Walpole Launches Its 2022 Brands of Tomorrow

On Monday night, industry body for the British luxury sector, Walpole, announced the 2022 selection for its Brands of Tomorrow programme at The Ned.

Brands of Tomorrow, in association with Mishcon de Reya and MoneyCorp, is a unique mentoring programme which takes up to 12 carefully selected early-stage brands through a year-long programme of workshops and mentoring to help develop their business skills and set them on a path to growth. Participants are mentored by some of the UK’s most experienced luxury executives, editors and founders who provide a year of one-to-one coaching; sharing their knowledge and expertise with the chosen brands.

Now in its 15th year, Walpole’s flagship development programme continues to support the success and dynamic growth of the British luxury industry through transference of skill, experience and know-how to ensure continued creative development and growth. It creates mutually beneficial relationships between established and up-and-coming luxury brands and individuals, which not only ensures a pipeline of new brands, but keeps driving the innovation and entrepreneurship at the heart of one of the UK’s fastest growing business sectors.

Each new cohort of Brands of Tomorrow also act as a microcosm of consumer trends in the high-end space, pin-pointing emerging consumer needs and behaviours. This year there is a continued move towards sustainability, particularly circularity and a new generation of brands that have purpose-driven commerce at their core. Luxury Promise and Circle of Style are at the forefront of getting pre-owned goods to consumers in a creative and authentic way and Petit Pli and Ocean Bottle are making strides in addressing fashion’s land-fill problem and the global issue of ocean plastics respectively.

With a focus on wellness and slowing down, LIHA Beauty harnesses the power of raw ingredients that have been used for centuries in the West African Yoruba tradition to create cosmetics that are multipurpose and rooted in nature. And Decree’s doctor-led skincare is for the time-poor who want a range of products that achieve maximum results with minimum effort. Exquisite handcrafted and craft-led products are central to Savin London’s bespoke bridal and evening wear and Marion Ayonote’s shoes and handbags, with each creating unique products that are imbued with longevity. And the marriage of the beautiful and
useful inherent in British luxury are encapsulated by Feldspar, With Nothing Underneath, Lauren Dickinson Clarke and YOLKE.

Helen Brocklebank, Walpole CEO commented: “Since its launch fifteen years ago, Brands of Tomorrow has identified and mentored over 140 brands and has been a key pillar of our work to drive the growth of the British luxury sector. The development programme plays a vital role in supporting the next generation of creative entrepreneurs to secure the future of the British luxury sector and which will contribute to the UK’s rejuvenation post-Brexit and post-Covid. Each year I am excited to see a diverse range of British entrepreneurs entering the market, there is a new wave of luxury British brands that create, innovate and show nimbleness of the sector in responding to consumer demand. It is a testament to the strength of the programme that so many Brands of Tomorrow alumni are now themselves famous names with international appeal: Bremont; Orlebar Brown; Nyetimber; Noble Isle; House of Hackney; Miller Harris; and Emilia Wickstead to name just a few.”

This year’s mentors include John Ayton MBE, Chairman, Bremont; Michael Ward, MD, Harrods; Carla Filmer, CMO, Manolo Blahnik; Meribeth Parker, Head of Business Transformation, News UK; Annalise Fard, Director of Beauty, Accessories, Fine Jewellery & Watches Harrods; Tom Athron, CEO, Fortnum & Mason, Sean Ghouse, Director of Retail UK at Fortnum & Mason; Mike Hill, Creative Director, Drakes; Justin Stead, CEO, Radley; Nick Keyte, Chief Product & Brand Officer, Charles Tyrwhitt; Colleen Caslin, CEO, Jessica McCormack and Jon Graham, CEO Miller Harris. The programme has two Co-Chair’s Balthazar Fabricius and Chris Downham. The Brands of Tomorrow are also given access to Walpole’s established membership of over 270 of Britain’s most prestigious luxury businesses and cultural institutions.

2022 BRANDS OF TOMORROW

CIRCLE OF STYLE
Circle of Style is where personal style meets sustainability. Circle is the world’s only styling subscription service for second-hand fashion. Bringing stylist expertise, science and technology together to create order out of a chaotic and effortful resale marketplace, as well as elevating Circlers’ style with fashion expertise. Circle believes in helping clients express their unique style, whilst being kind to the planet and their pocket. Because style doesn’t need to cost the earth.

DECREE
Decree is a succinct, doctor-led skincare range created by Dr AJ Sturnham, that cuts through the cluttered, confusing skincare space. It is a range that achieves demonstrable results without necessitating an unappealing complicated, clinical product regime: Decree is efficacious, elegant and beautifully executed. The concise product line-up comprises therapeutic doses of skincare actives in synergistic formulas, separated into a Daily, Weekly and SOS protocol, Decree is calibrated to marry tolerance with maximum results.

FELDSPAR
Feldspar was founded by Jeremy and Cath Brown, and in just five years has become a sought-after luxury brand stocked in the best design stores worldwide. It is focused on creating eccentric objects for the everyday: ’Objects for Life’. Each is designed based on the needs of their own home in rural Devon, but driven by the goal of keeping heritage crafts and skills alive. With an elegant and simple aesthetic designed for longevity, each object Feldspar produce is made by the hands of talented craftspeople in the UK.

LAUREN DICKINSON CLARKE
Lauren Dickinson Clarke creates scented candles and home accessories that celebrate the muses, misfits and rebels – those who have liberated culture and inspired artistic movements. Its expressive creations are for the bored of the norm, creative souls who reject the status quo. So much more than just candle makers, Lauren Dickinson Clarke delight in telling empowering and authentic stories whilst surprising and engaging their customers at every turn. Every piece is made in England, to the highest standards of craftsmanship and imagination.

LUXURY PROMISE
Luxury Promise is the leading next-generation community-driven social commerce platform where people can buy, sell, exchange and repair pre-owned luxury goods within a globally inclusive community. It is fuelled by omnichannel selling and an inclusive and interactive community driven experience via live shopping. Luxury Promise provides a new and engaging way for its audience to experience the world of preloved shopping by a combination of edu-tainment and personality focused selling.

LIHA BEAUTY
LIHA Beauty, described by US Vogue as “bottling Africa’s best kept beauty secret”, is a heritage brand of the future. It’s range of skincare products based in Yoruba (Nigerian) tradition, encourage people to slow down and take time for self-care, whilst empowering consumers with knowledge of raw ingredients and how to make their own natural cosmetics. LIHA Beauty products are, like the founders, a mixture of natural African roots and a quintessentially British attitude.

MARION AYONOTE
A designer fêted for blending fashion and feminism, Marion Ayonote’s eponymous label is instantly recognisable. Shoe aficionados love her use of striking silhouettes, decorative detailing and playful design – all wearable and whimsical in equal measure. A Cordwainers alumnae with award-winning footwear and accessories expertise, Marion Ayonote’s footwear and handbags are heirloom-worthy classics featured in some of the most important fashion magazines and are coveted by celebrities and stylish women alike.

OCEAN BOTTLE
Ocean Bottle is on a mission to create the most sustainable and practical reusable water bottle on the planet. Every bottle sold funds the collection of 1,000 ocean-bound plastic bottles, working with collectors in coastal communities who exchange the plastic for money, healthcare, education, tech and microfinance. Ocean Bottle is dedicated to creating a long-term network of recycling infrastructure to collect plastic before it enters our ocean and making it easier for people everywhere to protect our seas.

PETIT PLI
It all started when Petit Pli’s Founder and CEO Ryan gained a nephew – Viggo – in late 2016. Shortly after Viggo was born Ryan gifted him clothes. However, on arrival they were already too small. This served as a signal: children swear today fails to recognise the dynamic and rapidly changing bodies of Earth’s ‘Little Humans’. Ryan created a garment that would grow with his nephew, reducing water and carbon footprints. Clothes That Grow has won multiple awards, starting a sustainable children’s wear revolution.

SAVIN
Encapsulating a uniquely British, elegant and yet fashion-forward aesthetic, luxury bridal and eveningwear brand Savin London was established in 2015 by entrepreneur and designer Andrey Savin. Imagine romantic hand-painted fabrics, beautiful luxurious laces, a fashion take on the bridal gown and show-stopping eveningwear – little surprise women are seeking out Savin London’s designs at its London showroom and in luxury boutiques up and down the country and internationally.

WITH NOTHING UNDERNEATH
With Nothing Underneath was born out of the wish to create the perfect shirt. A wardrobe staple that you don’t have to think about, a piece you could throw on without thought, or anything underneath. Inspired by men’s tailoring, but adjusted for women, these button-downs had to be an affordable luxury, sustainably sourced and stand the test of time. From cotton workwear to travelling linens and evening silks WNU shirts are for women who have a great sense of style.

YOLKE
YOLKE is an independently run, London-based fashion and lifestyle brand offering new fashion, luxury sleep and homeware printed in archival prints with a contemporary twist. Run by Creative Director and Founder Ella Ringner, YOLKE creates wardrobe favourites in modern everyday silhouettes, encouraging individuality, whilst retaining relevance and quality over time. Focusing its efforts on quality over quantity, YOLKE has never wavered in its commitment to natural fibres, beautiful finishing, feminine styles and playful prints.
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