Celebrating Our 10th Year

Words by Hannah Beaumont-Laurencia; Director of Beaumont Organic.

10 years ago

Summer 2008 saw the birth of Beaumont Organic. Looking back, I was blissfully naïve but hugely ambitious. I was 23, with no knowledge of ethical sourcing, running a fashion business, or indeed running any business at all however, I was full of energy and ready to take on the world.

At this point, the company was raw and authentic. I managed to source and create the initial collection and armed with eight beautiful organic t-shirts, I set off in my Mini knocking on shop doors, showing my samples and educating buyers of the finest UK independents and boutiques about the importance of ethical sourcing and organic cotton. By the end of the year, we were stocking around 50 accounts - it was amazing! I would sleep away in hotels during the week, writing up orders whilst designing collections and speaking to the factories. The months flew and momentum was building and before I knew it, we won the Best Organic Textile product at the Natural and Organic Awards in 2009, which then quickly followed by us signing our first distributor in Japan.

As you can imagine, the story between then and now has been somewhat of a high-speed rollercoaster! The journey has not been without challenges but I could not think of a place I would rather be!

10 years from now

I might be ten years older than the naïve child that set up Beaumont Organic back in 2008 but I am more passionate than ever. We are now an established business with an amazing team, a solid supply base and loyal customers who resonate with our brand that want beautiful organic and ethical clothing. The next ten years will be all about strengthening the company with mature, thoughtful, strategic decisions and growth and I cannot wait to see how far we can take the brand. My vision has always been the same – to be the world renowned luxury organic and ethical brand and this vision rings as true today as it did in 2008.

Just enjoying the moment

Over the past ten years, I have come to realise that you MUST enjoy the journey. There have been some very challenging times when I have honestly thought – "what am I doing and what is the point?" Yet there has also been times where everything has been going so well I have felt invincible. I have learnt so much from both places which has been crucial. The most consistent advice is that focusing on the true essence of the business values is what sets you apart from the others - if you are truly authentic and have a clear vision for where you are going, then others will feel it too.

Of course, it is so important to reflect with hindsight and to set your goals and vision, however one piece of advice I would give you today is to enjoy the moment. I am so blessed to be running and growing a brand that I believe so passionately in but sometimes I do have to remind myself that if I always look forward, I just might miss the beauty of today.

Hannah x