Living on the south coast of England, our co-founders, Kelly & Nick, were once searching for cute summery shoes that Kelly and their young kids could wear to the local pebbly beaches. They stumbled upon Méduse, the French brand of jelly shoes originally created in 1946 during a worldwide leather shortage.
It was the beginning of a jelly love story… charmed by the Méduse brand and the rainbow of colours available, Kelly & Nick launched the Sun Jellies online store in 2012, bringing these iconic French jelly shoes to the UK shores and beyond. They discovered an ever-growing fanbase of jelly shoe lovers in every corner of the globe. But the story didn’t end there…
Inspired by the wave of nostalgia for their jelly shoes, Kelly & Nick set about introducing an original range of retro bags – affectionately known as ‘jelly bags’ – inspired by vintage designs from the 50s through to the 90s.
They wanted to create colourful arm candy to complement their joyful jelly shoes, and it started with the launch of what has now become the oh-so-popular Sun Jellies Retro Basket.
It wasn’t long before others were asking to join the jelly party! Many stores wanted to stock the Retro Basket, and so… the wholesale side of the business was born. The wheels were set in motion for what would become a global jelly revival!
New bag styles were introduced, including their much-loved Atomic Tote, which is inspired by the American ‘Shamrock Neatway’ shopper, circa 1950s. There are now five unique jelly bag designs, and the couples’ passion for nostalgia can be seen in each and every one. Kelly is often found scouring the internet and vintage charity stores for original “jelly jems” that could inspire the next Sun Jellies bag design.
With around 2000 stockists worldwide, Kelly & Nick’s jelly love story has travelled further than they ever imagined possible. A community of jelly lovers can be found in over 50 countries. However, at its heart, Sun Jellies is still very much a family business…
It all started with Kelly & Nick’s ambition to make customers smile with a colourful and joy-filled trip down memory lane. This sentiment still sits at the centre of the Sun Jellies business, but the vision is now shared with other family members.
Nick’s father and sister now work alongside the couple, and even their daughter Rosie chips in with occasional photoshoot appearances! It truly is a family affair!
When they’re not in the Tunbridge Wells based office, you’ll find Kelly & Nick enjoying movie nights, dog walks, takeaway coffees, and trips to the seaside.
We hope you enjoy your visit to our website and find something truly special in our store. We’re so happy to have you in our jelly community and we’d love to see you on your jelly adventures, so don’t forget to share them on Facebook or Instagram and tag us @sunjellies or with #sunjellies
