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Annoushka Ducas MBE

5 MINUTES WITH...

Annoushka Ducas MBE

We got talking with Annoushka Ducas MBE, jewellery designer, creative director and entrepreneur who founded British jewellery companies Links of London and

WHERE ARE YOU WRITING THIS?

From home, in West Sussex

 

WHERE ARE YOU DREAMING OF GOING AS SOON AS THE QUARANTINE ENDS?

Skiathos Greece - It’s where we’ve been going as a family in the summer for around 12 years. It has a lot of special memories for me, as we’ve taken the children there since they were little. Every time I suggest we go somewhere else, there is an outcry from all four of them , as they love the familiarity of going to the same place. It’s incredibly simple and easy – the kind of low key setting where you needn’t worry about the way you dress – utter relaxation. We are lucky enough to have the use of a boat and are able to go to tiny tavernas on the beach, where there is no choice of food but simply the latest catch.

 

WHAT QUOTE/ MANTRA / MINDFULNESS GO TO IS GETTING YOU THROUGH THIS?

Don't sweat the small stuff (dishwasher fairy is on strike)

 

WHAT IS KEEPING YOU LAUGHING? 

The lockdown facial hair on the male inhabitants of this house, and my son Oscar's mullet.

  

WHAT WON’T YOU EVER TAKE FOR GRANTED AGAIN POST QUARANTINE?

My friends and a hug and my colourist

 

WHAT SMALL BUSINESSES ARE YOU LOVING AND WOULD LIKE TO GIVE A SHOUT TO?

We’re huge supporters of fellow small and medium sized businesses – I think there’s often a misconception about our brand being bigger than it is – we’re only a team of 60 or so, so supporting each other through this time is such an important thing for John and I.

 

LOCALLY  - ANY LOCAL BUSINESSES CLOSE TO YOU DOING THINGS FOR THE VULNERABLE DURING CORONA?

The head chef of our local pub, Gary McDermot, and his partner Claudia, are providing daily hot meals for elderly or vulnerable people in several villages in the immediate area. We all miss being together at the Horse and Groom in East Ashling, but their effort has reminded everybody that the old cliche is true: the pub is the heart of our community.

Connolly are an incredible leatherwear brand, who we love and hope to work with this AW on an upcoming collection. Also charity No More Plastic, a non profit organisation created to generate public awareness about plastic pollution and to advocate the need for alternatives to single use plastic, we support them through sales of our Hidden Reefcollection.

 

WHAT RESTAURANT WILL BE YOUR FIRST MEAL POST QUARANTINE?

I want a massive get-together with friends at London Grind on London Bridge for cocktails and their delicious chicken paillard.

 

WHAT IS KEEPING YOU ENTERTAINED PRINT OR DIGITAL?

 Curtain twitching through Instagram

 

 WE ARE CALLED THE DECK – WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE CARD GAME?

Racing Demon – it’s fiercely competitive in our house

 

WHAT WOULD YOUR DREAM SUIT LOOK LIKE?

A beautifully tailored navy velvet trouser suit. Great with smart trainers in the office or heels for the evening

 

WHAT ARE YOU WATCHING ON NETFLIX?

I was gripped by Unorthodox and am currently watching The Last Dance, a mega-documentary about Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls

 

WHAT ARE YOU READING?

We started an #annoushkabookclub with Penguin a month ago for our clients and followers, so I’ve just finished our first book, Bernardine Evaristo’s Booker Prize-winning Girl, Woman, Other.  The next in the series is Clover Stroud’s My Wild and Sleepless Nights, which I devoured in about two days – it’s so real and so gripping for anyone who’s a mother or mum to be.  

 

CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR SKINCARE REGIME?

Very very simple: cleanse thoroughly once a day. Does that qualify as a regime?

 

THE PRODUCTS YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT?

I absolutely adore Sarah Chapman's latest wonder product -  Glow – it’s a serum oil blend and leaves me feeling supercharged and fresh. Sarah and I are both members of the Princes Trust Woman Supporting Women initiative and £10 from every sale of Glow will go towards the#changeagirlslife campaign.

 

YOUR GO TO VITAMINS?

Vitamin D3, Zinc, Gin.

 

HOW ARE YOU KEEPING YOUR KIDS ENTERTAINED?

My four children are grown up - well, they'd like to think so - and they're getting much hilarity from my ongoing battle to get tech savvy. 

 

WHAT IS YOUR HOME WORKOUT OF CHOICE?  

I’ve discovered that Barry’s Bootcamp on a Thursday is something I can manage without collapsing into a sweaty mess. Beyond that I’m incredibly lucky to have access to lots of space and just a few miles from the sea, so we’re spending a lot of time on our bikes, going over the Sussex Downs and down to the coast.

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