Taken from the awesome interview blog we did with Wanderlust Life Jewellery.
As part of our Sundaze holiday haul giveaway, we partnered with some of our favourite Cornish lifestyle brands. Vicki Jones is founder of sand&palm and a lifelong beach lover. We sat down to find out more about her creative inspirations and favourite coastal corners.
WHAT DOES SUMMER MEAN TO YOU?
The long, light evenings and spending as much time outside in the fresh ocean air and sunshine as possible! Exploring the beautiful land of Cornwall, immersing myself in nature and in the bursting forth of summer life, enjoying the lush greenery, the vibrant colours and heady scents of the flowers, the buzzing of bees, meandering unknown paths, foraging for food and medicine, long coastal walks, sunset surfs, beach picnics and spontaneous river dips.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE BEACH MEMORY?
Walking up the dunes at Penhale after a surf, looking back and watching a pod of dolphins swim by silhouetted against the setting sun. Moments like that feel like you’re living in a dream!
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO LAUNCH YOUR BUSINESS?
During my mid/late twenties, I spent a lot of time travelling, working and surfing in lots of warm countries and I couldn’t find any swimwear that I wanted to wear surfing. Back then, the choices of brands, styles and prints were limited, and it was hard to find anything that was suitable for being active in the water. They were either too skimpy, they’d come off as soon as a wave rolled over, or were covered in garish patterns.
There was also nothing in the market a decade ago that was made from sustainable or recycled fabric. It seemed like a given to me that, as surfers and nature lovers, we should be wearing ethical garments and somehow giving back and caring for the environment that we spend so much time in. So in identifying this gap in the market for practical, stylish and ethical swimwear, I thought that there must be other people having the same problem, and so decided to start designing and producing some myself.
Around this time I was working as a print designer for active sportswear clothing and have been making clothes since I was young. However, working with lycra is a whole different set of skills to non-stretch fabrics, and so I decided to unroll on a postgraduate degree in swimwear and lingerie design at BAU Barcelona to learn the necessary practical skills. It was during that course that sand&palm was born.
DAY TO DAY, WHAT DRIVES YOU?
To create beautiful, unique, long-lasting, high quality and hand-crafted swimwear, that stays put in the surf and is made with minimal harmful impacts on the environment.
WHERE ARE YOUR FAVOURITE UK BEACHES?
Watergate Bay has my heart.
WHAT THREE THINGS DO YOU ALWAYS HAVE IN YOUR BEACH BAG?
A bottle of water, sunnies and a good book!