This week M+K sits across the table with Clare Price, Founder + Director of Guava & Gold, the luxury British bath and body brand. She talks with us about creativity, the routines that have kept her grounded through lockdown and joys of creating a brand with sustainability at the centre.
1. My cooking inspiration…
My family and friends. They’re much better cooks than I am.
2. A meal that reminds me of home…
Sunday lunch is our family meal. Whoever is at home, we always spend this time around the dining table together laughing and talking about all sorts of things.
3. A life lesson cooking has taught me…
You might start with someone’s else recipe to create something but if you can see something more beyond that, you can make it your own and it might turn out even better.
4. When I want to be creative I…
Get out of the house. I get all my best ideas outside. In normal times, I love being at the beach, out on boats and diving. Being out in the sun and near the ocean is where my inspiration for Guava & Gold comes from. I live in the countryside so, whilst we can’t travel, I go for long walks and bike rides leaving my phone at home so I can think without getting distracted.
5. The most transformational book I’ve read is…
Becoming by Michelle Obama. She’s one of the most iconic women of our time but I really enjoy reading any biographies about successful women, so I’d include loads more like Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire by Amanda Foreman, Ada’s Algorithm by James Essinger and My Own Words with Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
6. The routines that keep me grounded are…
Regular exercise and sleeping well. Because we haven’t been able to go to the gym in lockdown, we’ve created a “home gym”. It just consists of some weights and yoga mats, online pilates and yoga sessions and us streaming music but the whole family has taken part and we’ve really enjoyed ourselves. And I love a long, hot bath before a good night’s sleep.
7. I recently learnt…
The questions you get asked in interviews are often really hard to answer. Having been a barrister for a long time, I’m used to cross-examining people, not answering questions. Now when I’m asked to do interviews, I’m asked all sorts of questions which seem deceptively easy but they’re not. There are always a few questions I’ve not been asked before and they’ve really made me think about what’s important to me and what’s influenced or changed me.
8. Favourite random act of kindness…
Not touching reefs if you’re diving or anchoring boats on them to protect the coral, planting bee-friendly flowers, keeping a corner of a garden messy for wildlife habitat; really just any change we can each make to help our environment.
9. To make a difference in my community I…
I want Guava & Gold to be more than a business and to be a brand which does as much as it can to make a difference. From the beginning, the brand has donated products to help alleviate hygiene poverty and, during the pandemic, it has donated money from sales as well as products to frontline workers and offered free UK delivery to help our customers. As the brand grows, I’d like it to do even more.
10. Right now, I’m grateful for…
Being able to start socialising again. Yesterday, I had tea with some friends in their garden in the afternoon and, in the evening, my family went to our friends’ house for a BBQ. Today, I’m going to meet some friends for lunch outside. I’ve missed seeing ‘real’ people in lockdown.
Before creating Guava & Gold, Clare Price was a barrister in London. It was a fantastic, stimulating career but she got to a time when she wanted a new challenge and to do something creative which would take her in a very different direction. Having worked in a demanding profession whilst also bringing up three children and commuting, she always believed in prioritising self-care and relaxation. This inspired her to set out to create a luxury bath and body range which had personal wellbeing at its heart.
Her goal was to create an elegant capsule collection of premium products, with ethical credentials, capturing unforgettable exotic holiday memories in a single bottle. All inspired by the beauty of our oceans, daydreams of tropical beaches and creamy cocktails. Getting the fragrances right was essential for the brand and it was wonderful that one of the largest international fragrance houses agreed to be involved. They loved the holiday inspiration idea behind the brand and interpreted it perfectly to blend exquisite perfumes, which are unique to Guava & Gold and evoke the sense of escapism which is what the brand is all about.
To connect visit:
Website: www.guavaandgold.com
Instagram: @guavaandgoldofficial
Facebook: @guavaandgold
