Brand story: How YesColours came about

In 2021 dynamic duo John Stubbs and Emma Bestley launched the UK’s most exciting homegrown paint brand, YesColours. With 55 million litres of paint waste generated each year in the UK, eco conscious paint brand YesColours is looking to make a change.

Targeted at the new generation of home improvers, the UK’s first fully recyclable pouch aims to cut consumer waste and stop paint tins going straight to landfill.

Here, we chat with innovators and friends of over 20 years John (Co Founder MD) and Emma (Co Founder Creative Director), about YesColours journey to date and their exciting and colourful plans for the future.

Tell us about your careers before YesColours.

John: I grew up in North London and spent much of my time around a car paint shop where my father worked. This sparked my interest in colour and I became fascinated by design ever since.

Emma: I have been obsessed with colour and interiors for as long as I can remember and my career to date has always involved elements of design I’ve worked in museums, fashion buying and events within the media industry and more recently one of the world’s most recognised advertising agencies. Painting has been my creative outlet for as long as I can remember and fills me with joy I’m now lucky enough to work with colour and paint everyday.

Emma, you are one of the lucky few to have Grapheme Colour Synaesthesia, how does this enhance your creative abilities?

Emma: Grapheme Colour Synaesthesia means my brain merges senses, so I see colour and emotions in words, numbers and even days of the week!

I see colour all the time and have gained an understanding and knowledge of the psychology of colour and how this can impact wellbeing This has enabled us to launch the colour consultancy service on YesColours which we are really excited about. Guiding our customers to make the perfect colour choice for them brings us pure joy!

What made you want to come together to create YesColours Was sustainability a key component from the beginning?

John: It began through a conversation I had with a family member about the leftover paint tins building up in the garage. We were discussing how difficult tins are to dispose of in an environmentally friendly way ( over 55 million litres of paint and 14 000 tonnes of tins go to landfill every year and only 2 per cent ever actually get recycled).

We were inspired to create a paint brand that changes the way we decorate for the better, one that is steered not by trends, but by what is happening in the world around us.

Emma: John and I have been friends for over 20 years, so at first I was more of a colour sounding board, but as the months went on, it became increasingly apparent that I was just as invested in the business as he was, that’s how our official partnership began as co founders.

Tell us more about the YesColours colour palette, what makes it different?

John: Our mission is to empower people to be confident in the colour choices they make and be led by their love of colour. We wanted to create a culturally diverse palette which speaks to everyone.

Emma: The YesColours palette is born out of our love of travel and the world around us. We’re less trend focused, and more about the personal connection to colour, think real life experiences, food and music. We have created collections grouped by feeling and style. We encourage our customers to make personal choices and consider their well being and what makes them happy, creating their own narrative.

Any tips for someone thinking of setting up their own business?

John: First off, believe in your idea and then get to work finding the right people to make it happen. Whether you are flying solo or part of a team remember to surround yourself with people who share your vision and can offer the skills and advice to help make your idea a reality. And be a nice human That part really, really matters.

Emma: Don’t ever think you know it all, always keep hold of that drive and passion which sparked the initial idea!

For more information and to see the full paint collection please visit yescolours.com