A re-introduction to Rose's Wardrobe
Grace Scott
Meet the team behind Rose’s Wardrobe and discover more about the brand and where it is today.
WHERE IT ALL BEGAN
Back in 2013, the co-founders of Rose’s Wardrobe, Leanne and Emma, were both working for the same company. They met in Langholm, where Emma was a fashion designer for one of the company’s brands and Leanne a product developer. Emma would create a design, hand it over to Leanne, who would then source it from overseas. Overtime, Leanne and Emma went from colleagues to friends to couple, and in 2015 got engaged.
After a brief move to Manchester and marriage in 2017, Leanne and Emma moved back to Langholm in 2018. Leanne became pregnant with their son, and the idea for Rose’s Wardrobe was blossoming.
Emma and Leanne came to a pivotal point in how they viewed the fast fashion industry. A combination of the disconnect between factories and buyers which led to unfair wages on factory workers and an unrealistic expectation of paying low cost for high quality fabrics meant that there was a constant cycle of workers who can’t afford a good quality of life and buyers who are overconsuming due to cheap, unsustainable fabrics that wear quickly. The idea for Rose’s Wardrobe eventually came to fruition in early 2019.
Two years ago, Rose’s Wardrobe launched their first t-shirt range, the ‘Bonnie’ headband & ‘Rose’ skirt in May and our first ‘Made to order’ collection for the Autumn in September. It started with their ‘Edna’ blouse, ‘Nen’ skirt, the ‘Rosie’ skirt and the ‘Eva’ dress, and with each season the Rose’s Wardrobe collection has grown without compromising on the brand’s values.
Read more about the inspiration behind Rose’s Wardrobe by clicking here.
STAYING TRUE TO ROSE’S WARDROBE’S BRAND VALUES
Rose’s Wardrobe was always going to be the opposite to fast fashion - with all fabrics sourced sustainably and garments handmade in Langholm. This was solidified by the Fashion Revolution workshop, which highlighted the damage that fast fashion does goes beyond the unethical treatment of workers.
The damage on the planet was demonstrated as immense. For example, “Biodegradable” actually means biodegradable in 20 or even 200 years; every piece of polyester clothing you’ve owned is still on the planet somewhere, degrading and releasing greenhouse gases, not to mention all the microfibres which have been released into the water system when washing.
Emma and Leanne were compelled to ensure that Rose’s Wardrobe wasn’t contributing to the damage on the environment. They extensively researched sustainable fabrics, practices and components and came to the conclusion that garments would only use natural, deadstock, organic fabrics. You can read more about Rose’s Wardrobe’s commitment to sustainability here.
The one of a kind fabrics that Rose’s Wardrobe uses on limited edition garments are made in Langholm, such as the Herringbone from Lynn Elliott, or have been designed in Langholm and made elsewhere but over 20 years ago when the mills were still open and now limited amounts left and dead stock. This brings new life to fabrics that would otherwise be wasted. Langholm’s textile history has also been brought back to life, as Rose’s Wardrobe has moved from upstairs bedroom to local mill to work on Rose’s Wardrobe’s garments.
Find out more about Rose’s Wardrobe’s fabric choices by clicking here.
WHERE ROSE’S WARDROBE IS TODAY
Rose’s Wardrobe was previously run from Emma and Leanne’s home, but they’ve recently moved into a local mill in Langholm. The close proximity to the mill means that Rose’s Wardrobe can often source and use fabric that was only woven metres away!
As well as moving to the mill, Rose’s Wardrobe also has a new team member. Heather has been working with Rose’s Wardrobe since August 2020, and is Rose’s Wardrobe accessory sewing champ. Whether it’s the staple Bonnie headband or Shirley make up bags, it’s more than likely Heather who made it!
THE BEST NEW BUSINESS AWARD
Rose’s Wardrobe is delighted to be nominated for an award. As part of the Dumfries and Galloway Retail Business Awards 2021, Rose’s Wardrobe has been nominated in the category of ‘Best New Business’.
If you’d like to support Rose’s Wardrobe, you can vote for Rose’s Wardrobe and state why at:
https://www.scotlandsbusinessawards.co.uk/dumfries-and-galloway/
Thank you to all Rose’s Wardrobe customer’s for their ongoing support.
Here’s to the future of Rose’s Wardrobe!
THE TEAM
Rose’s Wardrobe was founded by Emma and Leanne after both having over 12 years of experience between them working in high street, vintage inspired, and fashion supplier backgrounds. The inspiration from Rose’s Wardrobe derived from Emma and Leanne’s muses - their grandmas and great grandma - Patricia, Edna, and Rose. The aim is to produce replicas of the beautiful clothes their grandmas wore, using colours, styles and prints from the 1940’s through to the 1960’s. You can connect with Rose’s Wardrobe on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. Have a look at where Rose’s Wardrobe will be here. Read our sustainability statement. Or, shop the collection.