“Why “Marmalade”?

Storytime with Shannon-May

So many of you have asked where the name Marmalade came from, and with our first birthday just around the corner, it feels like the perfect time to finally share the story. It’s one that began long before the shop ever opened, during a season of pause and reinvention, and one that’s still very close to my heart.

“Marmalade”—A Name with Heart and Layers

When the world slowed down in 2020, so did my work as a wedding photographer. Suddenly, I found myself at home with a lot of creative energy and nowhere to put it. So I started crafting—designing bold, colourful accessories that were as joyful as they were functional. The patterns I gravitated toward were playful, cutesy, vibrant, and full of personality. I loved them. So did the people I shared them with. But a part of me hesitated.

These whimsical creations felt worlds apart from the refined, timeless aesthetic I’d built my photography brand on. Would people think I was inconsistent? Scattered? I felt the tension of being drawn to two very different styles—elegant and minimal on one hand, bright and playful on the other. And yet, both felt deeply me.

I didn’t have a name for this new creative venture yet, but I knew it had to be just one word: memorable, meaningful, and resonant with the women I was making these pieces for.

One day, on a long walk, I started doing a bit of a self-inventory—thinking about my interests, my skills, the kind of beauty I create and appreciate. I remembered something a philosophy professor once said to me in university. I was sitting in the dining hall, quietly crafting something at the table, when he paused and asked, “Are you making those?” I nodded. He looked at me for a moment, then said something that has stayed with me ever since:

“You are a very dynamic person.”

That word—dynamic—clicked. I saw myself in it. But even more, I saw every woman I know, and every woman I was hoping would one day carry my creations. Friends, family, fellow creatives and entrepreneurs, customers—we are all walking paradoxes. We contain multitudes.

As women, we’re often expected to be just one thing—or risk being misunderstood. But the truth is, we’re complex, layered, and vibrant. We’re not contradictions—we’re dynamic. Or, as Meredith Brooks once sang, we’re “a little bit of everything all rolled into one.”

That’s when the word Marmalade came to mind. I couldn’t shake it. So I sat with it.

What is marmalade, after all? It’s made from a tart, bitter fruit—something not always sweet on its own. It’s hand-cut, mixed with sugar and spice, and slowly transformed into something bright, rich, and just the right kind of sweet. It’s a little unexpected. A little refined. A little playful. It’s dynamic.

It perfectly described the women I was creating for—and me.

And just like that, the name found me.

When Shelley joined me in dreaming up a little boutique for St. Andrews, it felt only natural to carry forward the name—and the heart—of Marmalade. It captured exactly the kind of shop we wanted to create: warm and welcoming, a little refined and a little playful. A space with layers, just like the women we’re lucky enough to create it for.

We hope that every time you step inside, you feel that same spirit—a little sweetness, a little edge, a little calm, a little joy. And above all, the freedom to be exactly who you are.

Thanks for being part of our story. 💛