This year marks 50 years since the first email was sent and the UK moved away from 'old money' to decimalised currency. Generation X was being born into a world that was changing fast. This generation would simultaneously experience the birth of the internet and social media, negotiating the analogue and brave new worlds. It was during this period that Kelly Hyatt was born in the North Midlands, Leicester, a former industrial hothouse famous for its textile industry and winding canals.
Although he has lived in the South for most of his life, you can still detect the accent of his hometown, especially when he is passionate about something. Despite living in Brighton and Paris, he has found his true home in East Sussex.
“We live in a Georgian house on the edge of the South Downs. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else in the UK. I have to be in nature or close to the water, and we are both nearby.”
Kelly's love of the natural world took root as a child on the banks of the Grand Union Canal, which backed onto his childhood home, and from age six, he took up fly fishing. Happy in his own company, he would take a little boat out onto the water, visualising himself as a character from Wind in the Willows. He would hunt for mini beasts and creatures along the canal banks, looking toward the birds and studying nature books until he became a keen twitcher. He made his flies and saved his pocket money to buy quality fishing gear from House of Hardy and a handmade fly-tying vice. Even at a young age, Kelly was drawn to good craftsmanship and a love and respect for nature, which are still at the heart of everything he does today.
Although Kelly has always had a passion for art, once pasting pictures onto the telly with flour and water glue while his mum was hanging out the washing, he has always been creatively curious, seeking inspiration from many sources.
“I loved playing the drums and once thought I might become a session musician. I played at a very early age as my dad worked for Premier Drum and used to bring home samples from bands like T-Rex, Bowie and all the great 70s rock bands.”
The 80s saw a progression from fly fishing to drumming in a thrash metal band. Complete with Michael Hutchence-style flowing locks and the obligatory biker jacket, Kelly rocked out until the 90s dance scene introduced him to a new world of fashion and music. Once again, Kelly was finding inspiration in the changing world around him. However, the most influential medium during his teenage years was his exposure to print media and magazines like The Face and Arena, which combined music, style, and subculture, showcasing photographers and models like the Buffalo Collective and cutting-edge writers. The importance of magazines cannot be underestimated for young people in the pre-digital era. It was a window into a world that was barely covered by the mainstream media.
“I've always been a big reader of magazines. I love magazines like Monocle, FT Weekend, World of Interiors and the New Yorker. But it was graphic designers like Neville Brody of The Face who changed how I saw things; the new typefaces and layouts were so inspirational.”
Kelly studied art and design in Leicester, and a career in print was furthest from his mind.
“My career in cards was accidental. I wanted to be an installation artist.”
Kelly explored his creativity when the British art scene exploded and gained global recognition. The seminal Saatchi exhibition, Sensation, opened his eyes to what art was and could be. Artists like Tracey Emin, Sarah Lucas, and Damien Hirst pushed the boundaries of taste and tradition, such as a tent embroidered with past lovers and a portrait of a serial killer made with tiny handprints.
For Kelly, talent is only part of the story. He began his career selling handmade, mixed-media cards on a blanket in Covent Garden and at music festivals—original and striking ideas such as a card bearing a plaster for a get-well greeting. From the get-go, Kelly has always had an unstoppable work ethic.
“Talent is only one part of success - you need determination and drive and the ability to get stuck in - sometimes the naturally gifted can be lazy. Inspiration comes from getting out in the world and finding inspiration - get out and get inspired.”
Like all good innovators, Kelly's work was ahead of its time, too obscure for high street giants such as Athena. These were the days before the internet when peddling your wares physically around trade fairs was the only way to get your products noticed. It was at the Spring Fair that Kelly really saw the opportunities within the greeting card industry. This was the golden age of cards. Kelly and his business, Beaumonde International, went on to work with brands such as Playboy New York, Love Is, and Paperchase and produced a range of Christmas Cards for Unicef.
However, Kelly is best known for his award-winning greeting card company, Lagom Design. Lagom Design was established in April 2007 in the heart of Paris. The aim was to renew the focus on quality print and design, an art that was becoming lost in the age of mass media. Again, he was ahead of the pack.
“When I created the Cherished range, people didn't believe that you could sell a simple, coloured card with just words on, and now they're our bestsellers. I've always gone with my instinct.”
Is Kelly worried about the impact of digital on the humble greeting card?
“Digital will never replace cards. Sales actually went up during the pandemic. I believe people are reconnecting with the simple things we need as human beings. Reacting against the constant need to push forward.”
Kelly is a great storyteller. With his characterful Leicester accent, he can tell the naughtiest anecdote with the innocence of your grandmother gossiping at the local market, and his giggle is infectious. His modesty, humour, and creativity are inspiring. Open to ideas from team members at all levels, he is respected by his team and the industry at large. His drive to find inspiration in both the mundane and fabulous informs both his work and his love of life. It may be decades since a bespectacled boy took to the Grand Union Canal on his tiny boat, but he is still looking for those stories, ripples of inspiration that speak to the heart.
“I'm a magpie, so I need to be able to travel, see friends, or soak up different environments. Digital media has its place, but you cannot beat seeing things in the flesh.”
So what next? Kelly firmly believes that we can move forward by taking the best bits from the past.
“For the sake of the planet, we have to move away from consumption for consumption's sake. I feel that you should only own objects or clothes that you can connect to with the heart. Things of quality that have longevity. I hate throwaway fashion and how young people are led by influencers, a celebrity culture based on superficiality and not achievement. We live in a quick-fix culture, and people are too eager to swipe for the next best thing. It is essential to take a deep breath and to remember the simple things we need as human beings.”
It's the quiet things that make life special, and that's what Kelly does best: beautifully designed, well-made products that enhance our lives, not with quick fixes but with longevity.