A young entrepreneur has established her own business selling replica film props and cosplay items internationally and all made by hand from her garden workshop in Blackwood.
Charlotte Williams, 21, is founder of Khepri Props and creates replica props and costumes from iconic films.
Her portfolio ranges from full suits of armour, Iron Man helmets, Batman gauntlets and even an eight-foot high pit wheel designed for a production at the Blackwood Little Theatre.
After a stint as a BBC Wales costume intern, Charlotte’s first creation was a pair of space boots, which she decided to put on online marketplace Etsy but had not anticipated the level of interest.
It was then that Charlotte decided to turn her hobby into a serious business venture and over the past four years has seen orders for her bespoke items quadruple in size, with much of her business coming from the United States.
Charlotte is a higher education student based at Coleg y Cymoedd, Nantgarw, and is a regular attendee at the Film and Comic Con events in Cardiff, often dressing in her own creations to demonstrate to potential customers what she can make.
Charlotte has received support in establishing her business from Big Ideas Wales, the service for young entrepreneurs aged five to 25, which forms part of the Welsh Government’s Business Wales Service, and is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund.
Charlotte was referred to the service by her tutor at Coleg y Cymoedd and has since been receiving financial and mentoring support from college entrepreneurship champion Lesley Cottrell.
Charlotte said: “I have always been a creative person and prop making is a real passion of mine and to have established a business while studying at college is something I am very proud of.”