What inspired you to start your business/brand? 

I have always worked in creative jobs, starting out as a menswear designer, then going into installation design for brands like Gucci and Nike. 4 years ago I upped and moved my life to the other side of the country, so I took that opportunity instead of finding another job, start my own brand and work for myself. I always have loved designing, and wanted a job where I can freely create my own designs in my own style. My dad had continuously told me for years to start my own business, and the brand is actually named after him. He sadly passed away 2 years ago, but I wouldn't of had the courage to take the leap without him.

 

What are your brand’s values?

At Buba Goods we strive to be as bold and authentic as possible, with a touch of shock elements. Everything I design and make is 100% authentic to me, I design what I feel is right, and hope that the customers see the vision and love it too. This comes with more taboo or shocking designs, made to catch your attention and get people talking. Nothing we do is offensive, we just take a different approach to traditional decor with adding in some fun and shocking typography and graphics. This approach has always been authentic to me. For my graduate collection in fashion design, I went against the norm and what was recommended and created a collection fusing tailoring with risqué corsetry and lingerie. While it was a risk, it felt true to me and I didn't want to dull it down for the sake of conforming. It turned out people loved it, and it was one of the most talked about collections of the year. 

I also really value products that are home grown. Every single product we sell is made from scratch in our studio. I bend the acrylic myself for our record holders, skateboard decks and book ends, and all our materials come completely unmade. I pride myself on not outsourcing a single product and 99% of the materials we use we get from companies here in the UK.

 

What is your biggest motivation?

My biggest motivation is being able to have a job where I can wholeheartedly design and make what I love for a living. Being able to see customer pictures, comments and reviews from people who have spent their hard earned money on something I've made still takes me back to this day. To me it's the most rewarding job in the world and I work as hard as possible to make sure I can continue doing this for a long time to come. 

I have always been very work minded and always have loved working. My mind is constantly coming up with new products and designs, and it is amazing to be able to sample and bring them to life for customers.

 

Where did the inspiration for your product(s) come from?

I have always loved unique home decor and artwork. Every bedroom I've had in my life has been like an art gallery, walls covered in frames with different artwork on. In fact the first 6 months of the business was purely just print. However I wanted to move into proper home with decor products. In my previous job I was in installation design, working with brands such as Gucci and Nike on event, window, shop and general displays. I took it upon myself to learn how to cut vinyl, as this was a big component in a lot of projects. I wanted to have a more hands on element to work, with physically making things. I ended up becoming the head vinyl cutter for the company and whilst working on design projects, I was able to make all the vinyl displays too. When I was 6 months in to Buba Goods, I purchased my first vinyl cutter and made acrylic plaques with vinyl designs on. Over time I started putting vinyl on other products and now almost everything I sell is a vinyl application product.

I'm very much a problem solver, so if there is a new product I want to do, I will always figure out a way to do it. I taught myself how to bend acrylic last year, and that has opened up the doors to so many products and ideas, and has really evolved the brand from just a little small business to one I hope to be known for established homewear products.

 

What has been a highlight whilst creating and building your brand?

The biggest highlight for me so far is having multiple collections with Urban Outfitters and also a current phone case collection with Skinnydip London. In my teens and early 20's I worked at Topshop throughout uni, and I would always sneak off in my breaks to the accessories to browse the new stock of Skinnydip products. I always had their cases growing up, so to now see our own collection with them really is a full circle moment.

 

What advice would you give to business owners, creators, designers and brand owners just starting out?

I get asked a lot for advice from people wanting to start their own brand, and the best piece of advice I can give is try and try again. Sometimes it takes a few go's to hit the nail on the head in terms of selling products. I had tried a few times over the years to sell prints on Etsy, and the first few times I got almost no sales for months and gave up. But during these times I was making prints of things I had no interest in/they weren't my style. So I think another piece of advice would be to make what you genuinely love, because inauthenticity will show through.

 

At the Spring/Summer edition of Top Drawer, will you be launching any new collections, and if so, can you give us a sneak peek?

We will be showcasing a brand new product at Top Drawer which is in the sampling stage at the moment. We plan to showcase record sleeve shelves. These will be acrylic shelves designed to go above record players which will hold the record sleeve of the vinyl that is playing. We already make record storage holders and also up-cycle records into groovy wall pieces, so we think this will be the perfect addition to our products.

 

What is your personal favorite from your new collection?

My favourite so far is a flame design, where there are acrylic flames going up along the shelf. 

 

If applicable, how do you operate your brand sustainably?

Some of our products such as our records and laser discs are up-cycled products. We buy old records and laser discs and apply vinyl designs on. These are really popular for us and the records in particular are a favourite product of ours.