Designer Feature- Greygoat

Kate Fletcher;s love of lingerie in all shapes and colours made it inevitable that she’d start making her own! Her first memorable underwear was a top and pants set she made when she was 10 which made from printed cotton with a pattern of little piglets. 'I wore it till even I had to admit it was too small!'

Kate has been sewing for as long as she can remember and credits her mother, who taught her to sew and who continues to make beautiful things. She instilled in Kate a love of fabrics and fashion which, naturally enough, has led to Kate making clothes for herself and for sale. Ever since she was old enough to appreciate the value of fancy underpinnings, she been obsessed with beautiful underwear. There is a lack of sexy and luxurious lingerie in a reasonable price range, especially in sizes above a UK 10, and her continuing mission is to address that!

Kate hand makes all the Greygoat items from her home in Chester whilst working full-time in the corporate world. She treat its as a hobby, but one that she takes seriously and thoroughly enjoys. However, her plans for the line do involve taking over the world, one pair of knickers at a time.

WHERE ARE YOU BASED?
Historic Chester

WHEN DID YOU FIRST START BECOMING INTERESTED IN CRAFTS?
I always have been! Luckily my parents have always been interested in crafts and craftsmanship, whether it was my dad building cars from scratch or my mum making clothes. I remember making dolls clothes years and years ago. I also remember making my first tailored, lined wool jacket on my ancient hand-cranked Singer machine and being very proud. I only switched properly to electric machines when I turned 21!


GREATEST INFLUENCES?
My biggest influences are probably magazines and books. We’re bombarded by so many different things, so much choice, the great ideas really stand out and things like a beautiful photograph of a glossy green leaf or a beautiful piece of dyeing on an antique kimono really spark my imagination. I’ve been keeping scrapbooks for years too, so if I ever feel uninspired, I can always find something there.

GREATEST PROBLEM YOU’VE OVERCOME?
Time is my biggest problem and I’m not sure I’ve overcome it yet! I work full time and it’s often hard to find the time and energy to cut new patterns and try out new designs. The spirit is willing, but other things get in the way.


WHAT PIECE OF WORK ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?
It’s usually whatever I made last! I don’t have much time to create some of the dramatic, over-the-top pieces I have sketched out, but I’d love to, just for fun.


WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE JUST STARTING OUT ON SELLING THEIR GOODS?
Make lots – don’t make one item to ‘try it out’ or test the water – people love choice. Make at least five, in different colours, and get lots of inventory together.


WHICH 4 PEOPLE (DEAD OR ALIVE) WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE AS WEEKEND GUESTS – AND WHY?
Muhammad Yunus (I’d love to find out his views on Etsy - I recommend his books about micro credit)

Eddie Izzard (because he’s well travelled and would be great fun)

Andrew Marr (good on a debate and I love his History of Britain series)

Bill Murray (because he’s great)


WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU KISSED?
My husband, naturellement


WHAT’S ON YOUR BEDSIDE TABLE?
Lamp, clock, books, lemon lipbalm by beadartandbubbles.etsy.com, notebook with midnight scribbles


HOW WOULD YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY DESCRIBE YOU?
Busy, probably!


NEW YORK OR BARBADOS?
New York…but I’ve never been to either.


FERRARI OR MINI?
Mini


EASTENDERS OR HOLLYOAKS?
Bleurgh! Neither.


CHOCOLATE OR CHAMPAGNE?
Chocolate


IF YOU COULD ONLY ACCESS 3 WEBSITES, WHICH WOULD THEY BE?
Apart from the obvious (Etsy, BBC news, email), I spend lots of time on these sites:

igoogle.com - I use their feed reader to keps tabs on loads of amazing blogs, like knickersblog.com and thesartorialist.blogspot.com

immortalgeisha.com - an invaluable source for kimono enthusiasts

Flickr.com - especially the Wardrobe Remix group, where people share their outfits for inspiration and discussion