The Yorkshire independent fashion designers and retailers carrying on in style

Times were tough for the fashion industry long before the dawn of the coronavirus crisis. Under fire for unethical employment practices and destroying the planet with polluting manufacturing processes, not to mention the landfill mountains of unwanted cheap clothing, major fashion brands have been forced to ask themselves some difficult existential questions.

As the crisis continues, issues of sustainability, appropriateness and kindness have never been so relevant. And yet, the creativity is not in doubt. Fashion is about more than clothing the body, as important as that is. It is about self-expression and self-validation, about confidence, about the whole picture and the detail, the classic and the new, ordinary life and celebrating those special moments and milestones. The uplifting power of a striking print or a perfect colour, the morale-boosting ability of a bold yet flattering shape, these must never be underestimated. Fashion allows us to feel part of something, and yet unique. Whatever our style, fashion is about us, who we are.

Yorkshire has a special relationship with fashion, having been at the heart of the UK cloth-making and manufacturing process since the industrial revolution. Some manufacturers proudly live on and Yorkshire’s fine heritage can still be seen in our excellent colleges and universities, which continue to foster creative and design talent and expertise, sending out graduates across the region, the country and the world.

Yorkshire is home to some truly creative and enterprising fashion designers and businesses. Their studios and stores may be closed, but they are still working hard to create, inspire and help us look and feel well dressed and ready for anything, now and in the future. Here is how they are staying positive and carrying on in style.

Fiona Martin, Best Kept Secret Clothing, Kirkby Overblow: “I have been focusing on putting stock on my website, particularly my loungewear range, perfect for relaxing at home in. The website has seen a huge increase in traffic, which is wonderful as a small independent. We can keep our customers safe, while still providing a service and allowing them their BKS fix.

“This has really pushed me to refocus the business. I now feel I have a far stronger and wider-reaching online presence with a far greater and diverse product offering that I am building on every day. Thankfully this is paying dividends, not only in traffic but also orders. We shall have to see how things evolve.

“Many lovely people messaged me when I posted I was closed and said how they will miss coming in for a cuppa and a chat as well as a new top or outfit. It made me think and realise how important my little shop is to so many of my customers.”

Visit BestKeptSecretClothing.co.uk

Edward Sexton, partner at Yorkshire clothing brand Glencroft, Clapham, Yorkshire Dales: “Before the virus hit, we were focusing on making our business even more British made and sustainable. While many of our products are UK made, we’ve now started looking at moving from polyester and polycotton fabric linings to organic cotton, trying to find more traceable wool and tweeds.

“From past experience, we find that in crisis or difficult times, people look to buy once and buy well. That’s why these changes to make our products even better made, better sourced and better for the environment are even more important.

“We only launched our direct to consumer retail website in 2018. Before that we were 100 per cent dependent on our trade business - supplying shops. We’re so glad we did because diversification of revenue, and selling our stock directly online, is going to be critical to surviving this, and future crises.

“We’re a small family business of three – two are over 70 and one has a pregnant partner. So, with this in mind, we’re trying to keep ourselves as isolated as possible. Luckily we’re in an isolated Dales village and have little contact with people except the postman.

“We are also reducing our regular salaries, taking only what we need to from the business, for essentials, to ensure that we retain as much money in the business as possible.

“We look after the local website and have been working with the parish council to help provide the community with online information on the coronavirus, as well as offering our services to the village shop for any deliveries they may need to do. If we have less to do in the business, then we can spend our time helping those around us.”

Visit GlencroftCountrywear.co.uk

Sophie Osborne, Frimble boutique, Bedale, North Yorkshire: “A month ago we were a bustling shop, selling plenty of clothing, and thriving. Today is a very different story. You just couldn’t write it.

“We have our Spring/Summer Tweed Collection on the way, hopefully to arrive in the next couple of weeks. These are lightweight, bright tweeds which we are so excited to show our customers. When this time has passed, I think we will probably all need a bit of lightening up.

“I think a very good word to use at the moment is ‘forbearance’. Be kind to one another, if we all pull together we can get through this. Small businesses are going to go through their hardest times in the coming weeks and months and many won’t survive.

“One day in the future”I hope we look back at this time and say to one another ‘can you believe that happened?’. I just hope people stay safe, look after your family and friends, and when you can, shop local – this is essential to your local high street.”

Visit Frimble.com

Jenny Roberts, Jenny Roberts Millinery, Harrogate: Jenny Roberts has been a couture milliner for more than 15 years, making beautifully crafted hats and headpieces for the races, weddings and special occasions from her Harrogate studio and offering a hire service where clients can choose from a collection of 500 pieces. Her hats regularly feature in all the UK’s Best Dressed Ladies’ Day finals. She also runs millinery classes.

“We are currently beavering away on lots of projects we don’t seem to have time for ordinarily and getting ahead on our A/W 2020 and S/S 2021 collections, trying to keep our momentum and positivity up by keeping ourselves busy,” says Jenny.

“We have revised the way we can help our customers. We can offer online consultations. We can look at a client’s outfit choice, help them with styling and offer a choice of hats or headpieces we know from our experience will work. We also have our everyday collection including the new Chloe Leather Headband in lots of colours.

“The other side of our business is our popular millinery school. We are planning to offer online classes so people can carry on creating and we’re working on projects to do at home. Our first is a Leather Rose Create Box.

A number of our lovely students have contacted us regarding booking courses for September onwards, which makes us feel positive and extremely grateful. This support will be invaluable in so many ways and it’s what all small businesses need going forward.

Call 01423 816511, email [email protected] or via instagram @jennyrobertsmillinery or Facebook /jrmillinery, website: jrmillinery.co.uk

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