Rose Tomalin, co-founder of Love Brand, talks expanding Love Brand, championing small brands and paving the way for generations to come. We sat down to discuss the exciting new launch of Love Brand's multi-brand concept stores 'Club Brands'.
Image courtesy of Iona Nicoll
Tell me a bit about yourself and your role within LOVE BRAND & Co.
I essentially am the wife of the brains behind Love Brand, Oliver! He is a creative genius and has allowed me to help bring the brand to life. We have been through a million challenges along the way, both personally and professionally, and have always muddled through.
I guess allowing me to create my edit of Club Brands and call it my own is his nod to me. I feel honoured. It has been a mad and miraculous journey and continues to be so. I am the luckiest girl alive to share it all with the person I love most. He calls me co-founder, but in truth, I have just been that ear he needed along the way. I hope to bring my own vision to life alongside Love Brand and to create a world for all things summer (and I mean that in every sense of the word).
I guess allowing me to create my edit of Club Brands and call it my own is his nod to me. I feel honoured. It has been a mad and miraculous journey and continues to be so. I am the luckiest girl alive to share it all with the person I love most. He calls me co-founder, but in truth, I have just been that ear he needed along the way. I hope to bring my own vision to life alongside Love Brand and to create a world for all things summer (and I mean that in every sense of the word).
What was the inspiration behind creating a woman’s edit?
The initial inspiration came as I felt Love Brand should have an offering for women. Oliver and I had discussed after a trip to LA (where there is a large concept store culture) the need to conceptualise and widen the offering in the Love Brand world without diluting the excellence in what we do. With our own brand routed in giving back and evolving our own eco-conscious credentials, I had a growing understanding and excitement for the space while discovering some amazing other brands along the way.
There was a natural moment to house all this together in some sort of edit or club alongside our own brand. Something useful for shoppers – where we can all buy beautiful things and make more sustainable choices. As well as something useful to our own business, widening the audience to a female demographic. Also, useful to the brands themselves. Having grown our business from nothing with Oliver, we know all too well the challenges and helping others is an important part of it all. Oliver and I have a desire to support other emerging entrepreneurs and businesses sharing a similar ethos to our own. We hope our club can be a platform to support these businesses as they grow and promote a more mindful and slower shopping culture.
There was a natural moment to house all this together in some sort of edit or club alongside our own brand. Something useful for shoppers – where we can all buy beautiful things and make more sustainable choices. As well as something useful to our own business, widening the audience to a female demographic. Also, useful to the brands themselves. Having grown our business from nothing with Oliver, we know all too well the challenges and helping others is an important part of it all. Oliver and I have a desire to support other emerging entrepreneurs and businesses sharing a similar ethos to our own. We hope our club can be a platform to support these businesses as they grow and promote a more mindful and slower shopping culture.
Image courtesy of Iona Nicoll
What has the reaction to the launch of the edit been like?
Amazing!! Truly, I have been so surprised and overwhelmed! Women have often said on entering our Love Brand stores before that they wished we had something to offer them and now we have! Now people are buying across our brand, and our multi-brand, and enjoying the Love Brand experience the way we had always dreamed. Love Brand has truly become that one-stop holiday shop. An environment for all to enjoy whilst making shopping for their holiday effortless, enjoyable and more mindful.
How important to you is it to give small eco-conscious brands a voice?
It is such a huge part of why I did this. Oliver and I have learnt so many tough lessons on our journey. It is very rare to find an established business that offers a platform like this to other brands that are where we were 10 years ago. Whether it be the customer exposure, industry intros or just good solid advice, I hope to be able to guide our brands in residence and help them avoid some of the pitfalls and hopefully speed up their road to success.
Image courtesy of Iona Nicoll
What are you wearing this month?
Wow…there are so many things I love! With the weather as incredible as it has been, it has to be the COSSIE + CO swimsuit. Effortlessly beautiful and flattering (especially after 2 children!!). The Edie is my favourite in Black and White.
Club Brand: Cossie & Co | The Edie |
Where is your top post-lockdown holiday destination?
Mykonos. It has to be one of my favourite places. I love the earthiness surrounded by the beautiful sea. I find it inspiring and grounding. It offers all the fun as well as a blissful backdrop for some time off. We love Santa Marina, it just ticks all those boxes and it has a great shop…oh the shop! We love Scorpios for lunch - it is so so delicious. Never ever fails to surprise me. And our personal all-time favourite place to spend the day is Alemegou to relax and wash the worries away! M.A.B.E have an earthy maxi dress called The Dinah Maxi Dress. This is something I couldn’t be without for sundowners in Mykonos
Image courtesy of Alemagou Beach Bar, Mykonos
How has it been juggling motherhood and simultaneously building a platform for sustainable womenswear?
Interesting. It’s definitely been intense. Juggling my two small children and creating the Club Brands edit has been challenging, but my children inspire me every day to do better and be better. The best thing I can imagine would be for Oliver and I to create a giving and inspirational world that they can be proud of. Through our Club Brands concept, I hope to champion just this. I want to talk more and be more open about the struggles and demands of being a working mother striving to make a difference in the world her children are set to grow into. What could be more important? It would be so cool to inspire other women to take on challenges and to be bold in impactful spaces. To be kinder and to be more in touch with what matters for our future and for the next generation.
What is one luxury you can’t live without?
Dr PawPaw balm!! Literally clears up every scar, scratch or skin imperfection. Found it in Australia when I lived in Sydney. It is magic!
Are there any new exciting Club Brands launching at LOVE BRAND & Co. in the Autumn?
You’ll have to watch this space. Our edit will evolve and new brands will emerge from time to time. Firstly, to keep it exciting and fresh but also because I want the edit to offer something for everyone and to offer the space to as many interesting businesses as I can.
Image courtesy of Iona Nicoll
What can we expect to see from your multi-brand concept in the future?
More brands, more love, more creativity. Working together to create a more conscious and interesting space. We can only do our small bit but I hope that by bringing brands, people and dynamic incentives together we can do our bit to change the consumer mindset.