Hear all about Dannells

How did your company start; what was the aim when it was launched? What was the response?
We're passionate about lampshade making because we have been involved in the industry for such a long time — our business was founded in 1982 in Hackney, East London, as Martin Dannell & Co Ltd. The Company manufactured a broad range of lampshade making products and provided many services for the vibrant manufacturers who used to supply the retailers back in the day. We now operate from a 20,000 sq ft factory in Essex and employ about 30 dedicated staff, most of whom have been with the company for decades. We entered into the craft market 10 years ago by designing a ground-breaking range of professional kits to promote lampshade making as a craft, and we have gone on to establish our brands and grow the business.

How often do you launch new lines and what are your best-selling designs?
We continually offer new products to our customers throughout the year: from our Needcraft® range, the 30cm Professional Lampshade Making Kit is our most popular product as every household will use this size either as a pendant or table lamp. The size is also the most popular product for lampshade making workshops.
Our manufacturing packs are also very successful as many of our customers design and make their own bespoke products (lampshades, bins, clocks and lanterns) using their fabric collections, and they sell them as retail products or through the online shopping platforms for handmade products like Etsy, Folksy and Not On The High Street.