Named ‘The girl born to design’ by British Vogue, Rose Fulbright is a luxury lifestyle brand celebrating art, print and colour in exclusive textile designs for loungewear, beachwear and home accessories.
About Rose Fulbright
Our garments are hand-made in London using the finest fabrics, exclusive hand-painted prints and elegant shapes, with an ethical and ecologically conscious approach. Our aim is for every Rose Fulbright customer to feel so wonderful in their pieces that they treasure them to pass on to the next generation as family heirlooms.
What empowered you to start your namesake brand, Rose Fulbright?
I grew up surrounded by artists and designers, who inspired me to paint and draw from an early age. My mother taught me to sew at the age of 12 and I soon developed a keen interest in clothes and expression through dress, from that point I knew I wanted to be a clothing designer. I studied couture fashion at Parsons Paris and then earned a First Class Honours degree at the London College of Fashion. I started the brand almost straight out of university, as I just knew it was what I had to do!
When entering the fashion industry, was it your intentional goal from the beginning to be sustainable or was it something that came along with the journey?
Creating garments of high quality that will last has always been central to my philosophy. Coming out of university, I was disappointed at the number of brands and companies making clothing from horrible fabrics that were badly made. I am determined to create pieces that people would respect and cherish.
The other side to my responsible approach to fashion was the decision to manufacture locally in the UK. This helped me ensure proper standards for seamstresses, a low carbon footprint and an ability to manufacture in small quantities to demand, reducing waste. I sourced end-of-line couture fabrics to create my first collections, which is a wonderful way to reduce waste. Beyond this, I have other sustainability goals in motion, relating to fabrics, production methods and aftercare..
What has been the biggest challenge of starting and running your business?
When I first started, sustainability was a peripheral concept in the fashion world, so communicating to customers how and why it was important to me was often a challenge. Thankfully during the time that we’ve been running, sustainability has become a much more widely cherished idea. This has given rise to an exciting new wave of eco fabrics and printing methods available to smaller businesses.
What is something that most people don't know about silk, that you wish they did?
Silk originated in Neolithic China over 6000 years ago - a tried and tested material!
How are you coping with the COVID-19 crisis and what challenges (or opportunities) have you faced followed by the events?
Having two young children has kept me grounded (and busy!), so I feel relatively lucky. I’m really excited that we’re on the verge of opening up again and looking forward to holding events and getting out there again.
What is your main source of inspiration for your brand and your pieces?
If I had to choose just one source, I would say it is nature. Nature inspires everything I design, from my prints and garment shapes, and also inspires me to do what I can to conserve and respect it.
What is your main drive, or source of inspiration?
I frequently find myself spurred on when I contemplate the world that my children – who are 4 and 6 years old – are due to inherit. Sadly the prospects are very bleak unless of course, we take action now.
If you could rule the world for one day, what would be your first change?
This question is dauntingly big! I think I would start by making sure every single child was growing up in a safe and loving environment.
What is your best tip for people who want to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle but don't know where to start?
There are so many areas of sustainability to tackle and it can be overwhelming to act on them all. I would recommend choosing an area that’s important to you and first focus on trying to improve your impact on that. Small and practical steps.
What is a book/ movie/ podcast you have recommended to your friends and colleagues recently and why?
I’m really enjoying the book ‘Notes on Deep Time’ by Helen Gordon at the moment. It is about geology and the search for a different perspective on time, looking at Earth’s deepest and longest-scale evolutions. It has a sweeping scope and she has a wonderful way of writing.
At BLANC, we cannot agree more with Vivienne Westwood's message "Buy less, choose well, make it last". What's your approach to fashion?
Exactly this! While I don’t always buy less, most of what I buy is vintage and I never buy something unless I love it. I used to make a lot of my own clothes when I had more time, and I’d love to start doing this again. I have a very involved relationship with clothes and the touch, look and shape of them is something I feel almost physically drawn to. I believe in style over ‘fashion’ and aim to buy timeless items that will look good over decades, not months.
What goals do you hope to achieve in the future in terms of sustainability?
I have so many goals! Perhaps the most impactful one will be to find a way to make the company more ‘circular’, taking account of the full lifecycle of our items from fabric production to end of life, and about how we can ensure those garments are treasured or, where necessary, re-purposed in a useful or special way.
