Helen
Creative consultant at the Golden Boot, Helen, is the founder of Sugandha luxury fragrance; a small pure roll-on perfume oil business based in the UK that is alcohol free, paraben free, vegan and cruelty free. We caught up with Helen recently talking all things scent, meditation, creativity and of course, shoes!
“My relationship with the Golden Boot started, as it does with many others, when I was a child, getting new school shoes with my siblings. We didn’t go anywhere else. It wasn’t until I was around 20 years old that I went back for a job! I worked part time on the shop floor for a couple of years whilst studying Fashion Atelier at UCA. But the story doesn’t end there. In fact it was only just beginning!
After university I worked for a local lifestyle magazine for a few years and became the Fashion and Beauty Editor. Having seen my work from the magazine, Ed, Managing Director of The Golden Boot, felt he could incorporate some of my styling skills into the business. So each season I’d come up with a theme. I’d develop an aesthetic and create window displays, in store decorations, style photoshoots and create web imagery.
With a love of yoga and meditation, which I had been practising as a hobby, it wasn’t long before I went travelling to India for a 6 month Teacher Training programme and I began to balance my creative styling work alongside yoga teaching.
A few years later I started to develop my very own perfume business, combining my career experience with my love for meditation and calming scents. Sugandha started as a fun project to keep my creative juices flowing. I’d always loved perfumes, particularly the roll on oil perfumes I would find in India. What started as a fun project with eight scents being sold to friends and family, is now a collection of 36 unique fragrances. They’re sold from my website and via stockists across Kent and East Sussex.
Whilst juggling various job roles and vocations: creative consultancy, yoga teaching and founding my perfume business, there’s been a consistency in my life and that has been barefoot-inspired footwear. Whether travelling the globe, stomping on my morning walks in the Kent countryside or crafting the Golden Boot shop window displays, I have always been extremely active on my feet. Therefore, I have also been particularly fussy about my footwear! My recent recommendation, The Merrell Trail Glove 7 J037151 Shoes in Black
‘Barefoot’ designed footwear allows me to reconnect to the earth’s natural functions and revitalises my energy. These flexible shoes allow lateral stability, and forefoot flexibility that allows me to confidently walk and explore any surface. Technically supple footwear restores your feet to their natural position to help you feel stronger, more balanced, and pain-free.
Just like my brand, barefoot-inspired footwear is all about enjoying small and simple luxuries.
Discover Helen’s perfume brand: www.sugandha.co.uk
