JHBeulah: The Eco-Friendly Accessories Brand We Want To Wear
Let’s face it; living in the city that is London, it is not easy to be green. But we are trying! And while doing our research on eco-friendly fashion labels and beauty brands we stumbled upon Jemima Beulah and JHBeulah, the woman who has turned her awareness of the environment into a business.
Having always been fascinated with traditional crafts from a young age Jemima Beulah has created “a hobby turned business” of eco-friendly accessories using vintage materials to create truly unique and coveted handmade jewelry. Her line of handmade accessories entitled JHBeulah Eco Couture reuses sourced vintage components and turns them into beautiful embellishments allowing for every piece to be handcrafted from a unique collection of sourced buttons and trimmings and for each statement piece to be ordered to a client’s specifications and requests of their own materials. “For instance, we take orders from people who have inherited a tin of buttons or trimmings from their grandmothers and we transform it into something that can be worn and treasured” Beulah shares with YCB.
Not setting out to become an eco-friendly designer, Beulah rather organically developed into one. “I love seeing something that has a history or story behind it, and so I am very attracted to products that have been made from something else” Beulah explains. “I don’t like seeing beautiful vintage and antique trimmings being left on the shelf or behind glass cabinets, [or] especially thrown away to be added to the ever-growing landfills. Giving them a new life to be enjoyed is exhilarating”. With the recycling movement and eco-conscious mindset becoming very trendy Beulah first began designing jewelry when she wanted to develop a neckpiece in replacement for a tie she was required to wear as a part to her suit as a tailor. Taking a tin of buttons, filled with vintage ‘Mother of Pearl’ buttons, she inherited from her Grandmother, Beulah began to garnish her work attire which eventually evolved into Beulah becoming a full-on designer.
Designing for the professional woman who is both interested in the story behind the product and is appreciative of high quality fabrics and unique trimmings, Beulah has always been fascinated by the construction of clothing; however, it was not until she took a year to work for Patrick Grant at Norton & Sons that she truly fell in love with the craftsmanship of tailoring by hand. “Whilst working as an apprentice cutter I made the very first neckpieces to wear at work with my bespoke work attire. After receiving compliments from certain clients at Kent, Haste & Lachter, I decided to develop this hobby and made it the focus of my business” she explains to YCB.
In addition to her passion for fine craftsmanship of garments and accessories, Beulah also holds the environment in high regards. Aware of the devastating effects the “fast” fashion world can have on the environment Beulah has always been aware of the various issues relating to the environment. “I want to make sure that my brand is one that can be associated with the ‘Best of British’ movement which I think is really happening right now” she tells YCB. Feeling that London is a fairly eco-friendly city, Beulah emphasizes to YCB that she is finding that consumers are becoming evermore aware of what they are purchasing, particularly due to the intimate access of information about fashion labels and designers they now have available to them via social media.
Opening up to YCB about her design inspiration, Beulah explains that the design of each of her accessories is truly influenced by the materials she has sourced and how the materials will work together. “A lot of my fabrics come from Savile Row tailoring houses which are the highest quality of British woven cloth, and I go to auctions in the Midlands to source vintage components” Beulah shares.
A firm believer that accessories can instantly change a woman’s total look, Beulah matching tie neckpiece and clutch bags are two of her favorite items in her wardrobe. “I love wearing my matching tie neckpiece and clutch bag with my winged collared shirt and bespoke dinner suit, which I wore to The Tailors Merchant Ball last winter” the savvy business woman tells YCB. “It’s an awesome feeling knowing that each individual item I was wearing was handmade by a skilled craftsperson”. With Jemima’s brand growing from strenght to strenght, we can’t hardly wait to see what is next for JHBeulah.
For more information or to shop the collection, visit: www.jhbeulah.com
