How It All Started

Starting a business is never easy, and Olive&Rose wasn't exempt from those inevitable growing pains.

When I decided to launch my company, it existed only as a floating idea. I had no brand, no name, and honestly, no clue how to embark on this journey. I cycled through countless iterations of what the vibe could be. For a while, the company drew inspiration from retro-futurism, borrowing from 60's aesthetics and early internet frutiger aero styling—all bold colors and fonts with names that evoked mystery and science fiction. Cool in theory, but it never felt authentically "me."

Once I realized that path wasn't right, I returned to my roots: my name. Having two types of plants make up your name naturally draws you toward earthy tones. For me, that meant greens, specifically olive green. And olives conjured dreams of Italy, of lush gardens, of terrazzo. So I experimented with those tones, but greens alone couldn't capture everything I wanted the brand to embody.

In circles I spun. Olive... olive... olive.

After days of playing with palettes, names, and aesthetics—after literally hundreds of created and deleted Pinterest boards—I found myself sitting with my mum, sharing a bowl of olives and a bottle of rosé wine in the sunshine. She looked at me and suddenly exclaimed, "Olive and Rose!" I was momentarily baffled until she explained: My name is Olivia and I wanted to keep my identity integral to the brand. My nickname as a baby was "Rosebud." And there we were, basking in sunshine with olives and rosé. Everything aligned perfectly in my mind.

The branding followed swiftly. Terrazzo patterns immediately established my aesthetic. The color palette emerged even more naturally—pastel versions of the elements that inspired the name. And from there, the company was born.

Olive&Rose.

I'm excited to begin this journey. I'm even more excited to share everything I've learned with you, so you too can make the leap. Small businesses thrive on being authentic and true to YOU. I’m no exception. So todays advice: play with ideas, get things wrong, stay true to you and eventually, it’ll settle into something that inspires you everyday to keep dreaming big for yourself.

Written by Olivia Birch