Q&A with Noble Isle founder Katy Simpson
We got the story behind the brand in a Q&A with Noble Isle founder Katy Simpson.
What were you doing career-wise before Noble Isle?
I started my career in fashion buying, before moving into the bath and body industry as head of Molton Brown’s product development team.
What inspired you to start the brand?
We had a passion to develop a quintessentially British brand using extracts from the British Isles. It was the year of the royal wedding, the country was looking forward to the year ahead with the London Olympics and the Diamond Jubilee. These events created a surge of British pride, which inspired the creation of Noble Isle.
How has it grown and developed from what you initially planned for it to be?
We have grown steadily year on year and all aspects of the business have done well. Our hotel amenities range has seen the largest growth, and our retail sales continue to do well online and in stores such as Liberty, Fortnum & Mason and Harvey Nichols. We have also now expanded into several European countries and are securing hotel and retail partnerships in other international territories.
Where do you get ideas for new scents?
New ideas always come to me from nature. I live in Amersham and I love spending time walking in the countryside. I am fascinated by what grows around the British Isles and I am an avid reader of gardening and cook books, which are great inspiration to me.
Where do you see the brand in five years’ time?
In five years from now we intend to have launched a fine fragrance collection and opened our first standalone boutique.
What has been your bestselling product?
The product that has broken all sales records is without question our Rhubarb Rhubarb Hand Wash, which is our bestseller in every country. A couple of weeks ago it actually won the 2016 Beauty Shortlist Award for best hand wash, which we were delighted to receive. It can be found in some of the country’s most prestigious bathrooms.
What advice would you give to someone who was looking to start a luxury bath brand?
Your need to make sure that your brand has a strong unique selling point, looking great and having high quality formulations is not enough to ensure that you stand out from the competition. In a crowded market you have to create a brand story that the public connects with and makes them reach for your product.
Is there anything new on the horizon for your or Noble Isle?
We are looking forward to our fourth birthday celebrations in May and developing some exciting brand partnerships with other British luxury brands. The summer months are always a buoyant time for us, as all our provenance partners begin harvesting their produce and our extracts are created for our product collections.