From jewellery to casualwear, these Norfolk-based designers are putting the county on the fashion map.
Blakely
When north Norfolk clothing brand Blakely opened its pop-up shop in London Street in Norwich last autumn, the queue of fans stretched back as far as the city’s market.
And recently Gareth Newman, founder of the men’s and women’s lifestyle label which has more than 300,000 followers on Instagram and is modelled by Love Island stars, announced that the shop is set to stay open for another year.
Blakely was founded by Gareth in his childhood bedroom in Melton Constable and has since grown into an international brand with more than 300,000 followers on Instagram.
After studying at the University of East Anglia and qualifying as a pharmacist, he used his first pay cheque to start his clothing brand.
He spent two years teaching himself to use photoshop, sorting suppliers, and designing a website, and officially launched Blakely in 2012.
blakelyclothing.com
Fairfax and Favor
Co-founded by long-time friends Marcus Fairfax Fountaine and Felix Favor Parker, country lifestyle fashion brand Fairfax and Favor counts Zara Tindall, Charlotte Hawkins, Ranvir Singh, Anton Du Beke, Helen Skelton, Steph McGovern and Made in Chelsea stars Julius Cowdrey, Olivia Bentley and Georgia Toffolo among its famous fans.
The growing shoes and accessories label is based at Narford Hall near Swaffham and built up a following at country shows and sporting events around the country.
Norfolk is at the heart of what they do and they chose Holt as the location for their first boutique. They’ve since gone on to open two more retail outlets – at Stamford in Lincolnshire and Helmsley in North Yorkshire.
And some of the key pieces in their collections are named after Norfolk locations, including the Holkham sandal and the Sennowe belt.
Their bags and shoes are designed to be timeless investment pieces which look equally at home in the countryside and the city.
As well as being famed for their boots, a winter wardrobe staple, their SS22 collection includes the classic white trainer with a twist and espadrilles perfect for lazy sunkissed days at the beach.
See the Fairfax and Favor SS22 collection at fairfaxandfavor.com
Studio Adorn
Jewellery maker Bonnie Doonan founded Studio Adorn in Norwich in 2017 after travelling the world and returning to her roots.
She initially ran the minimalist jewellery brand from her kitchen table, before moving to a design studio in the heart of the city with a collective of female creatives.
Designs are inspired by Bonnie’s travels and her background in interior architecture and each piece is handcrafted to order.
Sustainability is at the heart of what Studio Adorn does – their Zero Waste Jewellery collection was created to use off cuts from the jewellery making process.
Last year Bonnie and her lifelong friend, Sarah Brown of the clothing label Harwood, founded the womenswear and lifestyle store Atwin in Norwich Lanes, which showcases a thoughtfully curated range of independent brands from Norfolk and beyond, including Studio Adorn. Other local stockists include Elm in Lower Goat Lane, Norwich and the Sainsbury Centre at UEA.
shopstudioadorn.com
Carrier Company
Based at Wighton, near Wells, Carrier Company was founded by gardener and environmentalist Tina Guillory in 1995, when she created what became her first product – the Classic Carrier, a square of jute fabric with a handle at each corner of the sort traditionally used by gardeners.
With a range that has expanded to include workwear, Norfolk’s rural traditions are stitched into every seam.
Garments, which include fishermen’s smocks, dungarees, jackets, shirts, capes, walking socks, waistcoats and lambswool sweaters are designed to get better with age and last for years.
carriercompany.co.uk
Troy London
A favourite of the Duchess of Cambridge, Troy London was founded by Rosie van Cutsem and her sister Lucia Ruck Keene in London in 2015 and they moved their HQ to Norfolk the following year.
Fed-up with either staying warm and dry but compromising on style, or looking fabulous but feeling cold or uncomfortable, they designed a collection that both looked good and worked well – stylish wind and waterproof jackets, pretty but hard-wearing shirts and dresses, cosy jumpers, practical and flattering trousers and dungarees.
The pair spent a year developing their brand and created their initial designs in the evenings and at weekends.
The Duchess of Cambridge has been seen wearing Troy London designs including their wax parkas – she wore a khaki wax parka on a tour of Canada, and a Gloucestershire farm visit, and a navy parka on a beach photo-opportunity on the Welsh island of Anglesey.
She has also been photographed in a Troy London fair isle sweater.
Other A-list fans include models Jacquetta Wheeler, Poppy Delevingne and Jodie Kidd, horse-racing television presenter Francesca Cumani, high profile florist and author Willow Crossley, style blogger and socialite Alice Naylor-Leyland and high-society names who move in similar country-estate circles as Rosie and Lucia.
Despite still being called Troy London, it is very much a Norfolk brand, from design to dispatch.
They recently launched the menswear range and one day might add children’s clothes too.
As well as selling online, and at Harrod’s, Scottish golf resort Gleneagles, and a Swiss ski resort, clients can book a personal appointment at their Hilborough headquarters to find their perfect Troy piece over a cup of coffee.
troylondon.com
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