B and B blog

B&B interview vintage obsessive Emma Davies November 20, 2019 12:00

Emma is a woman after our own heart - a lover of tattoos, vintage, rockabilly and all things stylish. We met through her love of our butterfly skull logo, and bonded instantly. We love all she does and wanted to find out more about her. 

Emma in red wedding dress

Tell us a bit about yourself...
I’m Emma Davies a 42 year old mum, wife and vintage obsessive. I freelance write and blog and for actual proper money I work as a children’s nanny and as a receptionist in a local hairdressers. I love my family, dogs, tattoos and cake!

You always look fantastic! Where do you get your inspiration from?
Thank you very much! Coming from you both that’s one helluva compliment, and I’m very, very flattered. My inspiration is a bit of a 1950’s/1980’s mashup with a teeny sprinkling of goth thrown in for good measure. I love the rockabilly pinups, Debbie Harry, Siouxsie Sioux and Helena Bonham Carter, these ladies are my idols!

Emma with husband 

What would you say your style is?
It really varies from day to day depending on what I’m doing but I always try and get a bit of vintage in there somewhere! Saturday for work was a Collectif tartan swing dress, yesterday a original 80’s dress complete with shoulder pads and today I’m nannying so I’m wearing a oversize customised bleached denim shirt, leggings and Converse. Everything is topped off with a slick of red lipstick though, I don’t feel like me without it.

How did you first come across Brennan and Burch?
About 5 years ago I was staying in the AMAZING Hotel Pelirocco in Brighton and fell in love with the beautiful wallpaper in their bar area ( butterfly skull and madworld print). It was exactly the sort of art that I love. Bright, quirky, but not too creepy. I did a bit of research when I came home and learnt more about Brennan and Burch and wanted everything!

Hotel Pelirocco bar

What made you decide to have a tattoo on your hand of our butterfly skull?
I had wanted a hand tattoo for a while and knew it had to be something a bit special. I fell in love with the butterfly skull so emailed B&B and tentatively asked if they would mind if I used their design. You guys were so lovely and even sent me the .pdf file to give to my tattooist! It’s one of my favourites and I’m so grateful to you both.

Emma butterfly skull tattoo

You have some lovely tattoos, which are your favourites or mean something to you?
Thank you very much! I love my ink and it’s a constant work in progress. They are a big old jumble of everything I love, from my kids names to Tim Burton movies, flowers and butterflies. My favourites change but I love my pug in a teacup (I have two pugs and they are my babies!) and my butterfly skull on my hand. I recently got my first tattoo that I had when I was 18, a ropey looking 90’s dolphin, covered up, and I have to admit I felt a bit sad about it. They are all special in their own way.

Emma chest tattoos

We know you are passionate about your thrift shop finds. Does your home reflect this?
I love thrifting and this has definitely spread into my home. I’ll trawl markets and even skips for unusual pieces that fill my home. I love colour and graffiti art too. None of it is expensive. We have too many kids and dogs to be too precious!

 Emma house with zebra

Emma house with elephant


Wayne Hemingway - The Classic Car Boot Sale March 11, 2015 12:00

Wayne Hemingway
Wayne Hemingway speaking
We both went to school in Camden, well Chalk Farm really, back in the 1980s. Our lunch times were spent trailing the vintage clothes shops and we hung about Camden at the weekends working on vintage market stalls. Wayne Hemingway had a market stall in the early days and he started to sell his Red or Dead shoes, then later Red or Dead got a shop next to the stall. We loved the quirkiness of the clothes but couldn't afford much until the sales came.
I Love Red or Dead Donkey
Red or Dead Baby Jacket
Lisa bought a plastic jacket with baby faces on it (don't know what ever happened to it) and also a plastic brown jacket which was loved and treasured dearly. It was an inspirational shop to us, so loud and in your face and surreal. It was new and exciting and a real talking point. This label definitely had a part in sewing the seed in our minds about setting up our own clothing business, which we did in 2000.
Classic Car Boot Sale
Now you can go back and relive those days of vintage finds thanks to Vintage by Hemingway. Vintage in association with Southbank Centre are putting on The Classic Car Boot sale on London's South Bank this weekend 14-15 March 2015. Over 100 vintage vehicles will be there with traders operating from their boots selling fashion, homewares, music, car memorabilia and all sorts of goodness. Vintage Festival DJs are playing 1940s to 1980s vinyl. On Saturday there's an after party for all ticket holders and on Sunday early birds can get a free Bloody Mary cocktail on the Routemaster bus. Entry is only £4. Seriously looking forward to this!