What String Ting did next
By Elli Stühler
In spring 2020, Rachel Steed-Middleton’s living room was stacked to the ceiling with boxes crammed full of beads. That was right around the time that her brand String Ting was transitioning from being a lockdown fundraising project to an accessories brand coveted by Hollywood actresses, supermodels, K-pop stars and New York professionals. It got to the point where her team was beading String Tings in every room of the house, including her stepson’s bedroom.
Today, String Ting operates comfortably out of its studio in Camberwell, south London, and Steed-Middleton’s beaded phone accessories continue to fly off the virtual shelves. But just like any entrepreneur who has found their niche and built a brand around it, Steed-Middleton is now exploring a small but pressing question: what’s next?
Part of the answer is the reason we’re catching up — String Ting is just days away from the drop of its first collection, Zodiac, a collaboration with the celebrity astrologist Aliza Kelly. It is, Steed-Middleton says, the biggest thing the brand has ever done, marking a shift to a more strategic approach that will encompass seasonal collections and more collaborations.
In the midst of final preparations Steed-Middleton took a moment to share the past, present and future of String Ting with us.
You now have an office, a team and orders from around the world. How did you manage the process of scaling up?
The organic growth of the business has been really fluid. You have a need and then you figure out how to make it better. Most days we’re listening to podcasts while beading, a lot like when we were working out of my house. I liken it to women sitting together around a table and sewing. There’s that element of collective making, which is a nice alternative to an office and its politics.
At what point did you start looking at this lockdown project as a long-term play?
I was actually confronted with that very recently. I never set out to be here, I was just putting one foot in front of the other. I’m currently exploring my three- to five-year plan to scale the business. We’re improving our strategic communications, building a more consistent relationship with our clients and, crucially, moving to more collaborations and collections.
That brings us to Zodiac.
It’s our first collection, and it’s a new take on how to think about String Tings thematically. We collaborated with the astrologist Aliza Kelly to develop 12 new String Tings, one for each star sign, with each design tailored to the personality of its star sign.
I’ve always known you to have side projects. Were you aware of your entrepreneurial spirit early on?
When I was young I made devil sticks with my friend Amy and we sold them at school. One of the parents called me an entrepreneur and I thought it was an insult! I told my mum and she explained what it meant, and even then I thought it sounded really interesting.
String Ting is such a London brand. What role does the city play?
Our spirit is rooted in south London rather than London more broadly. My husband is a south Londoner and he came up with the name String Ting. Originally our kids named it Bunchy Bracelets, but we knew it had to change when our lockdown fundraiser became a brand.
I was pretty defined by west London before I moved here, but I just built a business I don’t know I could have built anywhere else — my team is composed of local girls who make things and are creative. I feel a huge gratitude towards Southwark [Council], our studio is affordable because it’s for small businesses in the area. And we’re able to give back as well — I just put in a £120 order for a local food bank.
The brand took off in the US and Asia. Had you always intended to reach those markets first?
No, it was definitely not intentional. In Asia the tech-accessory space is a very understood category. And being a North American myself, I understand the level of customer service that Americans expect from brands, and I’m very happy to deliver on that. We took off in California, which is a sunny, optimistic state. If anyone was going to get it, it was them.
What was your professional life like before String Ting?
I was in the world of digital and boutique creative agencies. I also worked in-house for a major British department store. I’d say every job I’ve ever had has prepared me for this, whether it’s operations and production or understanding the importance of brand and community.
That leads us to the work you did with MMBP & Associates. You were colleagues with its co-founders Hank and Julien five years ago and have collaborated with them on and off since.
If I didn’t have my creative network, the brand wouldn’t be what it is today. I’ve been able to work with world-class talent like Hank and Julien, who whipped up the brand completely intuitively, and made sure I had everything I needed to get going. I also worked with them again on our first campaign. Because String Ting was a brand that came to life through other people’s selfies, this was the first time that we could put a face, style and spirit to the brand.
Accessory design was never really part of your professional life. Are you learning as you’re going along?
Because I worked in these puritanical design environments where only the most serious turtleneck was considered a designer, I was often written off. People treated me like I was a suit and not at all creative. Being a “creative” is often a box that people put you in. Don’t let people tell you that you’re not a designer in some shape or form just because you don’t know how to use Photoshop or you can’t recognise that typeface. Because everybody who feels creative can be creative.
About MMBP & Associates
MMBP & Associates is a creative consultancy that imbues brands with cultural capital. We believe that having an awareness of, and sensitivity to, societal shifts is crucial if innovation is to happen. We are reshaping worldviews by connecting local culture with a global audience.
Based in London and Seoul, MMBP & Associates collaborates with an international network of partners who value immersive, real-world analysis as the foundation for creative ventures. Directed by Hank Park and Julien Beaupré Ste-Marie, the company takes a holistic approach to brand design, working to detect potential business challenges while developing creative solutions.
