Text by Katherine Ellis • Photography Courtesy of Emma Bridgewater, Ltd.
A colorful legacy built on heart, grit, and passion
At the ripe age of 23, Emma’s foresight and retail frustrations led her to Stoke-on-Trent—affectionally referred to as “The Potteries”—to build the brand of her dreams from the ground up. With a father in publishing in Cambridge, England, Emma learned about the stress and excitement of owning a business. She knew absolutely nothing about ceramic-making or design but had all the desire in the universe to make this grandiose idea a reality. The savvy and resourceful entrepreneur started researching everything she could about pottery and was told by a friend to “ring a guy that could make the pottery that I could decorate.” Once Emma found a dusty old factory begging to be resurrected, the world was her oyster, or perhaps, her earthenware. There was no stopping her; her fantasy was unfolding in the capital of ceramics.
“The business was built on a passion for the skills that everybody else was forsaking,” Emma states. “I was shocked and addicted straightaway—the rumination of it and the ghostly glamour of Spode, Minton, and Wedgwood, and all these great names.”
When thinking of the cheery British brand, the thought of it being unapologetically English comes to mind. It is for good reason that the pottery’s identity is deeply rooted in its headquarters of Stoke-on-Trent. While most corporations have entered the globalization of goods, manufacturing their products offshore, the Bridgewater brand is fundamentally committed to keeping their labor within the confines of The Potteries. It is important to Emma to help sustain the livelihood of the well-known area as well as to give employment to people around her. “For 40 years, I have swum—absolutely doggedly—against the tide of what everyone else was doing,” Emma emphasizes.
While the organization remains brilliantly and authentically British, loyal patrons reside beyond the United Kingdom. Whether admirers fell in love with the jubilant wares on a trip abroad, received a special present from a loved one, or discovered the imaginative portfolio via the Internet, product awareness and loyalty are vast. Most of the company’s sales occur online on its website; however, factory tours and visits to the brick-and-mortar store in Stoke-on-Trent are possible and encouraged. Looking to the future, Emma sees ample opportunity for growth in the homeware space as the sense of “home” has drastically changed since the global pandemic in 2020 and working-from-home practices have increased. The company’s sights are set on expanding their wholesale outlets and introducing more customers to their bright-colored corner of the ceramics industry.
“Though my mom is now long gone, sadly, I still think of her a lot, and the business was an homage to her,” Emma reveals. “I didn’t deliver the first cups and saucers to her for a while, but I do remember showing her the first samples. What I found in Stoke is there’s an amazing legacy of tradition and skill in ceramic-making.”
For decades, Emma Bridgewater has breathed life and sustainability to the town in central England and pottery commerce as a whole. A difficult mission to find the ultimate gift unexpectedly turned into a true calling for creativity, ingenuity, and tangible joy to prosper in the form of a collectible cup and saucer. Pottery fanatics are grateful for Emma’s failure to find an apropos accoutrement for the birthday celebration. It was truly a blessing in disguise for Emma, her mum, and the world at large.