Vırginia Chadwyck-Healey Dressing for Britain
That sense of escapism we feel on holidays abroad can be found in clothing on our shores
As we gaze at our summer calendars and the glaring lack of flight bookings, we may simultaneously glance at a wardrobe that appears a little wanting in the staycation style stakes. There is something wonderfully liberating about packing for a foreign holiday but, when we think of UK holidays, it’s easy to feel a little less fanciful. You pack for cool evenings, temperamental weather, long walks, crabbing, pub lunches, children’s Mr Whippy spillages and, if you’re lucky, the odd heatwave.
I remember a wonderful anecdote from a friend who holidayed near Polzeath last August. It was the first summer suddenly void of foreign villas and easyJet flights to Mallorca. “You can’t move for embroidered sun dresses, puffed sleeves and scalloped necklines,” she texted. “It’s like Jane Austen meets Cornwall, with an ice cream van in the backdrop in lieu of horse and trap.” Everyone had spent any Covid savings on dresses in a flurry of optimism for a return to normality. When the Algarve holiday was then cancelled, they were jolly well going to wear said new dress on their staycation. #PeacockinginPolzeath.
This summer we are more prepared than ever, whatever Boris ends up saying we can or can’t do. So I thought it only fair to pay homage to one of our biggest homegrown talents: Cornish company Seasalt.
It started life in 1981, when Don Chadwick and his family went into a small workwear shop in Penzance to buy a waterproof coat... and came out owning the store. The family business became Seasalt in 2005 when one of Don’s sons, Neil Chadwick and his wife Sophie, a textile designer, created a collection of clothing and accessories inspired by Cornwall’s wild landscapes and artistic community. Seasalt is still owned by the Chadwicks and is one of Cornwall’s biggest employers, with 950 staff. It is a huge incubator of local talent and has 71 stores across the UK and Ireland.
Heritage is a word so many brands refer to these days and, unsurprisingly, Cornwall underpins the entire ethos of Seasalt. “We reference our maritime and artistic heritage and of course the beautiful surroundings inspire our