Noble Macmillan produces beautiful leather goods. Designed with both practicality and luxury in mind, they strike the perfect balance between classic and contemporary. Founded by friends Tom Dodd Noble and Adam Macmillan in the 1980s, the brand began life in their garage (which once accommodated their Le Mans racing car) in a quiet Kensington mews. It has remained there ever since. In 2007, the company was bought by Tom Fleming, who has maintained the brand’s traditional approach, creating products that epitomise the very best of British craftsmanship.
Throughout the uncertainty of 2020, Noble Macmillan has maintained the excellent service for which it is known, always at the end of the phone for customers, old and new. It was with a heavy heart that it temporarily closed its Elvaston Mews store for the first time in 30 years, in line with government restrictions, telling customers: ‘There will be many stories of sadness, but it is our hope that there will be some happy memories created through this tough time. We hope this is a time to dig out those family albums and reflect on happier days, a time for people to take a step back from our fast-paced, technology-driven world, and return to simpler forms of entertainment.’
And indeed, the brand reported a huge spike in online sales of photo albums during the pandemic, suggesting that its customers were spending time at home storing their memories in beautiful Noble Macmillan albums.
The launch of its new website ensured that Noble Macmillan remained highly functioning throughout last year. As most of its products are produced in Britain, the brand largely managed to avoid Covid-related supply chain issues. To show its support and appreciation for frontline workers, it sent personalised keyrings to lockdown heroes and hand-delivered them to customers shielding in London.
Opting to hand-deliver was typical of Noble Macmillan’s approach to customer service, which works to create a personal relationship with shoppers. In a bid to help minimise its customers’ need to leave home, for example, the brand added the facility to print and insert photos into frames prior to sending.
The brand is constantly coming up with exciting new products – recent additions to its range of leather goods and games include a new emerald green design to its popular collection of cross-body bags, new quirky and fun luxury card boxes in collaboration with artist Jakki Doodles, and a luxury Ibble Dibble set, whose launch coincided with the game’s appearance in the hit Netflix show, The Crown, turning it into an instant best seller.
‘Not only will we continue to champion British craftsmanship post-Brexit, but, following the success of our sell-out recycled shopper bags, we hope to explore new ways in which we can use sustainable materials for our products,’ says head of product and marketing, Hannah Fleming. ‘We’re looking at 2021 with excitement and are brimful of ideas, both for enhancing our service and for further increasing our range of products.’
