Meet Natasha of Studio Wylder. Natasha designs the most beautiful, effortless pieces for a timeless & mindful wardrobe.
Natasha works with natural fabrics to create effortless, season-less silhouettes produced with the welfare of the natural world and it's people as the priority.
In addition to running such an incredible business, Natasha is also a mother to four children, three girls - Tehya, Tallulah & Amelie (“whom I regularly take advantage of as house models”) & her youngest Gabriel.
Natasha, please can you tell us a little bit about yourself and Studio Wylder?
I spent the best part of 30 years working with several global luxury brands as director of retail development and operations - managing large teams, opening many stores, buying, merchandising, recruiting and so much more. I had originally studied Fashion Design & Technology.
This extensive experience gave me all the tools needed to found Studio Wylder (in addition to co-founding the tea brand TIOSK).
Studio Wylder is really a return to my true love - designing relaxed modern classics, with multiple purposes, in pure textural fibres and natural colours.
What is the Studio Wylder ethos?
Studio Wylder was launched from my kitchen table, with the idea that it would always be the Tortoise not the Hare (one of my favourite childhood tales).
Growing organically allows it to remain true to its sustainable and ethical principles - the foundations of the brand. We are a small batch producer, making just 1 to 10 pieces of a style, there are no strict seasons, just warm weather & cold weather collections.
I knew that if I was to put another clothing brand out into the world, at the very least it must do no harm. For our warm weather collections we work with organic hand loomed Indian cottons which helps sustain heritage craft, preserve culture, community and local environments. The cotton is grown in the same region that it is spun, woven and plant dyed without use of pesticides or addition water.
For our cold weather collections we use end of line /end of roll biodegradable and recycled fabrics sourced from the dead-stock created by luxury European fashion houses.
What attracted you to fashion design?
I was about 12 years old when I became aware of the power of clothing and began to be drawn to colours and textures. I remember wanting a pair of red clogs, khaki corduroy trousers and a red turtleneck more than life itself! When I received this outfit for my Birthday I understand the confidence that feeling great in your clothes can give you, the power of personal style. My fashion journey began that year!
What inspires you when creating your beautiful pieces?
My starting point is always wearability, flexibility, comfort, multi-use and size flexibility. All of these key points mean that a garment will hopefully be a much loved and worn wardrobe staple.
From there I try to create relaxed modern pieces that have a masculine simplicity often juxtaposed by a touch of softness like a ruffle, gather or a raw edge. They are pieces that should be able to slide seamlessly into an existing wardrobe without needing to be top-to-toe in Studio Wylder (although we don’t mind if you do ;) ….
Why was it important for you to create a brand where sustainability is a focus?
Honestly, any modern fashion/clothing brand should have sustainability and ethical production as a priority, it should be the heart of the business in this day and age.
What is your favourite part about running your business?
No two days are the same. I love that I can be designing in the morning, working with a pattern cutter in the afternoon, updating the website in the evening and shooting the collection the next day. I find that being able to work on all the aspects of the business keeps it fresh and exciting (if a little overwhelming at times…)!
What is your biggest piece of advice for female business owners and those wanting to start their own business?
Firstly (not wanting to be a Debbie downer), try to envisage what the hard times might look like - literally. Envisage the day to day of the early years and how that might fit into your current lifestyle and that of your family or loved ones.
Once you’ve done the reality check, if you still have the drive and passion to do it then you will need to remind yourself regularly of your power! If you have a bad week, it's just that - a bad week! Move on, get up, brush yourself off and find your power again! You will get good at this if you keep practicing (you will likely get a lot of practice…)
You are amazing! You’ve got this girrrl!!!
What can we do in our day-to-day to be more mindful of our planet?
Waste is probably one of the simplest ways to lessen our impact on the planet. From food to fashion, a considered, mindful approach to purchasing the new, will by default result in less consumption and waste. I try to re-use / use every part of every thing I buy, from the stem of the broccoli or the shrivelled apple, to the off-cuts from our end of line shearling skins and the dead-stock produced by the luxury fashion houses.
I’m also a huge fan of storing my winter wardrobe away through the summer months and vice vs. Everything feels brand new when you unpack it at the beginning of the season!
And finally, any tips for creating a more sustainable/conscious wardrobe?
Finding your personal style is probably the single most important factor in creating a mindful, conscious wardrobe - the holy grail. Recognising what makes you feel good over fashion trends that you might be drawn to is key. Once you’ve found your style foundations, you will be able to build a concise, hard working, flexible wardrobe.
I only buy new pieces if I know they will be a wardrobe mainstay, are made by someone in my local community or are from a brand that genuinely puts people and planet before profit.
Buying pre-loved is one of my favourite ways to update my wardrobe, trying to stick to the one-in one-out system - rotating and purchasing previously loved pieces through Curate & Rotate is the perfect 360!
Discover Studio Wylder below:
Instagram - studiowylder
Website - studiowylder.com