Sarah Bell, Founder, Evermore London

After being inspired to find a luxury candle that was sustainable and made from natural ingredients and luxury scent, Sarah Bell started her own brand in 2015. The result is Evermore, which sells vegan wax candles encased in beautiful glass jars with scents inspired by nature.

The business, which is supported by Practice, has grown from being a tiny operation at Sarah’s kitchen table to one which now included creative collaborations with artists such as Alexandria Coe, Kana London and Fee Greening and stockists including The Conran Shop, Net a Porter and Fortnum and Mason.

Sarah has had to combine her creative and practical sides from the start, from marrying up researching natural waxes with the best burn time with the perfect packaging, to more latterly, managing supply chain and stock levels with limited edition candles and Instagram content for her nearly 20,000 followers.

Are you more creative or practically minded?

I’m probably more creatively minded: I love product design, the visual language of the brand, content creation and planning marketing shoots that are all a key part of Evermore. But, as the business has evolved, I've had to tap into the practical side of my brain.

Over the last year I’ve become responsible for managing the moving parts of our supply chain which involves a very complicated spreadsheet of critical paths, stock levels and forecast figures. It’s meant that the logistical side of my role has developed.

It can be hard to stay creative when you’re running busy start-up; what practical things do you do to stay creative?

I read books regularly to keep my mind clear. I’m also making the effort now to start engaging in creative courses, which are not strictly related to the job, such as baking. We’re also about to embark on a big home renovation, so I've learned to sew properly so that I can make my own cushions, bolsters, curtains and so forth. 

Who is your creative hero?

My husband Ric, who is the Creative Director at Evermore. He really has played a crucial role in building the foundations of Evermore and I really value his input on the branding and visual direction of the business.

What creative resources do you use for inspiration?

It can be hard to make the time to stay creative when you’re wearing many hats, especially when you’re working from home and time seems to warp slightly! But I have been doing a lot of online talks and workshops; I recently found Rita Konig’s interior design course on Create Academy really useful. I have also enjoyed House & Garden's live talks with Calico Club on Instagram and the brand agency Sonder & Tell’s very useful resources from their newsletter.

Which creative brands do you admire right now?

There are a few creatives on Instagram that I think are really carving out something special - Epoch Textiles create beautiful rugs, East London Cloth is wonderful, Hebe Konditori bakes the most incredible cakes (she actually made Evermore’s 5th birthday cake!).

I love everything Simone Rocha does, her clothes are like art. I’m fascinated by everything artist Faye Wei Wei creates; her work is very ethereal and poetic. I’m also a huge Nick Cave fan and I love that he’s created his own online concept store that ties in with his personal brand.

What’s the hardest practical lesson you’ve had to learn?

Last summer, our warehouse and production company suddenly went into liquidation due to COVID-19 and lockdown, which is very sad. It meant that I had to quickly wear a new supply chain management hat - and I’ve been wearing it ever since! It’s complicated but there are five stages to the production of our candles and each has its own special requirements. Dates are constantly moving and it’s an ongoing dance - connecting the dots, making sure everyone’s aligned and that deadlines are met. Numbers are not my strong point, hence me leaning towards the right side of my brain, but it’s amazing what you can do when you put your mind to it.

What practical ways do you help yourself through your working day?

This might sound a little woo woo, but I’ve recently been working on things like positive thinking, affirmations and visualisation. I’ve found it’s really helped with my creativity and productivity. I’ve started getting up earlier and dedicating half an hour of my morning to these practices and I’ve found it really has an impact on the rest of my day.

Do you have a favourite practical object on your desk?

An empty Evermore jar is the perfect size for a pen pot - it holds all my pens, my wick trimmer and my measuring tape.