At CraftCover, we love upcycling! That’s why as part of our Crafter in the Spotlight, we arranged to speak to the founder and creator of Upcycled Creative.
After working for 20 years in the motor trade industry, Lee decided it was time for a change. He found that no one really understood upcycling, often confusing it with recycling, and wanted his new business to challenge this misconception.
Lee describes the Upcycled Creative style as “vintage”, “industrial”, “retro” and “individual”. With every product, he wants to make something that you can’t see anywhere else and creates a talking point for anyone that sees it.
When it comes to inspiration, Lee finds it anywhere and everywhere. He may see a photograph of an old building or house and decide that he wants to replicate elements within his own work. Or he may even simply see a colour that he likes and decide to use it in his next upcycling project. Lee wants his products to be different, which is why he looks for things “that stand out” and when he looks at it, he thinks “wow.”
One of the things that stood out to us when choosing Upcycled Creative for our interview is the fact that they won an #SBS Award back in 2015. This has had a “big impact” on the company, helping to “increase their social media presence and overall sales”.
Lee told us that “it was great because it didn’t cost anything. They run an event every year where we can meet up with other winners. This is great for networking and meeting an array of people from different industries. We can ask questions and get help for free, and we often share each other’s tweets to help each other get more exposure.”
The Upcycled Creative website mentions their passion for recycling and we were keen to find out the reason behind this. Lee explained that recycling has been talked about for decades but “not much has actually changed.” He said; “We are better at recycling now but there’s still a lot of waste. So, why not make it into something unique, with history and heritage?”
It was clear from speaking to Lee that he is passionate about his business and upcycling but we were keen to find out what he gets up to outside of work. He told us that he enjoys “chilling out, watching motorsports, swimming playing squash and travelling”.
We ended our interview by asking whether craft insurance, like the policies we offer, give crafters peace of mind. Lee answered; “yes, my current insurance runs out in 3 weeks and I have already got a quote from CraftCover. I have been recommended CraftCover by friends and have recommended you to other people.”
“What I do is considered high liability and big insurance companies don’t offer specialist insurance for the industry so they hike up the price. It can cost double or even triple the cost to take out a policy with them.”
CraftCover would like to say thanks to Lee for taking part in our Spotlight on the Crafter. We love upcyclers; to us, they are creative people who are trying to make a difference by reducing the amount of waste that we all generate and turning them into beautiful works of art!
Using our fully automated service you could get your free no obligation quote today.
Click the link below and take the first step towards bespoke coverage tailored
to the unique needs of your business.
