The Neighbourhood Threat is a vibrant, nostalgic brand founded by Holly Ramsay. With a distinctive retro aesthetic that perfectly complements our SURF! exhibition, Holly creates playful kitchen accessories and furnishings inspired by classic campervans and coastal nostalgia.
Deeply committed to sustainable UK production and the creative community, The Neighbourhood Threat represents the spirited, artistic culture that thrives when makers support each other. We caught up with Holly to hear about her childhood memories of family holidays in Cornwall and her everlasting love of all things vintage...
What’s the story behind your colourful brand and how it got its distinctive name?
I've been The Neighbourhood Threat since I was 17 and it's named after the song by Iggy Pop! When I started I sold vintage clothing and from there we've evolved into what we do now which is fabric design and soft furnishings and accessories!
How do you approach designing products that are both functional for everyday kitchen use, and playful artistic pieces?
Well firstly I have to be in the right frame of mind to be sitting down all day with a solid vision that I know I'll see all the way through. I think that by knowing how products are sewn together it helps with how I place my patterns on the fabric if that makes sense! I can go months and months without having any new ideas then next thing I know, I've hardly moved in a week and suddenly I've got 5 new designs!
Can you tell us a bit more about your design process from concept to final product?
For my fabric designs I use both hand and digital drawing. I try and stick to quite a strict colour palette too as I like a challenge! With the production side of things, I make sure that all my fabric is printed in the UK and what we can't make ourselves I'll know who has made it! I've worked with the same small manufacturer in Staffordshire for years now and they're amazing!
As a champion of independent business and collaboration, how important is community to your work?
Community is everything to Neighbourhood Threat! From starting up in an old mill taken over by artists in Salford, to swapping skills with collaborations with other creative small businesses it's something that makes us thrive! By trading at events all over the country, we've met so many good friends and we can all share our trades to help with each others businesses which I'll always think is so cool!
What excites you most about having your products featured in the National Maritime Museum Cornwall shop, at a time when we are celebrating 100 years of Waveriding?
I am so excited to have my products featured as part of the SURF! exhibition! It's a real honour to be even this small part of such an important celebration for Cornwall. Being from Salford, I'm sadly nearly 100 miles from the closest surf, meaning I have to take every chance I get to head out there. Cornwall is where my soul lives so I love having my products at the museum as I feel like a little part of me is there!
I grew up going on family holidays to Cornwall twice a year and I'll remember them forever. We'd stay in Crantock on the caravan park above the beach and go surfing or bodyboarding every day. Then we'd ride our bikes to the Bowgie (it was pink then!) and my folks would get me and my sister a J20. I also remember spending all my holiday money in a little shop tucked away opposite the roundabout in Crantock on Goosebump books. I hope other people remember this shop too because I loved it! Must be going back 20 years though.
I think these nostalgic prints mainly come from the fact I've never changed and I've always been interested by old vans and the sea!
What’s next for The Neighbourhood Threat?!
I'm hoping to sell my fabric by the meter very very soon so people will be able to make their own projects with my designs. I'm also trying to retrain in car trimming so soon I'll be able to offer my upholstery services for campervans and classic vehicles!
See Holly on Series 6 of BBC Interior Design Masters here.