Hand-decorated bone china mugs, King Charles and Queen Camilla portrait tea towels and handmade trays – they are the stuff of classy Coronation memorabilia produced by British homeware and lifestyle brand Sophie Allport that its customers can’t get enough of.
Demand has delivered a 14 percent sales boost for the British designer and maker, whose 50 growing collections from gifts and linens to candles and furniture are renowned for their colourful and playful depictions of the natural world.
With 1,500 clients worldwide, including John Lewis and Next and two shops in Lincolnshire, ecommerce retail is also proving profitable for the company which expects to turnover £20 million plus come 2025.
Founded by the eponymous Sophie, an illustrator and watercolourist, and her brother Jem in 2007, “we are celebrated for our quintessentially British designs that make people smile, and create a happy atmosphere,” she says.
“We understand the importance of colour and offer products that ensure quality and longevity, things that last a lifetime.
“Our designs are country-led and nature-inspired bringing the outdoors in and pair well so customers can build on collections as they evolve. Bees are a favourite.”
Strong on conservation, the company also supports the National Trust, through its woodland and tree designs, and animal ones such as the elephant and cheetah for London Zoo.
Preservation is also part of its commercial mission as it enthusiastically backs independent high street retail with its two showcase stores and considers plans to open another.
“Customers really like to feel and see products so we will never say ‘never’ to more bricks and mortar expansion,” declares Sophie.
In 2017 the company, which now employs a team of 81, moved to a bigger warehouse and HQ in Bourne, Lincolnshire. Here basic white wear ceramics from China are decorated then fired in Stoke on Trent or for personalised designs hand-fired on site in Allport’s own kiln.
“People are investing more in keepsake, commemorative items, we saw that last year with the Queen’s Jubilee,” observes Sophie. “It makes people feel part of history, a one-off moment and we are marking that with products that are as useful as they are lovely.”
Now in a new move to appeal to a wider international customer base, the business is offering furniture online.
Its rustic chic-styled Witham armchair and footstool in an elegant duck egg blue are currently on sale, accompanied by a lamp and mirror, and will be followed by more lines later this year. Made in Europe, Allport is also looking at UK manufacturing options.
And Sophie, a devotee of roses, peonies and parrot tulips’ exquisite shapes and colours, plans to feature more floral prints, including some from her own archive. “Everything to make a house a home,” she says. “That’s us.”
