Sarah Brown London is a sustainable UK-based lingerie brand which focusses on the romance of mid-century design. Taking inspiration from past eras Sarah uses the finest techniques such as scalloping, pleating and rouleaux bows combining these with an opulence of silks, tulle and grosgrain creating beautiful designs that would be hard not to love.
How was Sarah Brown London started?
I started off in the industry as one of Katie Grand’s assistants at POP magazine. It was such an incredibly inspiring place to be, it was my first job in fashion and I was constantly in awe of the people in the office and the work being done - such an exciting time. I realised that I wanted to create something, I was always inspired by couture lingerie on shoots and my love of vintage, I felt like there wasn’t any lingerie brands that applied the same techniques.
I always loved the idea of made to order clothing and didn’t really know anyone to do this on an affordable scale. I am self-taught, I’ve always learnt by dismantling clothes and putting them back together. I love the old-fashioned techniques, I have a collection of sewing books from the 1930-50’s and I always use a French seam. I always had such a strong idea of what I wanted my brand to be, I was desperate to get going, so I took the plunge and quit my job, but still had to temp as a PA on the side.
The sleepwear came second; from my earlier designs it’s easy to see that pyjamas were a natural next step and as I am such a huge fan of the peter pan collar I really wanted to incorporate these.
What inspires you? (what are your go-to inspirations that you draw on and return to, what has inspired you for a specific collection/piece, and what drives you. Can you provide a visual – mood board or a single inspiration).
I grew up watching British new wave films such as ‘A kind of loving’, ‘Saturday night Sunday morning’, ‘Poor cow’, ‘Up the junction’ and will forever be inspired by them.
From my moodboard shapes from architecture, nature and fabric manipulation is a strong visual for me, which has influenced many pieces from the pleat collection, stripe collection (using silk rouleaux for the stripes) and especially the grosgrain scallop set which was one of my earliest designs and is still one of the most popular.
What was the scariest part of setting up your own brand?
I wanted my business to grow slowly and organically, I wanted to be able to control every aspect at every stage so that there was less financial risk. The main issue for me (and still is) there not being enough hours in the day - being responsible for every aspect, social media, press, manufacturing, design. Literally everything. I always hope that the customer is happy to wait for the pieces to be made. Luckily all my customers are so lovely and really treasure the fact that each piece is handmade especially for them.
I got myself known by reaching out to my favourite stylist and old fashion contacts. My first ever editorial request was for American Vogue and I have no idea how they found me which was a huge surprise.
Could you tell me a little bit more about your design process and where the pieces are manufactured?
I sketch but I like to get to work with fabric straight away, the initial design usually evolves pretty quickly as soon as I start putting fabric together using fabric manipulation and other details. I feel that the process is just as important as the pieces themselves and I can’t imagine my business functioning any other way. All fabric and components are responsibly sourced from fellow UK based, family run businesses.
Offering made to order products in the current climate is pretty rare and it’s something that I embrace wholeheartedly and will never take production and manufacturing outside of the UK. Which is something I’m very proud and passionate about.
Your personal style is so strong, and this comes through in your beautiful designs, which piece in your wardrobe could you not live without?
I have these 3 vintage wiggle dresses from the 60’s, all have amazing collars which definitely influence my style with the peter pan collars and the intricate detailing. I used to wear these constantly but as they are so old I might only wear them once a year if at all. The red one is from Saks, the peach stripe is a waitresses dress from 1963! It actually has the date inside!
What are you looking forward to in the future and what does it hold for Sarah Brown London?
My dream would be to own manufacturing premises in the UK. I would love for small brands to start using this business model and to eventually bring manufacturing back to the UK.
But for my short-term goals, this year I would like to introduce a full cup style to my lingerie collection and also some dressing gowns.