The design team behind Homebody

Working in a partnership is a bit like a marriage- there are good days and bad days, but one thing is for sure, if your friendship runs deep, you can get through most things!

Susie and I met about a hundred years ago (slight exaggeration!)

I had launched our men’s collection into Harrods and it had sold out immediately and there was this stash of drawings that I had hid under my mattress and was desperate to see made into clothes.

Without a clue of how to cut a pattern and three young children to look after, my dream was always fuelled by design ideas but few dressmaking skills and my life completely changed one particular day, when I sauntered into the London College of fashion and asked the office to recommend me a student.

Susie came to me on her trial morning, sat down at my very basic sewing machine and looked at the sketches I had completed for a capsule women’s collection, picked one and within a couple of hours that top was being worn by me and it looked fab!

Today our business is bespoke as we choose sustainability over making lots of stock that sits in a warehouse.

We keep our factories close and are often both visiting to check up on our production as well as troubleshooting the problems that seem to arrive on a daily basis.

It is hard running a small clothing business as our quantities are so miniscule compared to our high street brands, however it allows us to develop and design original thoughts and ideas and work with our own fabrics and be more original in a very niche sector of the industry.

Our practice has always been about making clothing that fuses practicality with good essential design that will last the test of time.

It has also always revolved around surviving a tough industry our way – Homebody has always been about a quality of life and throughout our careers, Susie and I have seen many designers crack under the strain of fashion, and we have always resolved to never let that happen:

Three years ago, I had a serious lower back problem as a result of stress and I now take exercise very seriously and everyday my ritual involves an hour of me time. Susie has a young family that she is dedicated to bringing up without childcare and so juggling is her middle name.

Our mantra is grabbing calm moments when we can and enjoying stretching those glimpses of satisfaction as much as possible and trying to laugh when it all goes wrong – sometimes Susie and I just have to say to each other when another issue comes up that we need to solve  ‘let’s just focus on the good!” and that generally works!