Q&A INTERVIEW WITH OXUN Ollie Streek OXUN
Matt Broughton spoke with OXUN co-founders, Ollie Streek and Steve Leadbeter, about the company’s first birthday, the importance of being Designed in Britain, and how key sustainability is to the brand.
Matt: For those not familiar with OXUN, give us the low down on the company! Ollie: OXUN was founded by myself and Steve in June 2024, with a vision to offer high quality British made bathroom furniture that can be highly customisable and offer showrooms the flexibility to offer clients a premium product made to their requirements. Our workshop and production team are based in Rye, East Sussex.
Matt: You’re just hitting your first birthday; how has the first 12 months as OXUN been? Steve: The first year of trading has been an enjoyable challenge ironing out QC procedures, finalising materials, building prototypes and finalising designs. Now that we have brochures and other point of sale material complete, we are rolling out into select showrooms and ready for the next stage of our growth.
Matt: What’s been your biggest product to date? Steve: Prototyping has been an exciting process which has allowed us to come up with some creative new vanities such as the Sandpiper vanity which is proving to be a very popular product! Our personal favourite is our flagship Curlew vanity which is manufactured using Richlite. Richlite is a durable, sustainable composite material created by layering sheets of paper, saturating them with a thermosetting resin, and then pressing and curing them under heat and pressure. From the initial creation of our brand, it was important for us to integrate sustainability into our business, and this is reflected in the range of materials that we use from FSC certified timber to Richlite and even Bamboo!
Matt: What are you focused on right now? Ollie: We are very fortunate to have Pete Mills (Southern sales) and Pete Mersh (Northern Sales) representing us and being instrumental in pushing the OXUN brand forward and onboarding showrooms. We are looking forward to working with showrooms across the country and continue to develop our range of innovative vanity units.
Matt: How important is it to you that you’re all about being British made? Ollie: We are proud to say that our product is not only made but designed in Britain. We believe that whilst ‘Made in Britain’ is synonymous with quality, ‘Designed in Britain’ should carry equal importance. Our goal is to create inspiring, innovative furniture that is recognised worldwide.
Matt: Can you talk a little about your efforts to be sustainable? Steve: Sustainability is the buzzword of the moment! All too often it’s thrown around in all market sectors and greenwashing has become common place in marketing campaigns across the globe. For us, sustainability is not just a tick in a box:
Economic sustainability – Our business model is like our furniture, enduring and long lasting! Everything we do is for the long-term interests of our team and local community. However, we always ensure that our environmental values work in symphony with our economic growth.
Our materials – We have personally selected every material and supplier across our wide- reaching portfolio. The main focus is on FSC certified timber and wood-based products, alongside materials that are produced using recycled materials.
Furniture that lasts – Our hope is that we can tear consumers away from the mainstream throw away culture and promote a product that offers longevity. This single step is the most impactful way we can conserve resources and reduce environmental impact.
6 BKU JULY 2025 Steve Leadbeter
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