Jamie and Deenie McGowan, the founders of Essence of Harris, a fast growing luxury Scottish candle and home living company, are heading across the Atlantic this weekend to showcase their products to buyers in the US for the first time.
The ambitious husband and wife team whose range of hand poured products draws inspiration from their beautiful island home off the West coast of Scotland, are heading to New York to exhibit in the wellness section of NY NOW, one of the largest home, lifestyle and gift trade shows in the US.
The company, that has grown to employ 26 staff on the island, will be showcasing its unique range, including soy wax candles, reed-diffusers and home fragrance products, all of which have been carefully developed to be as local, sustainable and natural as possible. As part of its strong ethical stance, the business is committed to creating jobs on the remote Isle of Harris.
Jamie McGowan will be modelling a kilt made from the company’s bespoke tartan that has been designed using the GPS location of the firm’s base in Tarbert, and has inspired a full range of Harris tartan lifestyle products that will be launched at the show. He comments: “Five years after founding the business, the launch of our products in the USA marks another key milestone in its development, enabling us not only to take our hand-crafted candles and home fragrances to a new market, but also to tell the story of our island home to buyers in New York.
“Knowing how Americans love the Scottish Isles, we expect them to relate to the provenance and quality of the Essence of Harris range. The NY NOW trade show is an epicenter for innovative, design-led brands and we are proud that carefully-crafted products from the Outer Hebrides will play a part in the winter show.”
Stewart Roxburgh from Scottish Enterprise said: “With the global wellness market now exceeding $4.5 trillion, it is always pleasing to see a company prepare and launch new products that look to serve that market. Utilising the purest elements, and subtle, herbal scents to craft a stunning collection of products that truly celebrates Scotland’s natural heritage and offers a glimpse into life on the remote and rugged Western Isles. I am delighted that Essence of Harris is set to launch in the US market for the very first time and I know that US customers will not be disappointed by the creativity, versatility and purity of product on display.
Jamie and his team will be at stand 3944 at the NY Now Show, the Javits Centre in Manhattan, New York, from Saturday 1st February to Wednesday 5th February.
