Ever dreamed of drinking a cup of tea with your favorite member of the Royal family? While that might sound like a long shot, now having them close to you during tea time is, at least, possible. Who Icons is a distinguished luxury homeware brand, made in the United Kingdom, that creates cutting-edge designs, from mugs and cups to saucers and bowls, adorned with a selection of iconic figures to grace the heart of every home.
Co-founded by Ali Samli and Goran Svilar, who have already achieved remarkable success with their luxury lifestyle management company S2, and now Who Icons embodies their shared vision that art and design should harmoniously intertwine. “Few of our services were so connected with interior supplies and personal shopping, which ultimately brought us to opening one of the very first concept stores in London, ConSept, based on Kings Road in Chelsea. Within ConSept, Ali’s idea of bringing our experiences in fashion and tableware, has finally been brought to life and WHOicons brand was born,” tells Svillar.
The Fashion Icons collection showcases legendary figures such as Karl, Anna, Donatella, and Virgil, each representing the pinnacle of their respective contributions to the fashion industry. Meanwhile, the Royal Icons collection pays homage to illustrious figures including Charles, Camilla, William, Kate, and a host of others, paying tribute to their influential roles in the royal family. Each item from Who Icon’s made with the finest Fine Bone China, radiating a timeless allure that is further enhanced by the opulence of a 22-carat gold rim. Prices range from £59 to £140, and you can check the full collection here.
We speak with the two founders, Ali Samli and Goran Svilar…
Ali Samli
Who is Ali Samli? Tell us about your background, where do you come from?
I was born in Izmir, Turkey 1979, Completed my education in France, California then Milan. Graduated from California State University major in Media Communications minor in marketing. I specialized on luxury brand management, mainly in fashion however when I moved to London in 2005 from Milano, I started to work as a Marketing Executive in Thomas Goode & Co: one of the worlds most prestigious interior and tableware store with Royal Crests. That is where I met my business partner with whom I started our first company 15 years ago
What inspired you to become an entrepreneur?
It was just an instinct. I knew what I was good at and I could see the gaps / opportunities in the market. Both me and my business partner Goran have a great eye for whats coming next. People were aware of it and always asking our ideas and help to access the newest or most in demand.
How many businesses do you own or are associated with?
Our first, eldest and the most prestigious business is S2 Lifestyle Management which has been recognised by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth 2nd in 2017. This is a membership only business and providing tailored services to ultra high net worth individuals, families and royals.
The second company is Who Icons. A tableware brand that connects the fashion, lifestyle and art de table. Due to my background in fashion and tableware from Thomas Goode & Co in London, I always wanted to create a brand that connects the fashion, interior and lifestyle. The brand has initially been born under the brand name ConSept for our retail premise on London’s famous road Kings Road, Chelsea. The brand started with mug designs and grew in short amount of time with plates, espresso & tea cups and saucers and bowls. The brand has became international with in 1 year and covered in many international publications such as Vogue, GQ, How to Spend it etc.. We had the honor of having famous icons as clients: our first clients were Late Karl Lagerfeld, Dolce Gabbana, Valentino, Tom Ford are a few others to names.
Finally within the same field we created the brand YUSUFY with famous Turkish Artist Emre Yusufi. We decided to create a small collection of plates with his designs for young art lovers who can’t necessarily effort his sculptures and paintings but who can start to collect art with his plates. These plates are numbered and signed by the artist and are limited to 500 each design.
What are your future plans with S2 group?
S2 Lifestyle management will keep servicing our members and keep growing organically. Due to the nature of the business, we are not looking to have many members as we always have to have our attention to details. This quality of service cannot be provided with mass memberships.
For Who Icons we have an internatinal relaunch coming. It will be the first global launch. With the right team, strategy and partners we are looking to grow this brand within 2-3 years.
Tell us about your company shop ConSept?
ConSept is a concept store located in the heart of Chelsea, London on famous Kings road that brings the worlds famous brands and young artists, designers together. Our own brand Who Icons was born here today we are focusing on Who Icons tableware which the brand will take over the full retail.
What are your future plans and ambitions with that company?
To grow who Icons and make one of the most recognized brands not only in London or Europe but All around the world.
What kind of services do you provide?
In S2 Lifestyle Management: please click on services on www.s2london.com to access all the services
In Who Icons we also provide bespoke designs with illustrations, family crests or logos. We have been creating bespoke china for fashion icons, royals and rich & famous.
How long have you been in this business?
S2 Lifestyle Management has started in 2008. Who icons was born in 2013 as Consept and relaunched in 2022 as Who Icons.
What inspired you to become a part of the lifestyle industry?
Curiosity and intuition: I am always very curious about new places, cultures, languages, books, trends. They inspire me and if I can connect with a brand, place, culture I can create a complete lifestyle around them and sell it as an experience or a lifetime style.
Goran Svilar
Who is Goran Svilar? Tell us about your background, where do you come from?
I’m a Croatian national who grew up in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. I grew up in a beautiful, caring and supporting family. My high school education in engineering and technology gave me a very practical and technical knowledge and gave me a base to make my “logical and wise choice” to study architecture and civil engineering. My love for fashion and design has totally taken over the wisdom and logic so I have chosen to study fashion design. This study opened completely different and new side of me so I started perusing my career in design. I have worked for a several fashion and lifestyle brands which brought me to live between Paris and Honk Kong in the late 90’s and led me to add interior architecture into my education portfolio via a course at Paris Ecole des Beau Ars. Following this, at the very end of 90’s I returned to Croatia and started my small real-estate and design business in Dubrovnik, city that was just recovering from the war and I saw a gap and need for fresh ideas. In Dubrovnik I have met an English developer whose partnership did change the course of my life. I have spent following 4 years in Dubrovnik working alongside to a very successful London based developer and following these for years in Dubrovnik I have moved to London to continue my work in project management and art direction in London. I then spent 2 years working as a buyer at Thomas Goode & Co, at the time still one of the oldest and largest fine bone china and luxury tableware institutions worldwide. After I have reached my peak of working for others, I decided it is time to start perusing my entrepreneurial spirit. I have joined forces with my best friend Ali Samli and we have started slowly providing various services mostly in providing range pf services ranging between interior related project management services, providing rare items, developing brands to opening London market to new brands. Ultimately as our range of services started to get much wider spectrum, S2 Lifestyle Management was born. Few of our services were so connected with interior supplies and personal shopping, which ultimately brought us to opening one of the very first concept stores in London, ConSept, based on Kings Road in Chelsea. Within ConSept, Ali’s idea of bringing our experiences in fashion and tableware, has finally been brough to life and WHOicons brand was born.
What inspired you to become an entrepreneur?
I think mainly being brought up and working alongside to people who were entrepreneurs so it was watching them, learning from them combined with my constant search for freedom, were the main influences and inspirations.
How many businesses do you own or are associated with?
Ali and I have now known each other for over 17 years and have been business partners now owning S2 Lifestyle Management, a lifestyle management and a concierge company gathered a small group of members of some of the most influential individuals and families around the world. S2 Lifestyle Management has, besides its other achievements, been recognized by the late Queen Elizabeth, which has definitely been one of the biggest ones.
WHOicons is our other business that is going through a major renovation and will be launched in its new design and direction this autumn. Both Ali and I are part owners of Yusufy brand that came out of our love for Emre Yusufi’s art, and its need to be more accessible to wider audience.
What are your future plans with S2 group of companies?
S2 Lifestyle Management has been the main force pushing us forward and allowing us to participate in different projects. We now have offices in London, Geneva, Ibiza, Mykonos, Boston and now opening Milan. I believe Milan will be our next playground for various connected project, particularly in real-estate. Italy has always been our favorite playground so next projects are expected to be there.
As I mentioned above, WHOicons is going through a major renovation and will be launched this autumn across Middle East, Italy and hometown London and UK. New direction will take much bigger steps so I would probably suggest this being our big next break through to worldwide waters.
Tell us about your company shop ConSept?
ConSept has been our venture that was a result of number of our efforts and works. ConSept was one of the very first. Concept stores in London. We were based in Chelsea and opened doors to many new brands and many has tried copying us. Unfortunately we have outgrown the project and ConSept has now been closed for almost 2 years.
What kind of services do you provide?
Our range of services are really wide and can range from getting groceries in the morning to creating a multimillion pound bespoke trip to Antarctica in the afternoon. We range from very basic services but our sweet spot is relocations. Moving people to a new country is never easy, particularly when it comes to making new home a real home, introducing new commers to a new society and making them feel welcome. This is what we do. On more practical note, it is finding a right property to live (whether is rent or buy), renovating it for the client, finding staff for the house, personal trainers, bespoke travels, helping them become members of private members clubs, personal shopping, helping in medical requests, … whatever comes to a clients mind, we get it done.
How long have you been in this business?
I would say I have been in the business about 20 years. Even though in my days of my first ventures back in Dubrovnik at the very beginning of 2000’s it wasn’t called, concierge, this is pretty much what I was doing and this is where I started developing my understanding of luxury and my clients portfolio as at the time Dubrovnik has been a new spot for cool and wealthy and royal.
What inspired you to become a part of the lifestyle industry?
I always had aspirations towards the lifestyle. I don’t know what inspired me but I would say that as everyone is born with some talent, fashion, style, design and my good eye met my talent and I guess this is the right answer. Lifestyle, understanding and forecasting trends is what I know.
