Our Story

Our Story

Established in 2011, The English Ladies Company is born out of a long-standing passion for creating high quality bone china figurines, tea sets and giftware for all occasions.

With a combined commercial and creative background in prestige ceramics of over 65 years, owners Malini Pashley and Wayne Nutbeen wanted to create a company that offered people the opportunity to give a gift like no other; a gift which symbolises not only timeless beauty but also timeless sentiment and meaning. Be it a luxury china figurine or china tea set, the gift of unique ceramics is the perfect way to show someone a continuous and unchanging message of love and affection. And this is what Mal and Wayne want to inject into every piece of their handcrafted range of bone china gifts.

The people behind the brand

Having met whilst working at Royal Doulton, Mal and Wayne have an extensive background in prestige ceramics.

Mal

Mal began her career there in the Crystal department meaning that from the very beginning, she was immersed in a world of product development at the very highest level. During her 12 years with Royal Doulton, Mal was also placed in charge of overseeing their Minton and prestige lines and so the experience of producing high-end products and gaining in-depth knowledge of the most skilled and niche processes has always been at the forefront of her ceramics career. This knowledge and skill has translated into the most beautiful and intricate pieces at The English Ladies Company and Mal is constantly thinking of new designs, new details and new ways to add quality and luxury into each and every bone china model they create.

Wayne

As the previous Global CEO of Royal Doulton, Wayne’s experience of prestige ceramics is second to none. Having begun his career moving boxes in the Lladro warehouse during his rugby “off season”, Wayne’s ceramics journey went from Sales Manager to National Sales Manager very quickly, before being headhunted by Wedgwood and becoming CEO prior to his post at Royal Doulton. Like Mal, Wayne is only interested in using the best products, the most skilled craftspeople and the most intricate detailing and always thinking of new and exciting ways to bring customers the most beautiful bone china pieces.

The pair have never been restrictive when it comes to adding in extra detail, or a new material such as real gold or platinum, Swarovski crystals or Mother of Pearl to add lustre in the objective of creating the best quality china figurines and giftware in the marketplace.

Master craftspeople, painters and modellers

Designed in Stoke-on-Trent, the heart of the Potteries, and made from the finest quality bone china, every figurine is brought to life by a team of renowned artists, modellers and sculptors. The English Ladies Company are very particular about the people who work on their delicate and intricate pieces and have ensured that only the most skilled master painters and craftspeople are employed for the job. Every figurine is made up of 10-12 individual parts and each piece also has its own separate mould meaning that there isn’t a single part of the figurine that hasn’t been carefully thought about and considered when bringing these beautiful ladies to life.

Unique gifts

Having first launched with their signature figurine, Midnight Romance, the English Ladies Company has always wanted to create models which embody the traditional and classic nature of china figurines, but in a way which captures the eye and the hearts of a new generation of collectors as well as honouring the desires of their current and valued collector base. Within their product range there is a figurine for every age group and taste, and even their most classic of bone china ladies are subject to reinvention and relaunched to add inspiration and enhance their already highly collectable ranges. Each carefully crafted china model somehow manages to capture an individual personality and gives the customer a feeling that they are privy to a moment in thought, time or movement when they look at these stunning ladies. Through their unrivalled skill, the English Ladies Company designers, modellers, painters and craftspeople capture emotion and sentiment in their ladies, an exclusive talent and style which cannot be found or purchased anywhere else.

Furthermore, the English Ladies Company has developed and extended their product line to offer some truly unique and special ranges including birth month gifts, christening gifts, new baby gifts and wedding gifts, the most unique of all being their gifts for gypsy brides.

Gifts for Gypsy Brides

Having teamed up with TV’s Thelma Madine, star of My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding and dressmaker to the traveller community, a brand new collection of china figurines was born. True to her trademark style, ‘Gypsy Wedding Dreams’, is Thelma Madine’s first collection of limited-edition figures and are the signature wedding gift for every traveller bride.

In addition to this, the opportunity to purchase the accompanying “mini bride” makes the Gypsy wedding range a truly unique gift for every traveller bride. With the gypsy wedding gift range selling so well, Mal and Wayne wanted to extend the range to the gypsy community and so developed the delightful holy communion gift range.

Holy Communion gifts

As with all their gifts, the holy communion gift range from The English Ladies Company provides buyers with a place to purchase the most special and everlasting gift for the little girl eagerly awaiting their most important of days.

In true English Ladies style, the holy communion gift range has been carefully considered and designed to showcase the intricacies of the stunning communion dresses and the beautiful faces of the little girls who wear them. The lace of the dresses is represented through using the most delicate of touches and unmatched attention to detail. Separate tiny little moulds are created to ensure the figurines show animation and character and give a perception of life and movement something only achievable by exceptionally skilled craftsmen. As with all the English Ladies pieces, it is modelling and art at the highest of levels and lies at the heart of creating the most special and meaningful of gifts.

Never wanting to stand still, as well as offering heritage gifting through their beautifully traditional china figurines, Mal and Wayne have always wanted to bring on board a wide range of customers and offer something for every age range, taste and style.

Therefore in 2016, The English Ladies Company proudly introduced their range of Disney Princess Figurines.

The Disney Collection

With its inception in 2014, the Disney princess figurine range was 2 years in the making and launched with the beautiful princesses – Belle, Aroura (Sleeping Beauty) and Cinderella. Fast forward to 2022 and through their passion for design and prestige gifting The English Ladies Company has extended their Disney Princess Gift range and now offers a varied and beautiful selection of Disney gifts for every occasion. Whether it’s a Disney Princess tea set, a Winnie the Pooh cup and saucer, Lion King espresso set or a beautiful Elsa figurine, The English Lady Co Disney range is the perfect combination of classic style mixed with a youthful injection of character and fun.

The English Ladies Company are extremely proud to be able to design, create and manufacture so many characters from the much-loved Disney range and their goal is always to stay as true as possible to every Disney personality they create. All characters are modelled on the Disney films so precisely and every care is taken to present the closest replica to each character possible. To this end, Disney themselves chose to take an English Ladies Company Disney princess into their board meeting when their Global CEO paid a visit to London. Furthermore, the English Ladies Disney princesses were launched in Harrods and also have a presence in the Disney parks around the world. Their characters can also be found in the Disney store on Oxford street, the home of a career highlight for owner Mal who experienced one of her proudest moments when she walked past the shop window and saw her “Elsa” Disney princess figurine standing there! A real testament to the level of detail, accuracy, care, attention and love that goes into the whole range.

So, what’s next?

With an established presence in the UK, Australia America, Japan and Hong Kong, The English Ladies Company are always looking to strengthen, add to and enhance their product range to give their valued existing and new customers alike a buying experience like no other. With exciting product developments happening all the time Mal and Wayne are always keen to share their journey with customers.

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