Five Favourite Things with Designer Sophie Cull-Candy
In this series we ask a creative from various fields to choose five of their favourite things. These are items that could have inspired their work or given meaning to their life in some way; objects that represent a moment in time, or that forms part of journey leading to where they are now. I think it’s wonderful to, especially in these times, be able to dip into what certain things mean to people. The objects we cherish often carry energy such as love, joy and hope, and can evoke memories as well as those emotions when we think of them. The idea is to tell short stories through objects, and that with just five items you can take part in someone else journey and get to know them a little.
This week we chat to Sophie Cull-Candy, a London-born designer who founded her namesake womenswear brand in 2014. The romantically floral world of Sophie Cull-Candy displays a rich mix of colour, textiles and nostalgia. She takes much of her inspiration from nature, her city upbringing and her family life in Scotland and the South Downs. Every collection is playful, luxurious and beautifully crafted; each piece is individually handmade in London her items have gathered international press, featuring in the likes of Vogue, Love, Hunger, Elle and Harpers Bazaar.
Sophie’s designs are all hand drawn, hand printed and or handmade, and the brand is all about slow fashion with small batch, in-house productions and supporting the traditional skills that go into creating handmade pieces.
Follow her at @sophiecullcandy
A flower illustration by Sophie
Sophie wearing earrings from her own brand
Sophie wearing tulle glove from her eponymous brand
Purple Dress
The first item is a purple dress that was my Grandma's - I never actually saw her wear it but she loved purple and always wore a special purple sequin twin set at christmas, so when we had to go through her wardrobe I felt like it must have been special to her for her to have kept it. Now it's one of my favourite dresses and I feel like a 70s flower child when I wear it.
Wearing her Grandmother’s purple dress
Heart Ring
This little heart ring that was given to me as a child by Grandma - at the time it was too big to fit any of my fingers, so I put it away in a box and forgot about it until about 5 years ago and now it only fits my pinky finger! I wear it every day and the gold plate is fading to silver, but i'll be wearing it for as long as it fits, it's my good luck ring!
Sophie wearing her heart ring
David Hockney Book
My third item is a David Hockney book called Camera Works - I love his work and saw this book for the first time on the instagram of a book dealer I can't afford, so I spent months trying to track it down. I finally managed to find this one on ebay - it's in German and the pages are coming away from the spine slightly, but it brings me so much joy.
Hockney, Chanel and Crochet Hook
David Hockney’s Camera Works
Crochet Hook
I've chosen is a gold coloured crochet hook that my mum gave me years ago, it reminds me of my Grannie who was a prolific knitter and crocheter - so whenever I use it I feel spurred on by her. Since the lockdown I've been a lot more experimental with my crochet, so I have been making a lot of use of this little hook!
Crochet Hook
Vintage Chanel Bag
Finally the fifth item is a beautiful vintage Chanel bag that was given to me by my boyfriends Grandma, Sheila, initially she said we could sell it on the pre-loved accessories site (@thetuesdaystore) we run together, but I couldn't part with it. It's such a gorgeous bag and she's kept it in immaculate condition, aside from it being sentimental - she is an absolute power house who ran her own fashion label too, and I greatly admire her so this bag kind of acts as a reminder to aspire me to be like her!
Vintage Chanel bag <3