Alice Edwards spent years as jewellery editor at The Sunday Times Style before a pandemic pause changed everything. In 2020, she founded Memo Press – a British stationery brand built on the belief that beautiful writing paper, made and printed in the UK, should be simple, timeless and recyclable. We sat down with Alice to talk about the art of the handwritten note, why analogue communication feels more meaningful than ever, and how reconnecting with creativity – however small the act – can be genuinely good for the soul.
You spent years as a jewellery editor at The Sunday Times Style before founding Memo Press. What inspired the move from fashion journalism into creating a stationery brand?
I’m afraid I’m a little bit of a Covid cliche. 2020 was the first time since becoming a mother that I’d ever really stopped. For lots of reasons I had short maternity leaves and then went back to a job I loved but where I travelled a great deal. Suddenly I had all this time with both my children who were two and four at the start of the pandemic and I didn’t want to give it up. I’d always loved stationery and definitely had a dream to start my own business one day. I guess in a way all the stars aligned and I took the leap.
“I have a theory that all letters are love letters, especially now when they’re so rare.”
Memo Press began with your own search for beautiful writing paper. What were you struggling to find at the time, and what gap did you feel was missing?
I wanted simple, timeless designs that were beautifully printed in the UK, and that I knew could be recycled. I felt like there were so many fantastic stationery brands out there that ticked one or two of those boxes but not all of them. Everything we made and do is produced in the UK which is an increasingly hard decision to justify financially, but it’s core to why the company started and something I’ll never stray from.
What is it about slower, more analogue ways of living and communicating that people are drawn to right now?
I think we’re at the part of the cycle where we’re all starting to understand that the ease of communication is making it hard to have meaningful connections. Where seeing a post about friends feels just close enough to feel like an update that we don’t pick up the phone. One won’t ever replace the other we rely upon both and I think we forgot that for a while.
We’ve become so used to quick messages and instant replies – what makes receiving a handwritten note feel so much more meaningful?
It’s the physical labour; knowing you held a pen to write that note and it passed from your hands to mine. I have a theory that all letters are love letters, especially now when they’re so rare.
How has digital communication changed the way we express things like gratitude or emotion, in your experience?
Very much so, it’s wonderful to be able to send a message to check in on someone, or organise so many elements of our daily lives but for me expressing gratitude in a Whatsapp doesn’t feel as remotely sincere as with a handwritten note. You also can’t keep digital communication in the same way you treasure letters. I have cards from my wedding, letters from my grandparents and even ones sent from friends during my teenage years. I’ll keep them forever, little time capsules from decades ago.
“We’re at the part of the cycle where we’re all starting to understand that the ease of communication is making it hard to have meaningful connections.”
You’ve hosted calligraphy and other creative workshops in the past – what have you noticed about why we’re drawn to these kinds of gatherings, and what we take away from them?
I’m always amazed at just how exhausted everyone is after a workshop, me included. Doing something that requires us to concentrate so completely on something new you lose all sense of time – it’s meditative. I find it really special teaching those classes, watching people fall in love with something I already do. As well as being very tired, each person seems to leave with a sense of calm and accomplishment in having put themselves out there to try something new, regardless of the end product.
Many of us leave creative hobbies behind somewhere between school and adulthood. Why do you think that happens, and what do we gain from reconnecting with them later on?
This is actually where I started with watercolour illustration. It was something I loved when I was very young but then lost my way a little as a teenager. I reconnected with it as an adult and in the beginning felt a little silly having a hobby. I suspect it’s partly to do with the value we place on things, with skill and productivity at the centre. I hope this is changing a little, I have girlfriends who’ve taken up tennis for the first time, learnt to crochet and started life drawing classes. I’m pretty sure hobbies are good for the soul.
“You can’t pour from an empty cup. Looking after yourself isn’t selfish; it’s fundamental.”
For anyone who feels like they’ve “lost” their creative side, how would you suggest reconnecting with it in a simple, low-pressure way?
Put your ego and worries aside and find a class. Sitting at home online just isn’t the same, we need human connection and help when we’re learning. There are so many classes all over the country. We have an amazing local art school in south London that runs adult classes (and they’re BYO), there are crafting workshops at shops, department stores and libraries. I think once you start looking there’s a class for anything so be brave.
In a culture that celebrates productivity and speed, what does the act of writing offer us instead?
It’s meditative and soothing (when you’re not rushing).
What simple tradition could someone start this week to help them slow down and reconnect with their creativity?
I love this, and wholeheartedly believe it’s the small things that often matter the most. I try and send a card each week, I keep a stack of stamps ready to go (as that’s usually everyone’s stumbling block). Sometimes I don’t but often there’s a birthday, or a thank you that arises. Remembering how to hand write and to think about what to say is a small ritual that feels loving on both sides.
QUICK-FIRE ROUND
The last handwritten note I sent was… to one of my dearest friends to wish her luck in her new job.
My daily non-negotiable is… a walk, however brief and with no headphones or looking at a screen.
I feel most empowered… after a gym class (usually reformer pilates). My body has been through a lot so to be able to move in that way and feel strong is something I’m so proud of.
When I need some self-care, I… have a bath, preferably with a book too. I’m such a water baby.
The best life lesson I’ve learned so far is… that you can’t pour from an empty cup. Looking after yourself isn’t selfish; it’s fundamental.
If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be? Stop worrying about what others think and do what your gut tells you. As for everyone else, they’re probably not thinking of you at all.
Shop Alice’s edit
Alice’s recommendations span beautiful stationery, cult beauty finds and the wardrobe pieces she reaches for every day. Here are some of the things she loves.
Memo Press Sailing Boat Collection La Bonne Brosse Hair Brushes Summer Fridays Lip Stain & Butter Balm The Demi by Margaux
About Alice Edwards
Alice Edwards is the founder of Memo Press, a British stationery brand creating beautifully printed, sustainably made writing paper and cards. A former jewellery editor at The Sunday Times Style, Alice launched Memo Press in 2020 after the pandemic gave her the space to pursue a long-held dream. She is also a watercolour illustrator and hosts calligraphy workshops, championing the slow, considered art of handwriting in a world of instant messages.
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