Celia Birchall, Class of 2018

Most of us are aware of how disastrous the fashion industry is for the environment and the people involved all along the supply chains. There is certainly a growing consumer desire to know that what we are buying has been environmentally and ethically produced. It is one thing to expect that the clothes we buy won’t have had a negative environmental and social impact (the bare minimum but not the case for the vast majority of garments) but what if our clothes could actually nourish the ground they came from and empower the people in the supply chain.

This was the starting point for my business, to give consumers an opportunity to buy into a local narrative, a small supply chain of individuals and family businesses and support the local craft and textile industry which has so much history in this country. Over the last year since I launched, I have been building connections with local suppliers – meeting with shepherds, weavers, dyers and button turners. As a designer and maker, being able to meet the people who make my cloth and see the sheep that produce the wool I work with is very special. 

Receiving the Be Bold grant last year (funnily enough I found out I’d been awarded it on the day I launched which was encouraging) helped me to buy an industrial sewing machine which has massively upgraded the quality and scale of what I am able to produce. This has enabled me to launch two small collections - corduroy gilets last year and a summer linen range in June, alongside bespoke bridal and tailoring commissions.

As I enter my second year, my goal is to continue to build community and share the stories of local craftsmanship and suppliers, offering an alternative to the mainstream fashion industry. 

You can visit her website here: https://www.celiabirchall.co.uk/