In the first of our series meeting our lovely customers, we talk to Lex, illustrator and founder of Village Circus. We love her pictures of her family and their van adventures at @cloudmaker_and_the_wolf
Running a small company like Forivor, the thing that always keeps us motivated and inspired is our lovely customers. It warms our hearts to see your pictures and receive emails telling us how you are using our bedding and what your children particularly love about the illustrations and characters.
In this series of interviews we hope to hear from our customers all over the world, and how your Forivor bedding and blankets have become part of family life. If you would like to take part please do get in touch with rebecca@forivor.com. Any contributors we choose for this series will receive a £100 gift voucher to spend on the Forivor website.
All photographs are Lex's own, some products in the pictures are from previous collections but where they are available we have linked to them in our shop.
Who lives in your house?
Me - Lex, my partner Willo, our three boys Faelan, Nuadha & Orva, and our little dog Luna.
Me - Lex, my partner Willo, our three boys Faelan, Nuadha & Orva, and our little dog Luna.
What do you do?
We run a family business called Village Circus, we curate festival venues, walkabout, weddings and other live events, we also make and hire out decor & canvas canopies. I am an illustrator, so I tend to draw through the winter months, then we all tour the festival circuit in the summer months.
What was your childhood bedroom and bedding like?
I had a bedroom at the top of a classic London family home, my room was an extension with a long stretch of windows that let in the most amazing orange light as the sun set over the long green stretch of our back gardens. My bedding was very 80s, I remember a sweet clown print, and a hand me down pink illustrated ‘bear on a patterned quilt’ print that I loved dearly. I was alway a wriggly sleeper and spent a fair bit of time inventing silly sleeping spots like stacking up too many mattresses, or dens on the floor. Whatever the set up, I ALWAYS ran from one end of the room and leapt on to the bed, to avoid the ankle grabbing monster, obviously.
Are there any parts of your childhood that have influenced the way in which you parent your own children?
Yes! I remember wild Welsh beaches, paddling down secret brooks that spilled out at the beach, climbing old hollow oak trees in the park, and designing our own Ewok villages in fallen tress over a bog. Soggy days kayaking the Thames and long road trips to Ireland to visit family. I guess all those things gave me a strong love for the natural world, and adventuring on the road. I really wish for my children to grow up appreciating the beauty of our planet, to notice all the little details that make up our magical environment.
What Forivor products do you have and are there any you wish you had?!
Oooh, well we have been gathering pieces over the years, I have been very lucky to get some bits in the perfectly imperfect sales. We have three quilts, and each time a son gets big enough for his own duvet he is gifted with one of your magical covers. I have been eyeing up the large muslins for beach trips for a while now.
How do you use your Forivor bedding in daily life and what makes it special?
Our Forivor bedding always brings me joy, reminds me to spend time dreaming and of the importance of magic in childhood. We always have at least one quilt in the van for cosy journeys home, picnics, dens and alfresco nap spots. Always one on the sofa for cosy book reading & film nights. When we do festival bedtimes in the double buggy, we pile them over the smalls and head out into the night to let them fall asleep peeking out at the lights and the sound of live music.
Your work means you and your family are on the road a lot in the summer - does your Forivor bedding go with you?
YES, always. As we travel a lot I find it really important to make sure we have our favourite familiar items with us to help the children feel settled. Our blankets always come with us as they are so versatile & hold up well to an adventurous life.
Is there anything you would like to see Forivor explore in a new collection or products you wish we made?
I would love a Forivor jacket or gilet, for me and the boys! Scarves would be kind of magical, but you can achieve that with a smaller muslin I bet. Hmm, what about bathrobes? I mean the list is endless isn’t it?!
THANK YOU for inspiring my children with your wonderful creations, and also, equally, for inspiring me. On the days when adulting feels exhausting and my imagination is running low, your beautiful stories on fabric are always there to remind me where my happy place is, in dreaming up magic with my children.