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Cute as a Button
Listed under: One Voice
Published: Monday, May 21, 2007
Creative director of the Buttoncompany, Anna Hodgson, explains how this sector is enjoying a boom since embracing the craft market
Previous to 2005, Buttoncompany was a manufacturer and wholesaler to the garment industry. In January 2005, the government lifted it’s quotas on how much could be imported from China, and business dropped by 80% overnight. In a bid to keep the company alive, we had to diversify quickly and looked to find a market that looked in need of buttons - and we soon found it in craft and haberdashery. From our first show people were asking us, “where have you been all these years?” They were also commenting on our wide selection, the likes of which they hadn’t seen before.
As Buttoncompany enters its third year, we are sticking to our original philosophy: to provide beautiful products and as many as possible bought and made in the UK to support British business. With each passing year, the demand for our lines just gets ever greater. People are now using buttons in all areas of craft. On clothing, people are realising that it doesn't have to be just a functional feature, but also decorative, and in traditionally creative areas such as card making and scrapbooking, people are using them functionally as closures and fittings. Buttons are being added to garments, home furnishings, jewellery, card making and scrapbooking, and all these crafts are ever growing in popularity with all age groups, as highlighted in the press over recent months.
Craft appeal
Our most popular items are anything in bright colours, and as such our theme bags of mixed colours fly off the shelves. In the coming months, we have a few more shade and tone selections to add, including ‘vintage’ and ‘in the navy’. We are trying to match our new selections to up and coming wool and paper products to make sure our colours and designs hit the right mark.
Jewellery kits are always top sellers and, in the coming months, we hope to add to our large selection of designs. At our trade show in February, after popular demand, we brought back an old favourite – the large shell bracelet. Our necklace packs have new colours all the time, according to the season’s fashionable colours, and the button selections in these kits ensure they are always attractive to women of all ages.
For 2007, buttons are also growing in size, what was once deemed big is now normal – big is now huge, and earlier this year we introduced our coaster sized buttons, in a selection of bright colours.
As Buttoncompany enters its third year, we are sticking to our original philosophy: to provide beautiful products and as many as possible bought and made in the UK to support British business. With each passing year, the demand for our lines just gets ever greater. People are now using buttons in all areas of craft. On clothing, people are realising that it doesn't have to be just a functional feature, but also decorative, and in traditionally creative areas such as card making and scrapbooking, people are using them functionally as closures and fittings. Buttons are being added to garments, home furnishings, jewellery, card making and scrapbooking, and all these crafts are ever growing in popularity with all age groups, as highlighted in the press over recent months.
Craft appeal
Our most popular items are anything in bright colours, and as such our theme bags of mixed colours fly off the shelves. In the coming months, we have a few more shade and tone selections to add, including ‘vintage’ and ‘in the navy’. We are trying to match our new selections to up and coming wool and paper products to make sure our colours and designs hit the right mark.
Jewellery kits are always top sellers and, in the coming months, we hope to add to our large selection of designs. At our trade show in February, after popular demand, we brought back an old favourite – the large shell bracelet. Our necklace packs have new colours all the time, according to the season’s fashionable colours, and the button selections in these kits ensure they are always attractive to women of all ages.
For 2007, buttons are also growing in size, what was once deemed big is now normal – big is now huge, and earlier this year we introduced our coaster sized buttons, in a selection of bright colours.
