.png)
Genevieve learned to knit from her grandmother at the age of five. What began as a childhood hobby eventually led to a Fashion Knitwear degree at Nottingham Trent University and a career spanning design, development and production in New York, Switzerland and London.
.png)
“When I told my family I wanted to do a knitwear course, they said, ‘But you’ll be stuck in a factory.’ Actually, I have loved doing that. It has taken me all around the world and allowed me to see people make fantastic things.”
Working within the international fashion industry gave Genevieve a detailed understanding of how garments move from concept to production. It also revealed the environmental and human costs of conventional manufacturing, from discarded samples and excessive transport to pressure on suppliers to prioritise cost over quality.
.png)
After returning to the UK, she began restoring old Dubied knitting machines and meeting former knitters in the Scottish Borders. These conversations exposed the scale of the knowledge at risk of disappearing as experienced makers retired and factories reduced or modernised their operations.
Genevieve launched her eponymous label in 2015, bringing together British yarns, specialist manufacturers and a contemporary approach to colour and pattern. A decade later, the business has entered a new phase with the development of a micro-factory at Grandeys Place, a Hertfordshire centre for heritage crafts.
.png)
Approximately 40% of the collection is now made in-house. This gives the business greater flexibility to develop samples, test limited editions and prove demand before placing production with its network of UK factories.
“We can trial a style, prove that the product works and then give the factory the file,” Genevieve explains. “A lot of factories don’t have sampling capacity, and sampling can take a year. That can be challenging.”
Her longer-term ambition is to grow the micro-factory, add machinery and create more opportunities for apprentices to learn the full range of technical skills required in knitwear production.
Learning from established makers
A year-long QEST scholarship is helping Genevieve deepen her own technical knowledge while building her capacity to teach others.
The scholarship allows her to spend time with experienced practitioners across the industry, including a sock manufacturer she has worked with for ten years. Her programme also encompasses invisible mending with Cashmere Circle, advanced linking with Albion and hand intarsia with both factory-based and cottage-industry makers.
.png)
“Everyone has their own way of doing it,” she says. “These are skills that are disappearing in the UK, and that is the most important thing for me.”
Advanced linking has become a particular focus. As production methods have changed, some factories have needed less of this highly specialised finishing skill. Genevieve sees an opportunity to learn it in depth, use it within her own production and pass it directly to someone else.
That transfer of knowledge is already under way. Apprentice Poppy joined the business in 2025 and is learning while working within the micro-factory.
“It is about passing down skills that would otherwise be lost,” Genevieve says. “I can train an apprentice, and I can then become a trainer.”
The apprenticeship also brings textile manufacturing into a part of the country where young people may have little exposure to it. Genevieve explains that textiles is not widely taught in local schools, despite the satisfaction and range of careers that making can offer.
“People don’t always realise what goes into a garment or understand how things are made,” she says. “Doing something with your hands can be very rewarding.”
Genevieve's designs have already found their way from beyond the workshop to the screen. Claudia Winkleman was recently spotted wearing the Soar vest on the latest season of The UK Traitors. Made in Britain at their micro-factory in Hertfordshire and knitted from naturally dyed merino wool, the piece reflects the same values of craftsmanship, transparency and local production that underpin Genevieve's wider vision.
Telling the story behind the stitches
Genevieve has launched a Substack alongside her scholarship to document this work in greater depth. The long-form format gives her space to share the processes, people and realities behind British-made knitwear, material that cannot always be captured in a social media post or customer email.
“I wanted to start telling my story and look back over ten years,” she explains. “People often assume the company is much bigger than it is. There has been a lot of pivoting, and the changes in the industry over the last decade have been huge.”
The Substack offers a candid account of running a small fashion business, establishing a micro-factory and learning from specialist makers. It also provides a platform for the people whose knowledge sits behind each garment.
“Some people love the stories and the people,” Genevieve says. “Sharing them demonstrates our transparency and shows what ethical production actually involves.”
.png)
Interest in those stories has grown markedly since the label began. Genevieve recalls that customers initially paid relatively little attention to where garments were manufactured unless they had a direct connection to the area. Today, she sees a broader curiosity about UK production and the processes behind it.
Machinery has become an important part of this storytelling. Films showing a garment being knitted, a specialist technique being performed or a button being dyed can help people pause and consider the work involved.
“Being able to see how something has been made stops people scrolling,” she says. “It is about giving those processes a platform.”
.png)
Although the Substack began as a way to chronicle her QEST scholarship, Genevieve intends to continue writing after the programme ends. She wants it to present an honest account of what it takes to run a brand, manufacture in the UK and invest in skills while navigating the pressures of a small business.
Her plans now extend beyond increasing production. She hopes to introduce further apprenticeships, expand the micro-factory’s technical capabilities and find a hand-intarsia machine that can support both making and training.
The thread connecting each ambition is knowledge: learning it from experienced hands, applying it in contemporary production and ensuring that another generation can carry it forward.
