Up With The Lark And – Détails, épisodes et analyse

In this episode I speak with Pip Durell founder of With Nothing Underneath to explore having singular focus at your business grows, how to lead, the reality of what it takes and how to celebrate the journey .

Start ups are exciting and much discussed but there is something particularly intriguing about those companies that make it to adolescence. You realise what really matters, you start to understand yourself better, you analyse what ‘works’ more effectively, your team becomes increasingly essential, your confidence grows, so does the risk. In my experience, something happens at around the five to seven year mark. And that is where we meet today’s guest. Pip Durrell is the founder of With Nothing Underneath.

I’m sure that she needs no introduction. Her shirts are renowned. Her Instagram feed documents life as the founder of one of the most successful brands in this generation; we feel that we know her. Her beautiful shirts are worn far and wide by the great and the good, I imagine her enviable press clippings as a teetering mountain and her Elizabeth Street shop is delight. Beauty and brains – the ultimate combination sit at the core of this brand. Perhaps that’s its magic. The style, the glamour, the beautiful women sit confidently alongside BCorp status.

Too often, people feel that talent is enough. That creativity is enough. That financial investment is enough. That great connections are enough. None of these are true. Dedication is the name of the game. And Pip demonstrates that dedication consistently. This isn’t luck. This is grit. 

In this episode, we talk about doing one thing well. Dedicating yourself to one thing and having singular focus. We are going to find out about the With Nothing Underneath Woman. The value of bricks and mortar. Sticking with a singular vision despite all the distractions and temptations. And what’s next for this adolescent brand. 

With Nothing Underneath: www.withnothingunderneath.com 

Gemma Moulton is the founder of East London Cloth. Gemma has crafted a visual narrative, a sensibility, a place and space all of her very own. It is both timeless and of the moment. It draws intelligently and interestingly on the past. The business has evolved quickly from making curtains, to café curtains by post and now as a fabric house of its very own. East London Cloth has made the old, new.

Time. The Right Time. Good Timing. The Right Moment. The Passage Of Time. The Right Age. Time is money. Time flies. In the nick of time. Time For A Change. Timing and business. It’s something that I think of often. It is often the olive in the martini. Get the timing right and talent sings, businesses flourish. Gemma Moulton has a great sense of time and of timing.

In the spirit of making Up With The Lark And a more interactive experience, I asked you what you’d like to ask Gemma. And without fail, every question related to her sense of style, her confident aesthetic, the space she has created. So in this episode, we are lucky enough to be able to ask Gemma all about her distinct visual narrative, her space in East London, the fabric collection, the photography and how she has made the old new in each and every area of the business.

East London Cloth: www.eastlondoncloth.co.uk

It seems to me that the mix of work rest and play has gone awry. Many of us find ourselves far from a good blend, mix or combinations of these three critical factors in any creative business. Work has long been worshipped. Being oh so very busy, burning the candle at both ends and the midnight oil, the 5am club, all nights have all been badges of honour. Slowly, though, rest has found its way like the first crocus, into entrepenurial consideration. Even if just as a means to an end. Mindfulness, going offline, running your inbox rather than it running you, company culture, sleep are now all in the conversation.

And yet play feels too often neglected. Relegated to childhood, art school, the start up phase or ‘just when I get some time’. So in this gathering of conversations, we will explore the purpose of play and the practicality of play and how we keep it at the forefront even when the cash flow forecasts, the product plan, social media and your staff are all clamouring for your attention. Looking at different creative disciplines, enterprises and personalities, I hope that you will find yourself encouraged and challenged to remember that play is in fact a very serious business.

I have never been able to resist a gallery or museum shop, not once. It is that specific moment of wanting to turn an experience, a visual experience, into something more tangible. A single postcard will suffice, a coffee table book delights but trinkets and treasures are a real treat. And there aren’t many places that do this better than the V&A. A place where the very very old and the highly contemporary are plaited together to create a world away from the hustle and bustle attitude. Whether in its architecture, exhibitions or the collections in the shop, you know you are in the hands of an expert, innovative and playful staff.

One of them joins us today, Margaux Soland heads the Buying Team of V&A Retail. They look after all the shops across the London sites which includes South Ken, The Young V&A, and V&A East. In this episode, we will find out about how the team works, their relationship with the rest of the museum, Margaux’s role there, and that even an institution as authoritative and historic as the V&A can be playful.

The V&A Shop - /www.vam.ac.uk/shop/home

It seems to me that the mix of work rest and play has gone awry. Many of us find ourselves far from a good blend, mix or combinations of these three critical factors in any creative business. Work has long been worshipped. Being oh so very busy, burning the candle at both ends and the midnight oil, the 5am club, all nights have all been badges of honour. Slowly, though, rest has found its way like the first crocus, into entrepenurial consideration. Even if just as a means to an end. Mindfulness, going offline, running your inbox rather than it running you, company culture, sleep are now all in the conversation.

And yet play feels too often neglected. Relegated to childhood, art school, the start up phase or ‘just when I get some time’. So in this gathering of conversations, we will explore the purpose of play and the practicality of play and how we keep it at the forefront even when the cash flow forecasts, the product plan, social media and your staff are all clamouring for your attention. Looking at different creative disciplines, enterprises and personalities, I hope that you will find yourself encouraged and challenged to remember that play is in fact a very serious business.

Every nation suffers under a cloud of cliches, and Scotland is no different. All tartan tins of shortbread, haggis, deep fried anything kilts and cold dark nights. But that assumption is a mistaken one and our guests today are working to offer an alternative perspective. They are championing Scottish craft at its very finest, offered with celebration and joy. Husbands Hugo Macdonald and James Stevens are the founders of Bard, a gallery and shop celebrating Scottish craft and design.

Whether textiles or ceramics, whether from the Borders or the Isle of Skye, whether established or just making a name, all the selections these two made debunk that Scottish cliche, and not just that they're doing so playfully.

We're going to talk about the idea for Bard, the ingenuity, resourcefulness, and humour of their makers, why play matters in the realm of physical retail and in the presentation of craft.

Bard Scotland - www.bard-scotland.com

It seems to me that the mix of work rest and play has gone awry. Many of us find ourselves far from a good blend, mix or combinations of these three critical factors in any creative business. Work has long been worshipped. Being oh so very busy, burning the candle at both ends and the midnight oil, the 5am club, all nights have all been badges of honour. Slowly, though, rest has found its way like the first crocus, into entrepenurial consideration. Even if just as a means to an end. Mindfulness, going offline, running your inbox rather than it running you, company culture, sleep are now all in the conversation.

And yet play feels too often neglected. Relegated to childhood, art school, the start up phase or ‘just when I get some time’. So in this gathering of conversations, we will explore the purpose of play and the practicality of play and how we keep it at the forefront even when the cash flow forecasts, the product plan, social media and your staff are all clamouring for your attention. Looking at different creative disciplines, enterprises and personalities, I hope that you will find yourself encouraged and challenged to remember that play is in fact a very serious business.

In this episode we are joined by Ella McKay, Fatso Numero Uno and co-creator of Fatso Chocolate. As a modern day chocolate brand, they have the lives, livelihood and wellbeing of their farmers at heart. Alongside this value driven approach is a playful sense of humour. It finds expression vividly and without apology in the branding, recipes, names, stories and imagery.

Whether it’s a King Charles lookalike tucking into ‘The King’s Ransome’ bars or the promise that a biker granny would devour ‘Nan’s Stash’ with teeth or no teeth or the memorable ‘Morning Glory’ bar which celebrates cornflakes, toast and marmalade, wit and confidence rule here. And I can’t wait to find out more about how play, good humour, chocolate, caring and commerce all interrelate.

Fatso Chocolate - www.sofatso.com

It seems to me that the mix of work rest and play has gone awry. Many of us find ourselves far from a good blend, mix or combinations of these three critical factors in any creative business. Work has long been worshipped. Being oh so very busy, burning the candle at both ends and the midnight oil, the 5am club, all nights have all been badges of honour. Slowly, though, rest has found its way like the first crocus, into entrepenurial consideration. Even if just as a means to an end. Mindfulness, going offline, running your inbox rather than it running you, company culture, sleep are now all in the conversation.

And yet play feels too often neglected. Relegated to childhood, art school, the start up phase or ‘just when I get some time’. So in this gathering of conversations, we will explore the purpose of play and the practicality of play and how we keep it at the forefront even when the cash flow forecasts, the product plan, social media and your staff are all clamouring for your attention. Looking at different creative disciplines, enterprises and personalities, I hope that you will find yourself encouraged and challenged to remember that play is in fact a very serious business.

In this episode we are joined by Camilla Wordie. Camilla is an art director and stylist. She works with food to make compositions that defy the ordinary. Balance, colour, story, angles and degrees, the perfect prop all combine to great effect. Anything that makes you pause, look again, draw closer and revist in your mind is a triumph as far as I am concered and that’s what Camilla’s work offers. It is seriously playful and playfully serious. I am looking forward to asking Camilla about her practice, the role of play in her work, how minimalism and play interact and how we can all be just a little more playful.

In this episode we are joined by Jess Wheeler. Jess is a designer and artist based in North Wales. She works across a variety of disciplines from set to homeware design and her cross disciplinary approach has a unified, nostalgic, nature driven narrative.

I greatly admire not just the pieces that Jess creates but also her route and methods. In fact a bronze rhubarb from her collection was the first purchase I made for my own studio before I even had a desk. She seems to have an unquenchable thirst for experimentation, for new materials, contexts and stories.

One of the aspects I think is most distinct about Jess is that she has begun, developed and expanded her own workshop deep in the wilds of Wales. It is a workshop of ideas. It is a place of trial and error. It is a place of learning. It is filled with people with new skills and those with hard-won expertise. It is noisy production and natural beauty. It is rugged and raw and suspiciously photogenic.

We are lucky enough today to hear more of Jess’ adventures in creativity, how she came to the current chapter of lighting across brass, bronze and plaster, life in Wales, the influence of the natural world, the people around her and what the future holds.

Jess Wheeler: www.jesswheeler.com

It is too easy to throw up our hands in despair at the state of the world. And yet there are many of you acting to make a change. Not only that, you are doing it ever so stylishly. Each of you should be applauded.

For quite some time, I have wanted to adjust the format of the podcast. To mix in with the one to one interviews, some more ‘round the table’ discussions. I want to hear different views and outlooks, about contrasting ideas and a breadth of industries. I am delighted that this is the first of such a discussion and my guests far exceeded my expectations. This is a wonderful conversation with Sophie Platts, founder of Floks, and Ruth Alice Rands, founder of Herd.

Each of these fantastic women has has a great story to share, a fantastic attitude to the planet, to change and to running a business. I hope that their company names will give you a clue on the topic. Today, we are going to Reimagine Wool. In this episode, we are going to discuss a the re-imagining of the wool industry. A fascinating topic alone but also one that whatever industry you are in, there are insights to share and lessons to learn. We hear about each of their relationships with wool, the enterprises they have begun, highs and lows and what they hope that the future holds.

I am quite certain that you will walk away uplifted, encouraged and, I hope, a little bit challenged to act on the changes that you want to see in your field, industry, arena. We all have the ability to bring about change and you couldn’t ask for two better role models that Sophie and Ruth.

www.floks.co.uk
www.herdwear.co

There is an audible sigh of exhaustion, of weariness, of disturbed momentum, of deep uncertainty. So in this collection of conversations, we are going to discuss ideas, approaches and temperaments that could act as an antidote for those of us working in the arts and creative industries.

If you have found yourself retreating, becoming overly cautious or risk averse, then this is the episode for you. Francesca Strange, founder of The Proof, is brutally honest about running a business and taking calculated risks, searching for balance, facing failure and the future. There’s no sugar coating here.

The Proof are a bakery based in East London who, simply put ‘will bring pudding’. Francesca is a self-taught cook and baker who has blended an Italian background, a sweet tooth and gumption in spades to create a business full of energy and joy. A nod to style but its heart in substance, The Proof delivers the puddings we know and love with a dollop of doings things well on the side. And if you manage to get to the end of this episode without a craving for profiteroles, I will be quite surprised.

We are going to hear about the unexpected beginnings in lockdown, opening the bakery in Dalston, building a team, their current kickstarter campaign and their vision and plans for the future. Here’s a clue. It involves candy floss.

It is true that many enterprises begin with someone unable to find what they are looking for, so they make it themselves and Nights By Wilder is a delightful example of this. It was born out of founder Elizabeth’s stylish eye for nightwear for her children. Stylish is quite the word here, Nights By Wilder is highly memorable from its fabrics and silhouettes to its charm and its whimsy. Children’s attire is a crowded & noisy marketplace so it’s no mean feet to find yourself distinctive, celebrated & instantly recognisable.

In this episode, we hear about the early days of the business, the development of the aesthetic, the importance of originality, seeking out experts, building a business as well as a brand and keeping curiosity, kindness and confidence alive.

Nights By Wilder - www.nightsbywilder.com