Date published: 06 October 2020 by Amber Hemming

HAM will be releasing a very special limited edition Rainbow Rabbit print very soon, in which 40% of every print sale will go direct to us.

HAM follows the contented life of Rabbit - capturing his daily adventures, sporting escapades and social outings in silhouette on a range of thoughtfully crafted wares.

We spoke to Jo Ham, founder of HAM, about the upcoming launch of this product and her motivation behind choosing to support Rainbow Trust.

Could you tell us a bit about yourself and what inspired you to start HAM?

I am the founder and illustrator behind HAM, a British design brand that captures the everyday adventures of Rabbit on a range of homeware and paper goods.

I studied fine art at The Ruskin School of Drawing and on graduating took up a role in a London design agency. I’d always wanted to do my own thing and when a shock cancer diagnosis at 24 forced me to take some time out from work, I finally found the motivation I needed. While I was recovering I took solace in drawing and as I couldn’t get out much I looked for inspiration in the everyday. I started to see the fun and happiness in our daily routines - made even more poignant now my normality had been threatened. My protagonist became a little black Rabbit I’d first created at university and I used him to shine a light on life’s simple pleasures and the joyful moments hiding in the ordinary. A year later I left my job and HAM was born.

Why did you decide to support Rainbow Trust with your latest print?

Being a mum to a young family, I can’t begin to imagine how tough it would be if one of my children became seriously ill. Juggling care, work, medical provision, protecting normality for siblings, school and more, would be so much to deal with, not to mention processing the worry for your child. So when I learned about Rainbow Trust, and the amazing work they do to support families going through incredibly emotionally and physically challenging times, I knew I wanted to help raise funds and awareness about this vital cause.

Could you describe the print being launched and how it will support Rainbow Trust?

HAM’s Rainbow Rabbit is an eight-layer handmade limited edition screen print that shows our iconic Rabbit painting his own rainbow tribute for all to enjoy. It’s measures 30cm x 40cm and costs £85 with 40% of every sale going directly to Rainbow Trust.

What would you say to other businesses or organisations thinking about supporting a charity through their products or work?

For me, working on charity projects is absolutely one of the most rewarding parts of business life. It’s so uplifting to create something that can go out into the world to be enjoyed and treasured, whilst at the same time be of help to others.

Your latest print features a rainbow - and we have rainbow in our name! So, finally, what’s your favourite colour in the rainbow and why?

I think it would have to be yellow... buttercups, sunshine, bananas, stars, smiley faces and more. So many happy things are yellow - what’s not to love!

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