Tough gear fits the bill
KIT FIT for women working in skilled manual and outdoor trades has been launched by Paterson and Hill, a sustainable online British clothing startup created by and for females.
Customers, from builders and mechanics to farmers, gardeners and dog walkers, are generating the demand founders Flavia Paterson and Arabella Hill aim to fulfil, as they call time on the draughty overalls and voluminous protection gear commonplace in male-dominated industries.
“Women are getting on with their jobs in clothing that doesn’t fit, doesn’t last or suit their needs.We are about function, not fashion – a onestop shop for hardy workwear,” say the Cheshire-based pair, whose design, manufacturing and distribution network is centred in the UK.
After strong early sales of its flagship Fieldfare Trouser and organic cotton T-shirts, the company is forecasting a 2023 turnover of over £250,000. Next year it will look for angel investment to develop digital marketing and will showcase its range at festivals and trade shows.
First-hand experience brought together Hill, a landscape designer who has won golds at Chelsea Flower Show, and consultant Paterson, who has worked in the forestry and energy sectors. However, after £50,000 investment, their advanced plans for producing in Europe and Turkey had to be rethought because of mounting concerns about Brexit import issues and Covid closing overseas factories.
Now the pair use eco-denim from Italy but manufacture in Blackburn through Cookson & Clegg, an iconic British producer reinvented by TV sewing expert and tailor Patrick Grant.
Any overseas production savings that might have been had are outweighed by having a maker and fair employer on the doorstep, explains Paterson.
“Cookson & Clegg have a history in military and workwear and their quality, machinery and staff are what we need. Sustainability and being British-made matter far more now.”
With reinforced pockets and a tool loop, the multi-tasking, stretchable Fieldfare Trouser (£115) can be teamed with an organic cotton T-shirt, made in partnership with Teemill on the Isle of Wight. “Customers can recycle with the manufacturer so it’s used for more tees,” says Paterson.
“Fieldfare’s design incorporates a wider thigh size which works best for active women, with a snugly fitting high-rise waist.”
Two Leicestershire-made merino wool tops are on their way for autumn and the company wants to introduce a repair service and strike partnerships with companies providing workwear for employees.
“Female manual workers are still overlooked,” says Hill, “but not for much longer.”