Liisa Dudgeon has been running Sävy, a bespoke upholstery & lifestyle brand, since November 2020 – when she was at a crossroads in her career and decided it was a good opportunity to really find something that would allow her to get back to doing something creative with her hands again.
Charlotte Dearman
FOUNDER OF CALICO COLLECTIVE
Charlotte is immensely passionate about all things small business & loves to find the best coffee shops!
Hello & welcome to the first in my brand new series – Small Business Stories – where I’ll be speaking to a range of small, local & independent businesses to chat all about their business journeys, ups & downs, typical days and so much more. I’m very pleased to introduce Liisa of Sävy, a Manchester based business owner and a close friend of mine, as my first feature!
Would you like to be featured in this series? Please get in touch via the contact form to have a chat about next steps.
I have quite a varied background. I started out in ceramics, then moved into surface pattern design for textiles before moving into the gifting and greetings card industry. I moved my way through the ranks from designer into design management and art direction for a large highstreet retailer. At the time I specialised in 3D products. Everything from stationery to Christmas decorations, crackers to pop ups, it was very varied.
I’m very much influenced by my Finnish roots and design from the Nordics. I’ve always subscribed to the Form follows Function ethos. I like things that do their job and perform their function well but I also believe they can and should look beautiful in the process. I love colour and putting palettes together. The brand name Sävy means tone of colour, so I love to play around with different shades. Currently the range is based on block colour and bold stripes, I’m looking to build on this in the near future.
Probably the knitted products. I find it a really meditative and relaxing process so always enjoy making the hats and hot water bottle covers.
Spending time in Finland. The nature, the way of life, the environment and buildings. It’s such a rich source of inspiration. My trips there always recharge my creative juices and make me feel excited to try new things out.
I’d love to expand my range and to get back into my ceramic too. Building a broader product offer and introducing new patterns.
Make sure you never lose the love for what you do. Your passion and enthusiasm for your own products and processes are infectious and are integral to success as a small business.
I still work in the greetings card industry as a freelance art director, alongside running my own business. I love the variety this brings. I feel like I have the best of both worlds as the art directing allows me to use my brain in a completely different way and it satisfies my craving to work with others, while my own work allows me to work with my hands and to create things based on my own brief.
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