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squidlondon
SquidLondon is Emma-Jayne Parkes and Viviane Jaeger, who met at the London College of Fashion in 2004 studying Product Design and Development. They have created a range of products that change colour when touched with water, and recently won the Shell Livewire People's Choice award. Find out more about how they set up their business.
Tell me more about Squid London…
Squid just came about from an idea that wasn't all that serious. Imagine Jackson Pollock (an artist who dripped and splashed paint onto huge pieces of blank canvas) and then add water. We want to push the boundaries between science, design and technology.
We contacted ink and chemical companies to find out how possible this 'idea' was in 2006. It wasn't until 2008 that we found ourselves printing and developing inks and products in their labs and factories.
What are your products?
Our first product is the Squidarella – an umbrella that changes colour in the rain. It's our most successful to date. It was first launched at Spitalfields Market on January 18 2009. We had a limited collection of 100 London Silhouette Umbrella and sold out in just 11 days.
Since our launch we have worked with the TATE who commissioned us to design and produce 600 colour-changing umbrellas to coincide with their 'Reinventing Colour Chart Exhibition'. They have now ordered another collection.
We have exhibited in the Selfridges Wonder Room and at Art Basel in Switzerland. Our products are stocked in 'Beyond the Valley' in London (we are their most popular online product) and in the BALTIC centre for contemporary art in Gateshead.
Our next colour changing collection 'The Bird Squit' will be sold in London, New York and
Basel.
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| The Squidders |
How did you set up Squid London?
There is no such thing as a 'plan' that everyone must follow. There are certain things you must do to start a business, but how you do it is up to you! Our official 'starting' point was when we submitted our business plan to the Deutsche Bank Award. We decided that regardless of winning or not, we were going to take our business forward.
What help did you have?
We had many one to one sessions with ECCA when we were pulling our business plan together for the Deutsche Bank Award. We also had a 30 minute session with two amazing IP Lawyers and the talks that ECCA provided on a regular basis – we attended them all. We are still very much in contact and still ask for advice and ideas about certain things.
Did you come across any big obstacles when setting up the company?
Of course! But they are not problems they are challenges. The biggest challenge for anyone to overcome is the fear of failure. And also trying to get people to believe in your product and in you. When you are trying to get that first big client on board, they want to know your history and why you are reliable. Tough one. But through thinking up new and inventive ways to present yourselves, you will get there.
What have you learned?
So many useful skills. Things that a school or a book cannot teach you. Understanding people in business and instinctively knowing whether someone is interested and, if so, what in. Realising how capable you are if you just let yourself go and do it. We enjoy that it is our baby – we are working our socks off for ourselves not someone else and when we seal a deal the sense of achievement is unreal.
Is there anything you would have done differently?
No that would change the whole outcome! We do as we see and feel fit at the time. Hindsight is great but useless when setting up a small business.
If you could give us one piece of advice, what would it be?
If you have an idea and you have the market research to back it up and the passion to run with it, then do it. To put ideas and opportunities off because you are insecure or not sure is such a waste! Give it a go – what's the worst that can happen? Whatever happens you will have met so many inspirational people along the way and learnt more than you could imagine.