Michelle Howard – Founder of The Re.Store

Website: www.therestore.co.uk

“My name is Mische and I launched The Re.Store after 15 years as a fashion designer (Jack Wills, Herschel Supply co.) and 2 years of teaching yoga in Canada and England.”

“The more I taught yoga, the less connected I felt to some areas of the fashion industry, not only because of the mass production and the impact this has on the environment, but also in relation to the mental health impacts within an industry that prides itself on being busy.”

“Struggling to connect the two paths, and burning out from the pace of the industry, I decided to create a brand that was steeped in my values; slow-made fashion, considered fabrics, UK manufactured and grounded in promoting a slower pace to life.”

“Our brand motto “Not Busy” aims at putting a stop to the glorification of being busy, not only for our own mental health but for the health of the planet. To emphasise this slower pace, are products are either made-to-order or produced in small batches of no more than 100 units, right here in the UK.”

“Our fabrications are highly considered, we only use recycled or organic fabrications throughout our collection, our stretch fabric is made from regenerated fishing nets and our recycled cotton comes from discarded off-cuts within the fashion industry.”

“Being a female in the fashion industry, I have always been surrounded by incredible, strong women in roles throughout the business hierarchy, however the majority of the big brands I have worked for have been founded by men. I find this a complete contrast on the small business side, so many small businesses have female founders. It is amazing to see so many women owning their dreams and working on breaking the glass ceilings outside of the corporate world.”

“We have the honour to work with an incredible female led team making our products and an incredibly talented female graphic designer who designs are beautiful prints. However, there is still work to do, I personally struggle to have the confidence in myself in the way that society has confidence in men, and this has become even more apparent in the last year of launching my business.”

“International Women’s day for me brings an awareness to how we can strive for equality in the design industries by empowering female founders.”