CAROLINE WHEATER meets a fashion designer who is using vintage towelling fabrics to produce cosy, British-made beach robes and hoodies
Back in 2001, fashion designer Sophie English and her family moved from London to the south coast, choosing the Sussex South Downs, a half hour’s cycle ride from the coast, as their new home. “I find it very restorative here, even on the shingle pebbles!” says Sophie, making a wry reference to her husband’s roots in Queensland, with its world-renowned tropical white sands.
“In winter we’ll go for blustery walks on the Downs, and in summer my daughters and I whip down to Lancing for a quick swim, have a coffee, then get fish and chips on the way back.”
The surrounding coastal landscape has always fed into her designs, especially in terms of colour, and also helped Sophie launch a new venture, So English, a range of beach-ready towelling robes, hoodies and dresses aimed at the discerning ocean lover.
For many years, Sophie designed couture wedding dresses for the likes of Liberty and Harrods, and chic corporate wear for city banks and law firms, but her penchant for vintage towelling, found at seaside shops and on eBay, was to eventually lead her in a different direction.
“I have a vast collection of fabrics – everything from a piece from Norman Hartnell’s studio to evening wear to old shawls. And, like any collector, once you’ve started it’s hard to stop doing it,” she explains. Her considerable stash of towelling dates from the 1950s to the 1970s and is mostly botanical in theme, screen-printed with exuberant patterns of flowers and leaves, spots and swirls.
“Back then these fabrics were made into bathroom curtains and beachwear. I’ve always liked that retro look, it’s so bright and bold, and I remember wearing a little towelling hoodie myself when I was a teenager on family sailing trips.”
In 2010, she plucked out a favourite piece of original pink and white towelling from her collection and decided to make herself a beach robe. “I loved it and still do,” says Sophie of the pretty yet practical piece. “I didn’t want it to be big and cumbersome like a dry robe, but something you just put over your swimming costume and nip down to the beach in.
“I wanted to feel like I was still wearing a dress and have worn it to family events, parties, holidays with friends, and on many visits to Lancing beach.” She also has sensitive skin, prone to eczema, and found that the soft cotton towelling didn’t scratch or irritate. Some hoodies for her daughters followed and a few commissions
