Yes, I have always loved drawing, painting and generally doing anything creative from a very young age. Art was my favourite subject at school and I was fortunate enough to have amazing teachers that really pushed not only us as pupils, but for our extracurricular arts programmes too.

However, I would say whilst working in a very demanding, creative industry after my degree, I definitely put other artistic outlets to one side as working in fashion takes up a lot of creative energy in itself.  It wasn’t until the pandemic hit and all of a sudden I had a lot of free time on my hands, that I decided to get my paints out and dedicate some thought to it again.

As a team we loved the idea that BYAM also stands for ‘between you and me’ and it seemed like a strong enough theme to start with for our first 3 candles.

As much as I had an almost blank canvas to work with, I was also conscious that I wanted them to look great wherever people choose to display them. I am inspired by the idea that the artwork can mean something different to each person too. For example, I designed ‘you are here’ as a very simple statement that some people might understand as ‘you are here’…in my heart because I love you or 'you are here’…because you are going through a tough time and I want you to know I am thinking of you.

Alternatively, the second candle collection ‘because you are’ is more of a mood boosting collection for people.  After the last few years we have had due to the pandemic, sometimes you just need to gift someone a candle and tell them they are beautiful or magnifique or that they are your world!

The textile designs were much easier to come up with because they already have a specific room associated to them being the kitchen, so naturally the theme around them was good food, wine and coffee etc.

As a family, we often visit the South of France which is where the French influence comes into the designs (that and the fact that some words just sound much cooler in French!) I designed them for what me, my family and friends would love in their kitchens. I wanted them to be unique and having previously researched for tea towels and oven gloves for myself and not being blown away by what is currently on the market, it was really enjoyable to design something new and modern for people’s homes, including my own!

Personally, I love it when someone comes in to my home and compliments that one item that I think is really special. So hopefully these products have that effect too!

If we have an initial theme or words we like, the designs definitely come to me quicker than if we are starting from scratch. Once I get a design completed which I like and the team like, then it makes it a lot easier to work through the rest.

Generally, the first one usually takes the longest to think of, but once we find the right theme or idea we like, it’s easier to complete the others.

It varies really, some I can do once and love them, others I really get in my head about and if one little aspect isn’t working for me or I feel it can look better, I will do it as many times as I can until I’m happy with it.  Although, occasionally, after a few attempts of trying anything different, I end up going back to the original design I did and realise it was right to begin with!

Because bone china is such a premium product and the artwork is completely original, I think the bone china compliments the art work and vice versa. The sustainability of the product gives the artwork longevity too, its lovely that as well as a candle it has many multi uses enabling customers to keep and use them forever.

Definitely, so initially I draw the designs on A3 canvas in pencil and usually after a lot of rubbing out and starting again, I have a finished illustration ready to paint.  I paint the designs using black acrylic and once they are dry we take them to be scanned, we receive a version of each illustration as a PDF and the originals are returned for our library.

We then send the PDF’s to someone (who is much more confident with photoshop than I am) to thoroughly check them to remove any marks such as old pencil lines and they electronically clean the page; once we are entirely happy, they are ready to be used.

We then send them to the graphic teams at the factories to produce templates for our approval where we check the position and layout of the artwork. It can take several attempts to get things perfect. When we do finally approve the layout, the factories screen print decals.  The decals are then either hand applied to the bone china ready for the enamel firing process, or screen printed directly onto flat fabric for linens; the printed fabric is then cut to shape and sewn to make our finished products. 

See How It's Made for more details too.

1. A BYAM England bone china scented candle has to be my first choice. I love all of our original six candles but ‘You are Here’ and ‘All you need is love’ are my favourites for a few reasons…The scents are amazing, the candle itself is such high quality and I love that you can reuse the vessel afterwards. Then on a personal note, both of these feel quite sentimental as they are 2 of the first designs Mandy, Katie and I really fell in love with and the other designs flowed easily from these, so they are particularly special.
2. Next I would say a BYAM tea towel (or oven glove!) to hang in your kitchen. They look SO chic, and truly are like a piece of art for your space, especially if wall space in your kitchen is limited-they are a great way to add a cool statement and break up a functional area. My favourite is ‘Café au lait’!
3. And my third choice would be a set of bone china coasters. Everyone who comes to my house comments on them. They are very versatile, working in any room. Sometimes I like to have them as a set together, other times I like to have them scattered around, for example one next to my bed to put my jewelry on at night, 2 in the lounge for guests & hot drinks and one in the kitchen for tea bags or tea spoons! (they look very sweet next to a kettle) Besides the fact that they have so many multi uses they are just so fun too!