An Interview with Emma Hill

In the run up to Mother's Day, we're continuing our celebration of sensational women. Kicking off an extra special Mothering Sunday giveaway, we catch-up with Emma Hill, one of the co-founders of luxury leather goods brand, Hill & Friends.

Since launching our newest fragrance, Violet Ida, we've found ourselves obsessed with Leopard Print... There’s a lot of leopard print in your newest collection - why do you think this is a print that always comes back into fashion, what is it that women continue to love about it?
Our launch collection and every single season since then has included lots of leopard, which is a print that is rooted firmly in our brand DNA. We love nothing more than to play with the size, scale, colour & fabrication of leopard print, reinventing & falling in love with it all over again, every season!

How would you describe your personal style?
Classic with a twist! I love mixing up a mash-up of uptown & downtown pieces so that I’m never either under or over-dressed, and ready for anything each day brings! I think this personal style of mine was honed during my 13 years living in New York City, and my go-to look is a pair of jeans, a slogan tee and a YSL tuxedo jacket, accessorised with leopard high heels and, of course, a Hill & Friends handbag!!

Miller Harris and Hill & Friends share a lot in common, one being a love of colour! Looking forward to the season ahead, what colours do you see filling the catwalk and shops?
Natural Animal Prints, Leopard Prints in Crayola-Neons, Brown and Black Leathers, Purples and Monochromatic Brights! (Fall’19 Season)

Are you a heels or flats kind of girl?
Heels (the higher the better) all the way! Although sneakers are my weekend staple, a necessity for running around with my 12-year-old son Hudson and our French Bulldog Bleecker.

What three items do you always carry in your handbag?
Oyster Card, iPhone and a tube of Dr. PawPaw lip balm.

What made you take the brave step into starting your own business?
A moment of martini-fuelled madness with my co-founder Georgia!

You’re a business owner and mother, how do you balance your work and personal life?
With difficulty!! I just try to give both my absolute all and remind myself to not be too hard on myself!

What does it mean to be a woman today?
In the immortal words of Beyonce “Who rules the world? GIRLS!!"

What’s your favourite thing of your job?
My incredible team!

What’s the hardest thing about your job?
That I can never switch off.

What makes Hill & Friends unique?
Our sense of humour, our honest price to value relationship, our UK manufacture, our love of colour, our attention to detail and our fabulous customers!

Where do you hope to see Hill & Friends five years from now?
Well, worldwide handbag domination obviously!!!

Who do you admire most?
My son Hudson and my late father.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
Best advice ever was “Dream big and work bigger!” from my beloved father Keith. And my all-time, words-to-live-by, quote is the following from Oscar Wilde “Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken.”

What are you most excited about in life right now?
Watch this space!!

What book are you reading right now?
“The Woman In The Window” - A.J Finn

What’s the best thing a cabby has ever said to you?
“Wow - that's the best thing I’ve ever seen!” (Referring to my bubblegum pink front door with giant googly eyes and brass doorknob nose)

What’s the best thing about living in London?
The people, the food, the underground, the museums, the self-deprecating humour, the music, the multi-culture, the music and the fact that every day you see something new!

What is one thing everyone should do when in London?
Go to a proper old school cafe for a traditional Full English fry-up!

What type of scents do you tend to go for?
I am constantly in awe of how very powerful the sense of smell is, and of how immediately it can trigger exact memories of cherished times and places. I adore the smell of of things like freshly cut grass, gardenia flowers, fresh laundry, bakeries, Play-Doh, fireworks, the top of a babies head and my puppy Bleecker’s paws! My current ‘can’t-leave-the-house-without-it’ perfume addiction is Miller Harris’s “Powdered Veil” - a delicious mix of amber, geranium, rhubarb and pink pepper, in the most beautiful pink bottle!

Tell us about your friends?
My friends are absolutely my chosen family and I cherish them more than words can say. Most of them have been friends for over twenty years and come from all sorts of industries. We vacation together and always celebrate things like Thanksgiving and Christmas together, with much love and hilarity!

Keep an eye out this #ScentSunday for a special Hill & Friends Giveaway!

You can find out more about Emma and explore the Hill & Friends brand here.