Having trouble finding a wall clock suitable for her two kids’ rooms, Alison Oldfield decided to design her own. Her brand, Clocksicle, launched in 2016 and debuted to trade at Life Instyle Sydney this year.
The main issues Oldfield had with other clocks on the market were that they were too large, too adult looking and, worst of all, ticked loudly, which would keep her children awake at night.
Oldfield took all this into consideration when designing the Clocksicle range. “They needed to be beautiful and bright, in a range of colours to coordinate with a variety of styles of children’s bedrooms; they had to have all the numbers so kids could easily tell the time, and they had to be silent,” she says.
“The reaction from retailers has been really positive. It seems everyone loves a clock that doesn’t tick.”
Clocksicle’s current collection includes wall clocks in a range of kid (and adult) friendly styles, but Oldfield has plans to expand the product range.
“We are looking at other products, like alarm clocks and different sizes of clock,” she explains. “I’m also very focused on developing some beautiful new colours for clocks, which we aim to launch at Life Instyle Melbourne in August.”
Oldfield is also focused on spreading the word about the importance of analogue clocks for kids, rather than reading the time on digital devices.
“I think sometimes people forget how useful it is to understand time, to see the hands going around the clock, to count the numbers and understand the size of the difference in points of time,” she says.
“There is so much to do to realise my vision for all children to have a clock in their room, just like we need all kids to have books to read. That’s my challenge for Clocksicle.”
Despite being armed with a background in marketing and PR, Oldfield says she found launching her own business to be a steep learning curve.
“You need to be on top of all aspects of the business, from finance to logistics to branding, product design and many other areas, but it’s hugely rewarding to see a tiny idea you had develop into something that people want to own,” she says.
“I still get such a thrill when I get a new stockist or make an online sale, or when one of my clocks is featured in a magazine or the social media of someone I admire.”
By Ruth Cooper
