An Interview with Fox & Star

Over the past month I've had the pleasure of having the online stationary store The Fox and Star living at the top of my sidebar. I still remember the day I came across the beautiful little shop, it is a stationary obsessors dream. They stock some of my favourite brands and other lovely little pieces so if you want to know more about the shop then keep reading as I spoke with the owner Ari.

How did you get started with Fox & Star?

This time last year I was working at a homeware e-commerce company. I wasn’t completely enamoured with the job and pretty much every day I would think, ‘I can do this.’ From searching for the perfect pen to finding the perfect planner, I've always adored well-designed stationery. It made perfect sense to work on something that I love and am passionate about. (I still swoon when the new product launches land in my inbox) So, each morning and evening into the early hours, I’d tinker around with the Fox and Star site. Finally, late last autumn I took the plunge and left work, launched Fox and Star and haven’t looked back.

What inspires you to pick the pieces that you stock?

There’s no hard and fast rule about stocking any one piece or range. Often, one of the biggest hurdles is trying to whittle down the selection as I tend to love everything! The stationery that we stock is a little more special than your generic office stationery. A beautiful notebook or planner is a great spot for inspiring creativity. So, with that in mind I try to pick the pieces that are a total treat and that you'd be proud to pop on your desk.

Although certain designs like floral and botanical patterns are always popular, I do tend to favour minimal and graphic-inspired designs, such as the ones from Paperways. Also, I love the idea that something like the Livework Minimal Planner is easy to customise and adapt to your own life. Quality is also important. A lot of the stationery is imported. We have postcards from Portland, planners from Seoul and journals from Paris. Ah, and of course the entire 'mt masking tape’ washi tape range hails from Japan.

Tell us more about the people behind the brand?

You might have already gathered, Fox and Star is essentially a one-woman show at the moment. My other half, James, is also chief brew-maker and quite level-headed, which is great for when things get stressful. We’re currently based in Birmingham, but may head over to Manchester or Edinburgh (my favourite city) before the end of year.

I’m lucky enough to have spent time studying in China and working in South Korea. I can imagine that Busan is where I picked up my obsession with coffee shops, Korean beauty brands and well-designed stationery.

What is your favourite thing about running the store?

It’s really cool to read the reviews and see the Instagram snaps from customers that love their new stationery. I love hearing that someone’s prepping for a new year at uni with a scheduler or designing their own wedding stationery with washi tapes.

Your favourite item you stock?

Hmm, I’d say The Weekly Times. The designers, Seeso Graphics are a Seoul-based stationery brand and their ‘Times’ series of daily, monthly and weekly planners are minimal, functional and the type design reminds me of the Korean fashion magazine, High Cut

I hope you guys enjoyed learning more about this lovely little shop as much as I did and you follow them on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook here.

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