Lua Gifts

Lua is a small independent family business trading for 26 years.

Lua sprang to life in 2000 when we (Emma and Eugene) left our jobs in project development at The British Council and in accountancy respectively, and headed off on a life-changing year around the world. We arrived in Vietnam and were deeply impressed by the beautiful and colourful silks, as well as the skills of the local artisans producing clothing and accessories there. Inspired, we soon set to work in the quiet sleepy town that Hoi An was back then, on the enjoyable task of developing hand-made samples of the first Lua products – silk kimonos, tops, simple bags and even boxer shorts!

Our first ever transaction was 1,000 marble rings hastily traded with great hilarity at a 10 minute roadside stopover!

We packed all these off in a cardboard box by sea, nearly forgotten until they arrived months later!

On returning home, Eugene’s enthusiasm for the fledgling business saw him travelling all over the UK, knocking on retailer’s doors and quickly connecting with wonderful customers face to face – many of whom we are lucky enough to be still trading with today.

We traded at local and county craft fairs enjoying the semi-nomadic lifestyle and the opportunity to see first-hand what customers really liked!

2002 was our first trade show – Pure London at Olympia, and our wholesale business selling to independent shops throughout the UK took off.

With the arrival of our first child in 2008 and our second in 2009, life got a whole lot crazier! Our ties with Vietnam have grown stronger over the last 24 years of trading; we have usually visited twice a year, often with our children who share our love of travelling, meeting our supplier’s children and learning Vietnamese. It has been fantastic to have our Vietnamese friends stay with us in the UK too!

Our wonderful team has grown over the years too; we have been joined by our nephew Jack and our teenage children are also happy to help out when they can and learn the business.

In 2021, we move out of our barn in the Harbury countryside and into our new warehouse, office and studio in the pretty market town of nearby Southam. The Lua websites also had a brand new makeover to showcase our latest designs.