What I love most...
‘The flexibility of working for myself in a studio at The Top of my garden!’
invited her to be part of Spotted at the Top Drawer trade event – a dedicated area for businesses that are new to the market.
‘It was daunting,’ says Helen. ‘I had never been to a trade show before, but the buyers liked what I did and placed orders. It gave us a leg-up and the business grew. Now we have more than 80 stockists around the country. We grabbed every piece of business advice along the way. I still go to Top Drawer – it keeps us known. I also attend other events, such as The Contemporary Craft Festival at Bovey Tracey in Devon.’
Inspiration for Helen’s screenprinted designs comes from the countryside and coastline around her, and her studio has fabulous views across the fields and down to the sea. She spends many hours doing sketches and drawings for her collections.
For example, Helen’s Coastal range includes designs based on a replica of an 18th-century lugger called the Grayhound that chased smugglers around the Cornish coast, and now offers sailing adventures, while her Quayside collection is inspired by visits to a nearby beach, where mackerel, looking for whitebait to feed on, come close to the shore. Helen’s latest collection, coming out in September, features bees, which is a subject close to her heart because both her father and brother are beekeepers.
Everything is made at Helen’s studio by Helen, Hayley Gibson and apprentice Megan Bartley. Helen took on Hayley in October 2015 and Megan in August 2016 as the business grew. ‘For young people living in Cornwall, gaining access to employment within the creative sector, particularly in the area of textiles, can be a challenge,’ she says. ‘It was really important to me, as a small emerging business, to try to give opportunities to young people in the area and, as the business grew, I was able to take on my first apprentice.
‘Hayley, who lives in the village, has now successfully completed her qualifications and works with us full time, taking responsibility for the making of the products and stock control and assisting with the daily running of the business,’ says Helen. ‘She is helped by Megan, who also lives locally and came to us following the completion of an HND in fashion and textiles. We are a happy, busy team who love what we do. The apprenticeship scheme has given both Hayley and Megan a great insight into how a small creative business is run, and it’s great to be able to give young people living locally in the village employment in the creative sector.
‘Every day is a delight and we always learn something new,’ says Helen. ‘I love living here and being part of a great village.’