Designer names: Alice Ashby and Katherine Poulton
Origin: Alice is from Rutland, Leicestershire. Katherine is from the Black Country.
Career highlight: “Seeing our collection launch at Colette during Paris Couture Week.”
Design background: Alice studied knitwear design at Central Saint Martins. She worked for Rag and Bone, while Katherine modeled for fashion houses including Roland Mouret, Luella and Mulberry.
Design signatures: “Easy-to-wear, classic knits with a twist.”
How would you describe the North Circular woman? “Ethically minded, fashion conscious and chic.”
Name three things that are inspiring you for spring/summer 2011: “We are looking into ethically sourced, lighter blends for summerwear. Our inspiration comes from the concept of multifunctional clothes. We have conceived a collection in which you would feel just as comfortable waltzing into the Ritz in Paris as strolling down the beach in Jamaica. This season we’re using a rich, tonal palette of safari and indigo colours.”
What is your brand philosophy? “The North Circular’s mission is to establish a model circle for desirable, ethically sourced, artisan knitwear for a range of personal, hand-knitted accessories and ready-to-wear. Our design ethos is to create sustainable, contemporary, modern collections in Britain.”
How do you see the brand moving forward and developing? “We will be branching into greater traceability for more knitwear fabrics, setting standards for animal welfare and opening up our ready-to-wear and menswear collections while keeping our hand-knitted accessories at the core of the business.”
What's new for you this season? “New, lighter, more summery yarn blends. We’re introducing crochet as well as our trademark hand knit. We are launching ready-to-wear for men plus the concept of the 'blashmina' - the blanket and the pashmina combined for multi-purpose living - the scarf for wet summer nights and the blanket for chilly journeys.”