Beneath the Surface..

This week we introduce the second new designer who'll be joining us from September, Printed Textile Designer, Holly Eden.

A 2013 graduate from De Montford University, Holly came to see us last weekend with one of the largest collections of printed silks we've seen to date!

Holly's final collection entitled, 'Beneath the Surface', was inspired by an old mansion house with layers and layers of decaying and contrasting patterns lining its walls, each of her printed silks representing these layers as if they had been peeled away.

Hues of aquamarine, lemon yellow and accents of pink and grey give the collection a soft, fresh feel, with a whimsical hand-drawn aesthetic she has screen-printed onto each scarf. There is also a certain romanticism with each piece, as if you'd stumbled across an old hatbox filled with vintage silks.

She is currently working full-time as a designer-maker, and has recently added silk headbands to her graduate collection, a selection of which, along with her scarves will be available in the next few months.

An Explosion of Colour...

Back in April we launched our New Talent Search 2014 and were overwhelmed with the response from applications from all corners of the U.K as well as across Europe.

Over the past couple of months we have been compiling our shortlist, not an easy task by any stretch, and this weekend we were able to meet them in person.

The quality of work and enthusiasm for their individual crafts was infectious, and in the first of several blog posts, we are excited to introduce new designer, Lisa McConniffe who'll be joining us for our website re:launch in September.

Lisa graduated from Manchester School of Art in Fashion Design last Summer, and since then her work has been in huge demand from the likes of Vogue and Glamour magazine in several editorial features, as well as being spotted by fashion bloggers Susie Bubble, PHO Diaries and Stylonylon.

She was also nominated for the 2013 CSI Colour Award, and talent spotted by Issa London, Burberry and Ozwald Boateng.

It's been an incredibly busy few months for Lisa and to top it all off, she told us she has just been accepted at the Royal College of Art to study Womenswear Accessories starting this September!

Lisa's work is certainly a celebration and explosion of colour, and she describes her work as having, "...a playful vibrancy, working with layers of texture…"

There's a real energy to her work, it's fresh, relevant and exciting, something that really drew us to her work in the first place, and meeting Lisa in person, her passion for her craft was plain to see, and we are extremely excited to showcase and stock her collection over the next few months…

Designed & Crafted in the U.K...

Last month we told you about Tom Hutchinson and his Kickstarter pitch to turn his graduate collection into a new business venture. Well, we are incredibly excited to reveal that not only did Tom make his target, he surpassed it by several thousand pounds!

Now the hard work begins as Tom and his business partner J.J embark on their venture to bring the Obtineo range of products to the market over the next few months.

Every element of the range is hand-crafted in the U.K by skilled craftsmen, from glass-blowing to the felt detailing, which today seems quite challenging to achieve, and will certainly set Tom's designs apart from the mass-produced wares we see on the high street today.

It does seem though, as Tom forges a path with his first collection, the attitudes to manufacturing techniques and material use is shifting.

There is so much in the press about the fashion industry and conditions of workers abroad, and producing garments for pennies, to be sold for not much more on the British high street. It does seem that many retailers are slowly returning their manufacturing hubs to our shores, not only bolstering our wavering economy, but elevating the quality and standards, both ethically and from a construction point of view. So much so, that we, as consumers are more prepared than before to spend that little bit extra.


Another designer duo who have consciously and successfully set up their manufacturing in the U.K is London-based jewellery designers Harriet Vine and Rosie Wolfenden, also known as Tatty Devine.

Having started out on a small scale with just the two of them, and a store of Brick Lane, the popularity of their pieces grew incredibly quickly.

The cheapest and easiest way to get the number of pieces they needed to produce, was heading to the factories of China, but this didn't sway the designers, and they took the more costly approach to set up workshops in London and Kent. This not only meant employing the locals, it also meant that they could stay as close as ever to the design, and making processes that inspired them in the first place.

The responsibility for today's new designers is to challenge the process of manufacturing, and not loose that feeling of hand-crafting something special. And not in an arts and crafts, make do and mend sense, but to embrace the U.K's rich and varied skilled craftsmen and women, just like Tom and J.J have done…

A Creative Kickstart…

We first came across Tom Hutchinson's work during our annual scout of 'New Designers'. Sat quietly in the corner of the Islington's Business Design Centre, three simply crafted and beautifully minimal glass,  timber and felt pieces were on show, and immediately caught our eye.

Tom of course made our shortlist, and having been in frequent contact about stocking his elegant wares, he told us about his Kickstarter project to take his first collection from the workshop to full scale production.

Based in the heart of York in the UK, Tom and his business partner JJ are passionate about beautiful materials, quality craftsmanship and thoughtful design. After graduating in November 2013 with a degree in Product Design and Business Management, he set about creating his first homeware range, Obtineo, combining contemporary design with traditional manufacturing methods, and all entirely crafted in the UK. The simplicity of the range gives it amazing versatility, from classic kitchen storage, to a place to keep your keys.

His Kickstarter project hit our inbox a little over a week ago accompanied by a short film and a selection of his pieces to pledge for. Instantly spoilt for choice we are keeping our fingers crossed that in a few months time, not only have Tom and JJ reached there goal,  we also have our very own piece of the Obtineo range!

Tom's story is exactly why we do what we do. New design talent in the UK shouldn't be overlooked, dreams shouldn't be put to one side. Passion, persistence and the belief in an idea is all you need to do something that you love…

If you would like to support Tom's project, visit tomhutchinsondesign.co.uk and click Kickstarter to find out more...

*All images are copyright of Tom Hutchinson Design

New Talent Search 2014...

Time for a Spring Clean...

So you may have noticed our distinct lack of contact over the last couple of months, and aside from being bundled up with multiple layers of jumpers, waterproofs and wellies, we have been busy working on our biggest project to date, the long awaited relaunch of our all singing, all dancing, all new website!

We are extremely excited after nearly three years of testing out the market, and crafting our mix of products and designers, that we can finally give you a new home for all aspects of what we do.

looklikelove.co.uk will showcase not only an amazing array of products in a similar way to now, but will also include designer profiles for each of our talented graduates with links to their own sites in our 'Hand-Picked' section.

We are also excited to be relaunching with a mix of brand new talent as well as a few familiar designers, all with new collections and will culminate with a relaunch party over the next few months.

We will continue to support, nurture and promote graduate, emerging and part-time designers with a combination of online and offline events, as well as working with designers on an individual basis on their own solo projects and exhibitions.

Watch this space for further details, a few sneak peeks of our work in progress and an introduction to some of the new talent and collections you can expect to see...

We'll be right back!!!

Kate&Eden xx

P.S We are always on the look out for new talent, so if you are a new designer, about to graduate or graduated in the last 12 months, based in the UK, and want to be part of Look Like Love we would love to hear from you.

Email; us@looklikelove.co.uk with a bit about you and a few examples of your work and we'll be in touch.

Make a Wish...

We don't know about you but we are pretty unorganised when it comes to Christmas. Maybe it's something to do with the fact that we just don't feel Christmassy until at least the 15th December, despite all the tinsel and tunes going into overdrive as soon as the first door opens on the advent calendar!

With that said, we want to make sure you are all sorted with an almost last minute Christmas wish list, of some of our favourite pieces ready and waiting to be gift wrapped just for you…

We can exclusively launch a new collection from the very talented Nicola Reed, who being one of our original graduate designers, returns as a Look Like Love alumni with her latest collection.
Her signature look, using vintage pieces and felt mixed with precious stones and silver makes this latest offering something special to adorn at the Christmas dinner table and beyond…

A limited edition print is always a firm favourite when it comes to stocking fillers, so Kayleigh Hadley's individually hand-drawn illustrations and quotes will definitely work their magic…

There's always room for a little more colour, so why not start January with one, two or a few of these African print cushions from House of Arike to brighten up those long, grey Winter days…

A New year beckons, so clear the decks and start those to-do lists, it's time to get organised with the help of Clea Jentsch's desk tidy collection…

As well as these talented new designers, there's plenty more to see in our shop, and don't forget to enter discount code XMASTREAT at the check-out for 10% off all orders*

Have an amazing Christmas, love from Kate & Eden xx



*Discount valid until 19th December at 6.00pm