Many of the items on display around the hotel are from Kiwi craftspeople, artisans, designers and businesspeople. And if you like what you see, the hotel allows you to ‘steal’ items from each of its rooms, with the charge added to your final bill.
We chatted to three of the locals whose products can be seen and enjoyed at the hotel.
Lucy Vincent
Founder, Sans [ceuticals]
If you’re yet to try the popular products from Sans [ceuticals], a stay at The Hotel Britomart will allow you to test some of the brand’s bestsellers.
Lucy Vincent, a former hairdresser who founded the clean hair and beauty brand, was approached by the team at Cooper and Company to offer her products at the hotel. Her company’s environmental values fit well with The Hotel Britomart’s sustainability goals. “They didn’t want to offer single use plastics, and they wanted something that was local, but a brand that reflected the quality offering of the hotel,” she says. “We’re just really thrilled to be part of something so truly forward thinking.”
Guests can enjoy Sans’ pH Perfect Body Wash, Balancing Hair Wash, Nourishing Hair Hydratant and Celullar Repair Lotion while staying at the hotel. As well as being effective, high-quality products, they are also better for the environment than most hotel amenities. The ingredients are naturally derived, 100% biodegradable and safe in waterways. And rather than offering the products in miniature, single-use bottles, a refill system has been developed where Sans provides refillable 500ml bottles, and the hotel returns the bottles to Sans for refilling as necessary.
Vincent says staying at the hotel herself for the first time made her feel “immensely proud” to be part of the Britomart project. “What’s really exciting in New Zealand is over the last 20 years, you’ve seen some really incredible people emerge and create really interesting products and concepts,” she says. “I think that’s really amazing, and to be sitting alongside them is just great.”
Tamzin Hawkins
Founder, Mavis & Osborn and White Label Uniforms
Upon being greeted by staff at The Hotel Britomart, you’ll also be introduced to uniforms designed by Tamzin Hawkins. Like Vincent, Hawkins was approached to create products for the hotel due to her environmental credentials in business. She founded and operates lifestyle brand Mavis & Osborn and uniforms brand White Label. “I had just turned a corner with our business and wanted to make sure that anybody we were working with going forward was on the same page as us in terms of sustainability and creating a product which has a full life cycle,” she says.
Her brands only use natural materials, and they create their pieces in a way that minimises waste when it comes to patterns and usage of fabrics. When a garment is torn or starting to look tired, products are taken back for repairs or to be refreshed by overdying. Once the product is beyond repair, it will be dismantled and remade into a different product such as a bag or a hat. At the very end of a garment’s life, the materials can be recycled into felt.
Hawkins has created the uniforms for front-of-house, porters, housekeeping and food and beverage, with a colour palette inspired by nature. She too is grateful to be included with such an impressive group of creatives making products for the hotel. “There is just an amazing selection of artisans and creators doing amazing things in New Zealand,” she says. “And it’s just great to see them being able to be used in a large-scale setting, making large volumes for a hotel.”
Rachel Carter
Founder, Rachel Carter Ceramics
Rachel Carter is one of two local ceramicists whose works can be found in each of the rooms. Carter has created bowls, coffee cups and vases for the hotel’s Landing Suites, and vases and soap dishes in the guest rooms. She says creating bespoke pieces on a large scale was a substantial undertaking. “It was months of work, especially the big pieces like the vases,” she says. “To get through that many pieces, it takes a while.”
Carter believes “most potters are quite in tune with the environment” and appreciated the opportunity to work on a project with such a focus on sustainability. But she has also valued the chance to be involved in a project supporting local creators. “It feels like New Zealand is beginning to grow up a little bit and understand that we have some really good designers and makers here, to support them. It feels like we’re maturing,” she says. “We have good design and craftsmanship here to support and we can give that international vibe with made locally and designed locally.”
