ImagesMagUK_June_2021

IS DECORATOR PROFILE www.images-magazine.com 28 images JUNE 2021 O la Adeyemi took inspiration from a puddle when looking for a name for her decorating business, Ripples Custom Designs & Prints. “I was taking a walk and there was a puddle and a stone dropped in the water,” she recalls. “I stood there watching the ripples getting bigger and bigger and the idea came to me. Initially it started as something I wanted for my business: it might look like we’re starting out small, but the plan is to grow bigger and bigger. Now that’s what I want to offer my clients as well.” Ever increasing circles Over the past six years, the development of Ripples has more than matched its name, growing from a hobby into a business employing five people and offering a wide range of decoration services. After she and her husband Ade had their first child in 2011, Ola made hair bows and tutus for their daughter. Soon, she was also making them for family and friends along with other garments such as tops. By the time The Ripples effect Ola Adeyemi talks to Mark Ludmon about how her business, Ripples Custom Designs & Prints, has gone from tutus to a two-storey 2,000 sqft unit Ripples has installed four Melco embroidery machines Ola Adeyemi, owner of Ripples Custom Designs & Prints their third child was on the way in 2016, she was on the go round the clock. Ola, who moved to Scotland from Nigeria to study, was still working in information management for Aberdeenshire Council after graduating with a masters degree in international commercial law from Aberdeen University. Now with a workshop in her garage, she decided it was time to quit her job and focus on building her business. Ola may have started out at home by herself with just a Silhouette Cameo cutter, but these days the company operates from a two-storey 2,000 sqft unit in Kintore, about 20 minutes from Aberdeen. Ripples moved there in March this year, a step up from the previous 900 sqft premises that had been home to the business since 2017. The five-strong team operates a raft of machinery, including a Roland VersaCamm SP-540i printer/cutter, six-colour Vastex V-2000HD screen print press, Sawgrass dye sublimation printer, Xpres mug press and a PolyPrint TexJet Echo, as well as the company’s latest purchase: four Melco single- head modular embroidery machines from Amaya Sales UK. “We can run four different jobs on each of the machines at a go so we don’t have to wait for a job to finish. We can mix it up a bit and have different things going out at the same time.” She admits she especially gets “a buzz” from what can be achieved through 3D embroidery techniques. “I can be a bit of a techy geek sometimes.” Ola hopes to add an automatic screen printing press soon and is even exploring AI, or artificial intelligence. “I wonder the role that AI will play in print and embroidery so that’s something I’m interested in knowing more about.” She is also keeping an eye on direct- to-film (DTF). “When you’re doing your

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