Tell us a little bit about who and what is behind UME Collection?
Ume is an artisanal brand based in London, who creates plant-based incense, atmosphere mists and handmade ceramics. The brand was created in 2011 by Emma Leafe throughout her own healing experiences and after several influential journeys: exploring temples, exquisite tea houses and sacred power places across the globe. Drawn toward the sacred arts in each place, she discovered the lost art of incense making and began to explore the deeper rituals that surround it. Everything Ume produce, is made with absolute love for the Earth. Aligning with the positive shift that is happening to restore this planet back to health.
What makes you unique as a brand and as a business?
We are an artisan business, meaning most of what we produce is handmade using ancient techniques – that’s quite unique in the market place as much is factory made these days. We are committed to making natural incense sticks, which are actually good for your health! This means eliminating cheaper ways of making scents like using oils, fillers or perfumes. We are taking things back to nature, before chemical perfumes and industrial practices were introduced. Instead we select only the finest raw aromatic plant materials in our natural incense and atmosphere mists. For our ceramics we use the highest quality, eco-conscious stoneware clays – which we make entirely on the wheel or by ancient hand building techniques.
What does the future look like for UME Collection?
Oh wow, there are so many ideas seeding, not yet realised. We seem have grown slow and organically as a company … the things we produce take time to make they way we like. The direction of Ume is always walking the path of nature. That may include: herbal healing, further products for meditation and a deeper exploration of the culture around incense. We will maintain the handmade, hand-thrown ceramics and not go down the industrial route in any capacity. So people can rely on Ume to bring them something highly unique, soulful and made of pure, innovative healing materials.
What is your own personal favourite product?
I burn Monreale everyday. It’s made of ground benzoin resin and is so soft, soothing and almost aphrodisiac … This natural incense calms me down instantly and puts me in a good mood. I also love our ceramics, which are developing all the time, we put a lot of love into them. I’m so in awe of the simplicity of functional stoneware pieces … it’s a relief to lead an uncomplicated life … I spent years studying fine art and design – often the conceptual nature of art really got much too cerebral for my liking. Ceramics and plant-based materials take things back to basics, but allow me to connect more deeply with myself and those around me. Cleaning up my life by only choosing natural products has been so transformative.
