1996–2026: 30 Years of Paper Starlights
A story 30 years in the making
Paper Starlights is a British artisan lighting brand founded in 1996 after a journey to India during Diwali. For 30 years, our UK and Indian family businesses have worked together to create handmade paper star lanterns using traditional screen-printing and hand-finishing techniques. From our first stars arriving in Britain in an aluminium trunk to Christmas markets, independent shops and landmark installations, our story has always been about craft, colour and connection.
THE BEGINNING · 1996
It started with a star
Paper Starlights began in 1996, after a journey through India during Diwali.
Surrounded by light, colour and celebration, we came across the handmade paper star lanterns that would eventually change the course of our lives. They were unlike anything we had seen before, intricate, joyful and made by hand using traditional techniques.
What began as a fascination with a beautiful object quickly became something much bigger. We met the family making the stars and formed a relationship that would grow into a creative partnership spanning two countries, two generations and, now, 30 years.
The first Paper Starlights arrived back in Britain in an aluminium trunk. We had no grand business plan, just a belief that other people might fall in love with them too.
ON THE ROAD · LATE 1990s
From one aluminium trunk to Christmas markets across Britain
Those first stars didn't stay in the trunk for long.
We began taking Paper Starlights to festivals, markets and events around Britain, loading everything into our battered Ford Sierra estate and learning the business as we went.
Our earliest Christmas stalls looked very different from the ones people know today. Displays were improvised, journeys were long and there were plenty of nights spent wherever we could find somewhere to sleep.
But people stopped. They looked up. They asked questions. And, most importantly, they bought the stars.
What started as a handful of lanterns brought back from India was becoming Paper Starlights.
1996 → 2026
30 Years of Sharing the Light
A PARTNERSHIP GROWS
Two families. Two countries. Thirty years.
The stars may have brought us together, but the relationship behind them is what has kept Paper Starlights shining for 30 years.
Since 1996, we have worked with the same family business in India, building a partnership based on friendship, trust and a shared love of making beautiful things.
Over the years, designs have evolved, families have grown and a second generation has become part of the story. What began with those first handmade stars has developed into a creative relationship spanning thousands of miles, with ideas, patterns and new designs developed together.
For us, this has never been about anonymous sourcing. It is about knowing who makes our stars, growing together and creating something that neither family could have built alone.
Printed by hand
Hand-punched & assembled
Made slowly. Made to last.
The way our stars are made has evolved over 30 years, but their character still comes from the human hands behind them. Each design brings together traditional techniques, intricate detail and countless small decisions made throughout the making process.
It is this combination of craft and collaboration that makes every Paper Starlight feel a little different and unmistakably ours.
FAIRLY TRADE · HOW WE WORK
Share Trade
For us, responsible trading has never been a label added at the end of the process. It has grown naturally from a relationship that has lasted 30 years.
We know the people who make our stars. We develop ideas together, share knowledge and work with the long term in mind. Our approach is guided by the principles of BAFTS, World Fair Trade Organisation (WFTO) and built around people, partnership and mutual respect, something we have come to think of as Share Trade.
FROM MARKETS TO LANDMARKS
From market stalls to extraordinary spaces
What began with a handful of stars and a makeshift market stall has grown far beyond anything we imagined in 1996.
Over the years, Paper Starlights have appeared in Christmas markets, independent shops, weddings, events and public spaces across the UK.
The settings have changed, but the feeling we are trying to create has stayed remarkably similar: that moment when people look up, stop for a second, and experience a space differently.
Thirty years on, our stars continue to bring colour, warmth and a little bit of magic to places large and small.
THE PEOPLE BEHIND PAPER STARLIGHTS
Still a people story
Thirty years on, Paper Starlights is still shaped by the people behind it.
Andy and Jules started the journey in 1996, but the story now includes a wider team, market staff who have worked alongside us for nearly 20 years, and the second generation of the family who make our stars in India.
The business has changed enormously, but the way we work has stayed personal. We still design collaboratively, build long-term relationships and believe the people behind Paper Starlights matter just as much as the stars themselves.
Our 30th anniversary is a chance to celebrate all of them, the people who started the story, those who have grown with us, and those helping shape what comes next.
Jules - Founder
Jules has been part of Paper Starlights from the very beginning, bringing her eye for detail, love of people and calm, practical approach
Andy - Founder
Andy started Paper Starlights in 1996 and is still happiest when there’s a new idea to chase, a story to tell or Brighton are playing well.
Becky - Tech & What’s Next
Becky first came to Paper Starlights as a university intern to photograph the stars and never left - usually with her deaf dog, Beanie, not far away.
30 YEARS ON · 2026
The next chapter
Thirty years in, we’re still curious about where the stars might take us next.
We want to keep creating new designs, growing the spaces our stars can transform, supporting the people who make them and finding new ways to share Paper Starlights with the world.
A lot has changed since 1996. The important things haven’t.
When was Paper Starlights founded?
Paper Starlights was founded in 1996 in Leeds after an 18-month trip around India, discovering the stars.
Where are Paper Starlights made?
Our stars are made by our long-standing family partners in India.
Are Paper Starlights handmade?
Yes. Many stages, including printing, punching and finishing, are done by hand.
Do you create installations as well as sell stars?
Yes. Our stars have been used in markets, events, weddings, retail spaces and large-scale installations.
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