Based in 2010 by Oliver Tomalin and his spouse Rose, Love Brand & Co has all the time worn its coronary heart on its sleeve. Nicely, on its waistband at the very least – the distinctive emblem options two elephants making a coronary heart form with their trunks, a nod to the Tomalin’s want to create one thing rooted within the pure world (and the genesis of Trunks for Trunks: swimwear that performs its half in saving elephants).
We spoke to Oliver after the model’s latest B Company certification to listen to extra about its concentrate on conservation, how inspiration comes from far and large, and what to anticipate from upcoming collections.
What led you to creating Love Model & Co, and did you face any challenges alongside the way in which?
I really feel like my entire life led me to Love Model. I’ve lived everywhere in the world, have all the time been inventive, and caught the enterprise bug from an early age.
I actually wished to begin one thing that mixed all of my passions in a single: design, journey and the pure world. The end result was a beachwear model with an ethos centred round serving to wildlife. I used to be motivated by the Elephant Parade in London in 2010: studying that wild elephants may very well be extinct in my lifetime actually struck a chord.
I felt like there was a niche out there for a brand new luxurious swimwear model with a better objective and mission. The challenges are by no means ending – however we thrive on them, by staying true to our founding values.
Describe Love Model & Co in 5 phrases
Journey, sunshine, pleasure, household. Oh, and love.
You spend a variety of time within the Bahamas and the UK. What’s the perfect factor about each locations?
The Bahamas is all in regards to the water. We love the outer islands like Exuma or Eleuthera. I’d suggest staying at Bahama House and ingesting within the superb gentle, which has impressed so a lot of our colors. Within the UK, I really like London however the perfect factor is the countryside. I really like the outside and strolling our canine. Thyme lodge within the Cotswolds in exhausting to beat.
What in regards to the model makes you most proud?
Our values. We now have been giving again to endangered wildlife and connecting individuals with conservation initiatives and our charity companions since day one. We’re proud to be a licensed B Corp and a member of one per cent for the planet. We inform tales of nature and wildlife – all the things from posidonia sea grass to seals – and guarantee individuals are extra conscious of what they should defend.
Is there a lodge that finest embodies or resonates with Love Model & Co?
The Brando. I’m designing an unique capsule for them for the time being, bringing native wildlife tales of inexperienced sea turtles and frigate birds in French Polynesia to life. What is admittedly distinctive is the way in which we use the ability of print to inform tales, and join discerning travellers with exceptional charities. Utilizing our lovely product as a automobile for wider messages.
How do your travels inform your designs?
Journey opens the thoughts. One thing occurs creatively when I’m travelling or on the transfer and particularly when discovering new locations. I begin sketching and writing and the concepts move.
How necessary is the branding to you?
I’m very hooked up to our branding. Firstly as a result of I designed our emblem of elephants forming a coronary heart form with my spouse on a restaurant serviette throughout our first date. Secondly, as a result of I keep in mind a purchaser saying males wouldn’t put on a model with ‘love’ and hearts within the emblem. This solely made me extra decided to show them mistaken.
What’s your favorite merchandise?
Our swim shorts. They’re our authentic product and nonetheless our bestseller. My favorite print is ‘Elephant Palace’ an elephant print with the phantasm of Indian palaces. It encapsulates the type of my prints, from afar they’re refined and complicated patterns however on nearer inspection there’s a story to be found, typically with a conservation and charity mission hooked up.
The place did you study probably the most about yourselves and the corporate: is there a specific journey that impressed you each?
My most particular recollections are travelling with Rose in The Bahamas, India and Kenya. However a variety of our firm inspiration got here from journeys to the States. We now have spent fairly a little bit of time in California taking inspiration from manufacturers, lodges and idea shops in LA.
We love properties like Lodge Joaquin outdoors LA or the Surfrider in Malibu and Parker in Palm Springs. Equally in Florida we love Colony Membership in Palm Seashore and the Commonplace Miami. However we learnt probably the most about ourselves and the corporate oddly throughout lockdown. As a substitute of shrinking away and giving up, this was after we actually began pondering good.
So, what’s subsequent?
Alongside furthering our conservation initiatives we’re launching a variety of embroidered limited-edition swim shorts, every with 20 intricate hand positioned embroidered motifs. Think about corals, elephants, lion fish, jelly fish and extra.
And the place’s subsequent for a much-deserved break?
Puglia. I believe I would love pasta greater than I really like seashores. Which says loads.
The complete Love Brand & Co collection is out there on-line, at Harrods, and of their three West London shops
