Ann Fuller's father, James Trevor, ran a bespoke tailoring business in Albany Chambers, St Ann's Square, Manchester. James ('Jim' to his friends) came from a tailoring family that emigrated to America in 1860s… and then came back, going on to specialise in military uniforms. Like his father James before him, Jim passed on his love of cloth and sewing expertise to his daughter.
Ann asked her father to recommend a thread that was strong and not too slippery. He suggested Koban. ‘It was the best piece of advice I ever had,’ says Ann.
Jacksons of Piccadilly, London, was first major retailer to take the dolls in 1976 when Hugh Fuller took them some samples on spec. Although they loved what they saw, Hugh was told that everything in the shop ‘had to be scented’, so Ann created underdraws for the dolls out of white cotton, found some lavender from a bush in the garden, and days later resubmitted them. Eventually, all her lavender came from Provence, France, shipped in 56lb sacks.
The business moved into 102 Forest Road, Loughton, Essex UK (above) in the late 1970s, about half a mile from where Ann and Hugh Fuller and lived with their five children Clare, Lucy, Alice, Patrick and William. It had been previously been a general store.
Jacksons were late payers and Hugh decided that Ann should stop supplying them. In the end, he went to their shop in Piccadilly to deliver an order personally, but only if they paid more promptly. They did - for half the order. So Hugh promptly took the other half to Liberty of London in nearby Regent Street, who bought them on the spot. It was the start of a long partnership with one of the UK's most prestigious retailers.
An early customer was Princess Anne, who bought five pairs of stork scissor dolls from Jacksons. Ann Fuller Designs was later commissioned by Liberty of London to create a wedding present for Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981.
The classic peg doll was the first product produced and Ann Fuller and her business partner Helen Hunt would make each new designs together to judge how long each should take to make for the outworkers. ‘We raced each other to see who could make it quickest,’ says Ann. Ann Fuller Designs was an example of a cottage industry, which these days are very popular.
At its peak, Ann Fuller employed 90 outworkers, who would make an hourly rate of about £3.50, or £10 in today's money. The outworkers would collect the materials from the business and return the finished items for quality control, helping to keep overheads low. Many of the outworkers became friends and some are still in touch with Ann today. All five of Ann's children participated in the business, including rubbing down the pegs with sandpaper (one penny per peg) or putting together earrings (50 pence). Some products, such as the famous Alice earrings and Lucy and Clare brooches, were named after her children.
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