Great British Women
This month, as we celebrate the beauty of the home-grown, we bring together six women who inspire us in their very own great British fields.
Wearing The CHEVIOT, and The MASHAM - these women represent the four foundations on which our Locally-Grown collection is based; British Craft, Style, Land and Wool.

Lulu Lytle
Co-Founder and Creative Director, Soane Britain.
Lulu is a true leader in her commitment to British manufacturing. Recently awarded an OBE for her services to British craftsmanship, her determination to make every single piece with exceptional craftsmen and women exclusively in Britain has been no mean feat.
An impressive journey of unwavering hard work, patience and passion. A journey that started back in 1997, where a summer-long road trip visiting makers and workshops across the country ignited her vision to make well–designed furniture with the quality and longevity of the best antiques.
From blacksmiths to cabinet makers, saddlers to ceramicists, rattan weavers to precision engineers, Soane now collaborates with more than 41 independent craft workshops across Britain to create exquisite furniture, lighting, fabrics and wallpapers.


And her journey doesn’t end there.
Sustainability is also at the forefront of Lulu’s mission, last year introducing Soane’s first seating designs in Natural Upholstery.
Made from layers of graphite latex, organic coconut coir and organic British wool, this is a natural alternative to the customer, highlighting once again the durability and resilience of our favourite fibre.
Photographed in Soane's Pimlico Road Showroom, Lulu wears The cheviot 06 and The MASHAM 05 in Oat.

Stylist & Creative Consultant
London based, Des's career began working at magazines, where she went on to hold positions as fashion Editor and Senior Style Editor at Glamour, InStyle and Marie Claire before embarking on a freelance career.
With over 15 years' experience styling editorial shoots for magazines and brands, from Grazia and Also Journal, to Marfa Stance, Stella McCartney Kids and Navygrey, Des's impeccable eye for quality and pared-back styling is a winning formula.



'My style is quite minimal and classic, I like clean lines in a neutral palette (I pretty much never wear colour). I'm drawn to quite masculine shapes and silhouettes with tailoring, denim and knitwear being my wardrobe staples.'
Drawing on Des's approach to modern, pragmatic dressing which we love, 'I'm definitely a trouser girl,' Des styled our Locally-Grown campaign using many pieces from her own wardrobe - combining her strong sense of modern sensibility with our heritage-feel knits.
Vintage jeans, trousers and high-quality (flat) footwear made the cut because it's these foundation pieces that we all tend to reach for over and over.
'I believe in investing in designer shoes and bags as they will last (buy less but buy better) and really can make an outfit and my heel days are very much behind me so I'm in flats most of the time!'



Dr Claire Carvell
An internationally renowned expert on pollinator ecology, Claire has real passion and expansive knowledge for wild bees and other pollinating insects.
With over twenty years' experience, her research is dedicated to understanding and promoting the sustainable management of landscapes and the vital role that insects play in maintaining healthy ecosystems - be that pollinating our plants, keeping crop pests under control, recycling nutrients in rivers and keeping our soils healthy.
We captured Claire at the Earth Trust farm. The Earth Trust is a charity that champions access and engagement with natural green spaces for everyone, so that together we take action for people and planet.


It has never been more critical to document evidence of changes in our natural world, and Claire’s research does this by engaging people as citizen scientists to observe and record the insects they see, connecting with nature and their local environment.
The inclusiveness of Claire's role in bringing communities together so that we can understand how we can all play a part in improving our environment is inspirational - and sets a clear framework for how we will find solutions to the many challenges ahead.


Captured at British Wool's Wool House in Bradford, three great women who we have had the pleasure to work alongside.
With over 15 years' experience between them, in their roles of marketing, communication and business development, their passion and immense knowledge of all things wool is impressive. They play a key role in connecting the different parts of the British wool supply chain from farmer and fleece to finished wool products.