COCOBLOOM TURNS 7
Seven years ago I started CocoBloom, and honestly? Some days I still wonder what I was thinking.
When I was employed, I worried about redundancy and heavy workloads. But at 6pm, I switched off. I had evenings. I had weekends. I had annual leave.
Now? The only time I truly switch off is Christmas, because my clients close and the emails stop. That's the trade I made. And most of the time, I'd make it again.
Because in seven years, we've created prints that became bestsellers. We've collaborated with incredible brands across fashion and interiors, worldwide. We've built something I'm genuinely proud of, a studio that puts craft, intention, and creativity into every single design.
But running a small creative business is relentless in a way that's hard to explain until you're in it. You are the designer, the account manager, the bookkeeper, the problem-solver, the sales manager. There's no team to absorb the pressure. When a client is difficult, dismissive, or slow to pay, you feel it personally. Because it IS personal. This is my business. My work. My livelihood.
So on CocoBloom's 7th birthday, I want to say something I don't see said enough:
The brands that have treated us with kindness, who communicate clearly, pay on time, and genuinely value what we create, you have made this journey worth it. You are the reason small studios like ours survive and grow.
And to the brands still looking for a print and textile partner: ask yourself honestly, are we a client someone would love to work with? Do we support the small businesses behind the products we sell?
The best creative work comes from real partnerships. Not transactions.
And right now? CocoBloom is in one of the most exciting chapters yet. We have a wave of brilliant new clients onboard so far this year, brands who get it, who value craft, who align with our ethos and who show up as true partners.
And in June, we're launching something I've been building towards for a long time, a series of events centred around one idea I believe in deeply:
Keep print human.
In a world moving faster and faster toward automation, I want to make the case for the irreplaceable value of human creativity in print and textiles. More on that very soon.
Here's to seven years. And to the clients who made them beautiful. 🌸
