Here at Tiny Box Company we love to learn about our customers and understand more about how their businesses were started and how they have developed. Today we are chatting to Bennita Adair George all about her growing business.
Thank you Bennita for agreeing to interview with us. To start with, can you tell us how and when did your business start?
I started my business in August 2017, immediately after graduating from the University of Brighton with a Masters Degree in Design. After studying Design and Craft for four years, I felt driven to start my own company producing luxury homeware products that explored the fascinating material of Jesmonite. I spent several months building my website, branding and of course, product range, before launching my online store in March 2018, all whilst working from my small home studio in West Sussex. In February 2018, with less than 6 months into my new business venture, I was proudly selected as a finalist in Liberty’s #LibertyOpenCall competition to find ‘the best untapped interior design talent in the UK’.
That’s amazing, it sounds like 2018 has been a very exciting year for your business so far already. You offer some fabulous homeware products, can you tell us what inspires you?
Originality. The most important element to any of my products is that they are unique and different. I aim to create luxury homeware pieces that reflect individuality by exploring the unusual qualities that can only be produced in handmade objects. This inspiration derives from the process of making and the materials themselves. Working in the craft sector, I am inspired daily by my surroundings and doing what I love the most, making. From an early age, I knew I wanted to do be a ‘creative’ as a vocation and this drive pushes me to work harder at doing what I am incredibly passionate about.
You use some really funky bright colours in a lot of your products, have you always been a fan of bold colour?
To put it simply, no. As a student, I lacked confidence in using colour, as I would focus much more on the function and form of a product rather than the aesthetics they would emulate. But since then, my skills as a maker have grown, and so has my individual taste for the bold and unusual, learning that without taking risks in my product development, I won’t create products that capture something different. My current inspiration for colour, originates from the seasonal tones that are found in nature and the environment around me. I use photography as a way of documenting this and work from these images in detail to depict unusual colour matches and new pattern/product concepts.
You have recently had some of our flat packed brown boxes printed in hot foil with your logo, how important is branded packaging to your products?
Incredibly important. To relay the quality of a product, I believe that the branding also needs to match this. The boxes I ordered from the Tiny Box Company are a big part of my products making that initial impact to a customer as soon as they receive their parcel. The homeware products are made to feel special and personal, and the printed boxes highlight this perfectly.
Can you tell us, what are your hopes for Bennita Adair George as a business in the future?
Having started the company less than a year ago, I have many professional goals I would love to achieve in the future, but most importantly, I wish to continue making products that stay true to my personal ethics of originality and to reflect individuality through objects. With an ever-changing retail market, I can only hope that my business sustains itself by growing into a brand that can be recognised for its distinctive style but also as a maker, I hope to advance my skills and knowledge in the industry. This I know, will only come from hard work, experience in the product industry and perseverance.
Thank you Bennita for taking the time to chat with us here at Tiny Box Company, we have enjoyed learning more about what you do. For more information about Bennita Adair George and to see the products they offer please visit www.bennitaadairgeorge.co.uk
Are you interested in having boxes printed? Take a look here at our printing options.