Sophie Conran for Portmeirion Lavandula Cotton Tea Towel, Set of 2, White

Founder and pottery designer Susan Williams-Ellis and her husband, Euan Cooper-Willis, opened the door to Portmeirion Pottery in the heart of Stoke-on-Trent in 1960. Susan's father was Sir Clough Williams-Ellis, the architect and creator of Portmeirion Village in North Wales and she spent her childhood and youth socialising with and being taught by creative talents such as Henry Moore and Graham Sutherland. Her innate feeling for shape, form and pattern flourished. The opportunity to use those skills came along when her father asked her to create ceramics for the gift shop at Portmeirion Village. Over the coming years and after opening Portmeirion Pottery, Susan designed both shape and surface pattern which, in the 1960s, was considered quite unique. Her innovative designs put Portmeirion on the map and today the pottery continues to move with the ever-changing fashion and trends, but always with the same philosophy: to make beautiful high-quality products with timeless style.