Fashion firm’s boost from zombie hunter
ShE is constantly battling flesh-munching zombies in a postapocalyptic wilderness but that doesn’t mean Walking Dead stalwart Maggie Greene doesn’t want to look good doing it.
The character, a feature of the long-running AMC TV horror series, has been seen wearing a waxed riding coat made in Cornwall by fashion brand Celtic & Co.
Maggie, played by British actress Lauren Cohen for more than a decade, has been wearing the £215 coat in recently aired episodes and during filming for the forthcoming 11 th and final season of the ratings winner.
Celtic & Co, which employs more than 50 people at its base in Newquay, has been delighted with the exposure and said: “The attentive watcher might have spotted the coat Lauren Cohan is wearing amongst all the zombies in The Walking Dead – it’s the Celtic & Co waxed riding coat in dark brown.
“It’s the stable companion for Maggie during season 11 and it’s outdoor attributes have been put to the test during the filming of the series.
“It kept Maggie comfortably dry whilst allowing her the ability to move – in sometimes quite an acrobatic manner.”
The company said that Ms Cohen had told its bosses: “We just shot in a massive man-made rainstorm the other night, your coat really held up against the elements.”
In March, Celtic & Co revealed it had seen sales increase by 75% to hit £15.5million as the Covid lockdowns fuelled online shopping and the demand for comfortable clothing.
The business’ full-year sales growth jumped from £8.9 million to £15.5m with all footwear and clothing categories significantly up yearon-year.
The firm - which sells luxury womenswear, menswear and homeware made from all-natural fibres – saw sales increase by about 80% year-onyear for the autumn/winter 2020 season. The company sells directly to customers through its website and call centre and has sent orders to more than 60 countries worldwide.
Despite the challenges of Covid-19 the firm said sales were helped by the shift towards online shopping and a consumer desire for comfortable clothing and footwear during lockdowns.
The company makes its sheepskin footwear by hand from its Newquay workshop and managed to significantly increase sales numbers year -on-year in each key geographical territory including the UK, US, Germany, Canada and Australia.
International sales exceeded 31% of all sales in 2020 and grew by 88% year-on-year, from £2.6 million in 2019 to £4.9m in 2020.
Nick and Kath Whitworth, who have been running the company for 30 years in their hometown, were presented with their second Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade in 2020; after having received it in 2018 for the first time.
Celtic & Co began in 1990 when Mr and Mrs Whitworth decided to buy a small boot-making business, with just seven pairs still in stock. Their Celtic Sheepskin Company was later rebranded as Celtic & Co.