Behind The Brand

Miss Milly launched in autumn 2012 and has been exhibiting at the Home & Gift trade show since 2013. Based in rural Worcestershire, the British brand offers colourful jewellery alongside co-ordinating scarves, purses and other accessories. Its founder, Sarah, draws on extensive retail experience to keep the offer relevant for stockists, with low minimums and a friendly, efficient service.

A demanding show, but a worthwhile one

The most recent edition of Home & Gift was a strong outing despite extreme heat that kept overall footfall low. Those who did attend were enthusiastic about the new collection, and a good number of new retailers came on board. The standout moment was hearing from so many shops about how reliably Miss Milly sells for them. Retail can be erratic and unpredictable, but the jewellery keeps moving.

How the brand began

The name came before the business. Lifting her daughter out of the bath one day with the words “Come on then, Miss Milly”, Sarah had an “ooh” moment. At the time she was running a similar business, and when she and her former business partner split the company a couple of years later, he kept the name and the retail operation while she took wholesale and rebranded as Miss Milly. The name felt feminine and British, and the trade shows have since confirmed that everybody seems to know a Milly, human or animal.

Before running her own businesses, Sarah worked in marketing, a background that stood her in good stead. She was determined to create a brand rather than just a company, one that would look as though it belonged on the high street and that retailers could picture in their stores. Almost ten years on, the brand is still evolving, with a new and improved website and a digital order system for trade shows and sales agents in the pipeline.

Why the work still appeals

Even after a decade of building the brand, the biggest kick still comes from seeing somebody wearing a piece of Miss Milly. A couple of years ago, at the theatre with her daughter, Sarah found herself sitting next to a woman wearing one of the hinged resin bangles, and grinned at her during the interval to explain why. Every first order from a new customer generates a big smile, but every order still lights her up. Alongside a couple of Highly Commended industry awards, it amounts to a realisation of how much appreciation there is for what she has created.

Advice for anyone starting out

A strong work ethic matters, and nobody knows everything at the beginning; there is a lot of learning to do when only one or two people are involved. Discipline and structure were always the hardest parts, and remain a struggle. With hindsight, Sarah would focus far more on understanding where she wanted the business to go and how to get there, with steps and milestones outlined in advance to break down the workload. A couple of years after launching, working with an advisor to establish a business plan in support of a grant application helped her focus on the next phase of growth and work more efficiently. Listening to gut feel matters too, as does accepting that mistakes will happen; what counts is what you do afterwards.

Working alone is the biggest challenge. A great outsourced team has been built up, with self-employed sales agents, a fulfilment warehouse, a web agency and a graphic designer, but the office is a solitary place day to day, which is part of why trade shows are so enjoyable. To cope with the solitude, Sarah tries to get out of the office once a week, whether for networking, a business meeting or a social bike ride with her local club. When there is a need to bounce business ideas around, lunch with a trusted friend who runs her own business and helps at trade shows fits the bill, since she understands the brand.

What to expect from the new collections

Home & Gift is always a highlight, not least because customers are the heartbeat of the business. The show mixes immediate dispatch orders for spring and summer lines with forward ordering for autumn and Christmas, which can make deciding what to display tricky, but there is always plenty of newness on offer, from fresh colours in popular pieces to brand-new designs.

Colour is always celebrated, and 2022 has been full of joy as social lives and travel have lifted off again, making people braver, bolder and more ready to embrace opportunities. That fresh spirit runs through the new season collection, and there is something for everybody.

A personal favourite

Magnetic brooches have been a big hit for several years and the collection keeps growing. Their versatility is the appeal: with no fiddly pins, they can be moved between garments, scarves, hats and bags without leaving holes, and the magnetic fastening makes them a perfect gift for women with dexterity issues. This season brings new designs, including a honeycomb complete with bees and a turquoise sail.