A funny coincidence that British Top Gear magazine has voted the Fiat 500 ‘the Sexiest Car… ever’!
I borrowed my friend David’s 1965 Fiat 500D for our photo shoot a couple of weeks ago. Sexy, cute or just plain curious, I have to say it did get a lot of looks from passers by.
And there was I, thinking it was the bags on the front seat…
where I live:
I’m sometimes asked as a British designer “why do you live in Bath not London?”
Bath is the sort of place you visit, fall in love with, and think “one day, when I can escape the rat race, I’ll live in a place like this”. My philosophy was, “why wait? life’s too short and Bath’s too beautiful!”
Bath is only an hour and a half away from London, and I have successfully managed to freelance and consult for both London and New York companies from here. It’s a wonderful place to live and work, and well worth a visit if you’ve never been before.
my design background:
My love for design and all things made with passion began early on.
With my father in the Diplomatic Service, my brothers and I had a fantastic childhood living all over the world, and I was inspired by the cultures and identities of those places. North Africa, Eastern Europe, Iraq, Brazil and Panama were some of his postings.
But Brazil in particular was special. The country and the people are blessed with bounteous personality, creativity and joie de vie, often making things from the most unlikely resources.
It fuelled my love for design that comes from the heart.
In 1989, following a degree in fashion and marketing at Newcastle Poly (now University of Northumbria) and a 6 month student placement in Mulberry’s ready-to-wear department, Roger Saul (the founder, who now runs a thriving organic farm) said, “how do you fancy designing all the bags?” And that’s how I started!
Following 9 years at Mulberry I went to work for Coach in New York. That was a great experience…I loved New York and made some wonderful friends but home was pulling my heart strings.
I then went on to work as a design consultant, freelancing for Tocca in New York and Asprey and Tanner Krolle in London.
where I’m going:
Taking some time out after the birth of our daughter, I realised just what an exciting and potential place the web world is. I went from someone who never bought anything by mail order into an Internet shopping guru. With a small babe in arms, to have virtually all of our shopping delivered to the door was a god-send.
And any free time I had I wanted to spend with family and friends, and indulge my new passion, gardening our organic allotment!
I saw some brands starting to sell luxury goods online very successfully to time-hungry people. And to those wanting simply to find something different.
I also realised the amount of useful and interesting information that it can provide and how good online service can surpass the usual run-of-the-mill retail experience.
So when I decided to start my own company, the Internet seemed to me the most natural and exciting way to go.
After a year designing both the company, the website and our first range, I’m eager to get cracking on the next collection of leather goods, which is, fundamentally, what it’s all about.
I hope you will join me to enjoy the journey!
(If you would like to be kept updated with the launch of our collections, please add your email details to our RSVP page.)
The main reason I decided to add a ‘diary’ is that there is so much to say that just doesn’t get told in your average retail environment… by the time a design hits the stores it is several times removed from its originator and what is often interesting information has been replaced with corporate-speak.
I think knowing about who, where, how, and from what, something is made, makes it that bit more meaningful.
As we go forward I will regularly update the diary with interesting information not just about our products but about leather goods in general, what makes a quality product and how to choose one.
I hope you’ll find it a pleasure to read, and welcome any suggestions how to make it better.
After a long, hot week finalising the collection at our manufacturer near Seville, I have been asked by quite a few people why I’m making such a fuss about the ‘made in Europe’ thing.
“But aren’t all top brands made in Europe?” friends ask.
Or, as one advisor said, “‘So what?’ if it’s made in China. They [the public] are only interested in which celebrity wears it, so that’s where you need to put your efforts”.
You see, some brands believe that their customers don’t give a fig where or how things are made anymore.
I believe there are people who do want to know the provenence of what they buy.
It’s not about being elitist, it’s about a quest for quality…
not just in what we buy but in how we do business and how we treat people.
As a designer I never dreamed I’d say this but, please, call me old-fashioned.
