About us
Impressārum
Established in Bowness-on-Windermere in 2013, Impressarum, (now situated in Windermere,) offers an exclusive collection of organic cotton t-shirts, sweatshirts & hoodies for people who love The Lake District as much as we do.
We also feature thought provoking t-shirts by other British designers.
Helly here, creator of the independent clothing brand Impressarum.
My idea behind the brand is to share the spirit of the beautiful Lake District in a colourful, quirky and comfortable collection. Superior quality organic cotton, screen printed by hand in Cumbria, with eco-friendly water based inks. All our Lake District designs are a limited edition of 100.
We originally opened our shop in Bowness in 2013 as "The Mere Gallery," an Art Gallery featuring original prints, alongside a small collection of screen printed t-shirts.
My family and I moved up to the North West from Essex in 2012. I was the owner of Church Street Gallery in Saffron Walden, Essex for 6 years, (a gallery also featuring artwork by British printmakers,) and continued to run both galleries for a couple of years before selling Church Street Gallery in 2015 to concentrate on our lives up here... It was a long drive from Cumbria to Essex every couple of weeks!
Over the years the shop has evolved somewhat and the clothing range has become increasingly popular, to the point that we decided to rebrand as Impressarum in 2019.
In November 2023, after 10 years of trading from our shop in Bowness, we had the amazing opportunity to move to a gorgeous premises up in Windermere, where we also own the adjacent shop featuring our jewellery brand "Away With The Spoon."
Sterling silver statement jewellery with repurposed attitude... designed and hand crafted by Helly Baynham.
"Each one of a kind piece I make has been given a new lease of life, recycled and up-cycled from sterling silver items that have a history, have a story, have a connection with the past. I am especially drawn to Victorian silver, particularly if it has a Gothic edge.
Much of my collection has been oxidised to flaunt it's texture and devise a dark aesthetic. Each of my creations possesses lavish weight and notable proportions. They do like to be seen and heard!"
We also stock collections by a few other British designers who share the same ethos.
We're pleased to say both brands have gone from strength to strength and now feel extremely well established here in the heart of The Lakes.
Hope to see you soon x
