Annabel Lewis, creator and owner of V V Rouleaux. Country Living Fair 03 Mar 2007
V V Rouleaux Creator Talks Exclusively At This Year's Country Living Magazine Spring Fair London

Country Living Magazine Fair

If you want to dress up your wardrobe, find something original for your home or are simply looking for inspiration, then visit the Country Living Magazine Spring Fair at Islington's Business Design Centre (14-18 March). Annabel Lewis, creator and owner of V V Rouleaux, will be showcasing her stunning new range of ribbons and trims, all embellished with extraordinary satin, velvet, organza, beads, embroidery, ruffles and feathered trimmings. Annabel will give a talk in the theatre demonstration area of the Fair on Friday the 16th of March at 12.30, where visitors can pick up a few tricks of the trade from her new book.

The five-day Fair will bring together local and national crafts, garden and home accessories, unique jewellery and clothing, along with food and drink, much of it organic and produced using traditional methods.

Annabel Lewis, a former florist, discovered thirty design documents containing thousands of ideas and a myriad of coloured ribbons dating back to 1840. These have provided the inspiration for her ribbon ventures.

She opened her first shop in 1990 when she swapped flowers for ribbons. One weekend out went the plants and in came roll after roll of ribbon - flowery, embroidered, striped, sleek or frilly edged. From the beginning, it offered an unparalleled collection of irresistible ribbons and trimmings both old and new. Her previous life as a florist gave her a highly developed sense of colour and texture, which she has applied to putting together a treasure trove for ribbon and trimmings hunters.

V V Rouleaux was soon discovered by fashion and interior designers and before long another London shop opened, designed to show people the possibilities of these wonderful trims. V V Rouleaux now have two London shops as well as outlets in Glasgow and Newcastle.

Over the past decade V V Rouleaux has become the ideas mecca for the design world. Everyone from interior designers (Nina Campbell) fashion luminaries (Julian Macdonald) high street retailers (Jigsaw and Whistles), costume designers (think Oscar-winning Gladiator or Kenneth Branagh¹s Hamlet), models (Yasmin Le Bon), pop legends (Madonna, Kylie Minogue and Elton John), actors (Joan Collins) and even car manufacturers source ideas and colours under Annabel¹s guidance.

Annabel says, “I was certain that it was not the demand for ribbons that had fallen but that it was the quality and variety. I source my ribbons worldwide and bypass the traditional wholesalers and go direct to the manufacturers. I quickly discovered types and styles of ribbons never seen in this country before, from Japanese organdy to French wire-edged taffetas, and suddenly an old and tired product was looking very bright and fresh.”

She continues, “I am looking forward to meeting my customers at this years Country Living Magazine Spring Fair.”

Ticket Prices: Advance | Door Adult: £10.50 | £14.00 Adult Country Living Subscriber: £9.50 | £14.00 Gala Evening: £10.50 | £12.00 Gala & Sunday Shop: £14.50 |£17.00 OAP: N/A |£10.50 Children 5-16: £6.00 | £7.50 Under 5's: Free | Free

For further information and to book tickets, please visit www.countrylivingfair.com or call 08701 261800.

-Ends-

Further colour images to accompany this release are available, please contact: Sarah Bremner at Tricker PR Tel: 01224 654082 Email: sbremner@trickerpr.com