Lovebird was founded by Gilly Hughes, a womenswear designer who has worked in the industry for over 22 years. Through Lovebird, Gilly breathes new life in to previously treasured pieces. With a curated selection of beautiful vintage womenswear, stunning unique artworks and cards created from found elements that Gilly has collected with her expert magpie skills. We particularly love the graphic element of the artworks Gilly creates. To us, it's a fresh and innovative take on reworking vintage, delivering delicacy and romance, alongside a bold visual handwriting.
Lovebird and our key values:
- Recycled/reclaimed/reused
- Minimal waste, pollutants and emissions
- One off/limited edition
- Made in the UK
We asked Gilly to tell us more about herself and Lovebird...
I’m Gilly, a mummy to one and a womenswear designer, with a passion for vintage and an eye for detail. I love designing and being creative and have worked for a number of British high street brands as a design consultant over the years. Lovebird is an extension of my design consultancy business, another way for me to create beautiful things in my own style.
How did Lovebird begin?
Lovebird is an extension of me, really. My grandpa collected beautiful vintage and antique pieces and as a child I joined him on his trips to all the junk and antique shops. His inspiration and my love of all things vintage has stayed with me to this day. I love being creative and I especially love items with a history and a story. Creating new pieces with meaning and love makes me happy and this really sparked my wish to create pieces for Lovebird.
What are the three things about your business that make your heart sing?
I enjoy breathing new life into previously loved pieces, it allows me to be creative in many different ways and it brings people happiness.
What are the key sustainable and ethical elements of Lovebird?
Lovebird is all about upcycling and giving existing pieces a new and beautiful life. We use sustainable paper and packaging for all of our cards and artwork.
Do you have a signature product, something that really sums up what your brand is about?
We have a variety of products, from stationery to vintage clothing and homewear. The one defining signature is that each piece we produce or sell uses a vintage upcycled aspect.
What about Plum & Belle feels like it has particular synergy with your brand?
Their love of well designed, beautiful pieces with a sustainable element and also their love of vintage, repurposing and upcycling.
What are your future aims for Lovebird?
Lovebird is only really at the beginning of its journey. I would love to grow the brand slowly and carefully, taking time to make sure we always create beautiful pieces in a sustainable way.