response the decision was made, and we have never looked back. How have you evolved your product? More recently we have extended our product offering from cards and stationery into the gift market. Retaining our Cinnamon Aitch signature for beautiful, contemporary design we translated our patterns and illustrations onto well made, British, handmade eco soaps, fulfilling a personal quest to reduce plastic in our own homes. Ensuring our soaps were as environmentally friendly as they could be and the packaging, plastic free but still a beautiful gift product with attention to detail, the soaps have gone from