Include details of your range, how long your brand has been going, UK location and supply chain processes.
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Michelle Feeney founded British fragrance brand Floral Street after being inspired by the creative rulebreakers of the 1980s, and the rich cultural diversity of London and the UK. Her message to other women is to be kind to yourself – we are constantly recognising what’s not good about ourselves, but forget to embrace what is so beautiful and good.
Nicola Elliott is the founder of British wellbeing brand Neom. After spending time in her kitchen developing therapueitc blends, she launched Neom in 2005 and has continued to grow the company ever since.
She remains at the forefront of the brand and is leading Neom’s mission of supercharging the wellbeing of the world.
Receive a free Perfect Night’s Sleep Travel Scented Candle when you spend £45 on Neom. Offer ends 13 March 2024.
Amy Ford and a team of fellow SPF enthusiasts launched Hello Sunday in 2021 with one mission: to make SPF easy to incorporate into your daily routine, all year round. Amy’s from Oxford and has worked in the beauty industry across the UK, Spain and Australia, both in large multinationals and start-ups.
Save 15% on Hello Sunday tanning and suncare until 10 March 2024.
Oriele Frank is the co-founder of British skincare brand Elemis. She is integral to the brand’s development of skin, body and wellbeing products.
Her key pieces of advice to other females in business this International Women’s Day would be to embrace change, keep learning, evolving and invest time in people and networking.
Save 15% on Elemis skincare until 11 March 2024.
Kathleen Mitchell is the Commercial Director at John Lewis, responsible for overseeing the commercial strategy across our Home, Fashion, Beauty and Technology products and services. She leads her team in curating stylish, quality products with a renewed emphasis on design, all sourced following the Partnership’s ethical and sustainability commitments.
Emma Bridgewater’s career began in 1984, when china shops selling matching dinner services were still the norm. It was in one such shop that she was inspired to start her brand. Armed with one contact, Emma set off for Stoke-on-Trent to make her hand-painted china shop dream a reality.
Emma’s retail mentor in the early years – Fiona Milne at the General Trading Company – encouraged her to book a trade stand and subsequently to approach the highly esteemed china buyer at John Lewis, Liz Mahon. Liz loved what Emma was creating but wasn’t sure the John Lewis customer was ready for the mismatched look. However, after the first order quickly sold out, the relationship prospered.
Nicola McGuirk has been the guiding force behind the Där Lighting Group for 25 years and was the first woman to sit on the Lighting Association Industry Committee Board, where she served for more than a decade. Throughout her career Nicola has championed a business culture built on respect, equality, sustainability and independence.
Laura Ashley made her name creating timeless and elegant designs that bring together romance and traditional English aesthetics.
She created her first print in her small flat in Pimlico, London, and slowly built up her brand to become highly regarded in the world of fashion and home decor. Laura did all of this while raising her family.
Her legacy inspires women to embrace their creativity and follow their passions fearlessly.
Fiona Douglas created Bluebellgray from her kitchen table with the aim of bringing joy and wellbeing to the people who connect with her work. A textile designer and artist, she hand-paints all the original designs and prints that adorn Bluebellgray homewares. Fiona believes in women in supporting each other and is a huge supporter of International Women’s Day.
Deborah Blyth is the owner of her own handmade jewellery brand. She began designing in 2004 while living in Italy, and now each piece of jewellery is created from start to finish within a small area of north London, using recycled silver and gold and a process called lost wax casting.
Deborah believes that International Women’s Day is an opportunity to shine a spotlight on women – to celebrate our achievements, to recognise how far we have come in terms of social and cultural change, and to push for equality.
Claire Watkin of The Fine Bedding Company has been working with John Lewis for 20 years, although it was her father, Paul Black, who started the relationship back in 1977. Today, more than 70% of employees at The Fine Bedding Company are women and almost 80% of managers are women. Claire credits relationships built on strong mutual respect for allowing the company to move faster – with agility – to meet challenges together.
Born in Sweden, Charlotta Elgh started her career in advertising in Stockholm before retraining in interior architecture, going on to work as a product developer at Ikea for 14 years. She was part of the global management group for Ikea textiles for seven years. In 2022 she became the first Design Director for home at John Lewis & Partners, overseeing the design vision.
Charlotta went to design school in Milan. After that, she fell in love with Mallorca and became a freelance interior architect in Spain. Most recently, before joining John Lewis, Charlotta started her own tennis and padel apparel e-commerce company. She currently lives in Sweden and London, and she has three children, including twin daughters.
Her motto is: love life and life will love you back.
Heidi Fielding and Michelle Evatt are the women behind playfully modern fashion brand Florere (in store only). They first met aged 19 while studying fashion at Brighton University and instantly became best friends. As they began careers in fashion they dreamt of creating a business together. In 2022 an opportunity emerged and the dream became a reality.
Eva Karayiannis launched Caramel 23 years ago with the intention of making childrenswear that looked very different to a lot of what was on offer at the time. She takes huge pleasure from the personal relationships she has developed by recently working with more talent on a smaller scale.
Sir Bernard Miller was keen to create a distinctive house style for the Partnership and, in 1962, recruited the services of Lucienne and Robin Day as design consultants. They initially reported on their findings and suggested Hans Schleger, a graphic designer, to create a new JLP symbol and packaging design.
In 1967 they produced the Partnership Design Manual, detailing the new house style for the JL division. They then created a new style for Waitrose including everything from own-brand labelling to shop interiors. Waitrose were presented with a Royal Society of Arts Design Management Award in 1971, demonstrating Lucienne and Robin’s impact.
The couple retired from their roles in 1987 but remained close to the business, with Lucienne creating wall hangings for branches including the Aspects of the Sun pieces for John Lewis Kingston, and Robin designing furniture.
To mark International Women’s Day 2024, John Lewis stores will host live events, experiences, offers and treats for customers shopping on 8 March, including DJ sets and performances from female talent.
Visit your local John Lewis on 8 March to join the celebrations.
We are supporting The Prince’s Trust annual International Women’s Day #ChangeAGirlsLife campaign by offering £25 off when you shop at Fashion Rental until 10 March 2024.
