Meet the Designer: Sue Longmore at Maude & Fox

Getting to know you

What inspired you to start Maude & Fox? Was there a lightbulb moment when you knew you wanted to shake up tweed fashion? We really started Maude & Fox because when we came to the country and started going on local shoots we were surprised to see everyone dressed pretty much the same and the ladies were invariably wearing extremely unflattering men’s tweed coats.  I saw a gap in the market for fashionable, flattering and design-lead countryside clothing. Since then we have expanded our range to be more urban country, always with a bit of a design difference to other tweed companies. 

Tweed is often seen as quite traditional – how did you decide to give it a modern twist? As you know, tweed clothing really can all look the same and we wanted to use this beautiful, classic, material but adding a contemporary edge – this has now become synonymous with our brand. We started Maude & Fox around the time of the Olympics in London so introduced the Patriot Range alongside our Country range – both of these have remained with us and we continually add to our ranges for ladies and gents – the latest for ladies being a dog walking tweed hoodie that is cut to flatter. 

Your pieces are handmade in Dorset – what does British craftsmanship mean to you? I could probably write a whole essay on this subject!! 

• Quality making and quality materials
• Supporting local community – our makers generally live near our office and have worked for us for a number of years.
• Value – as in value per wear – our items are made to last for years, they are timeless and made well, so whilst the initial outlay is more than a cheap imported dress it may be worn 100’s of times as opposed to once or twice. 

Creativity and craftsmanship

How do you balance keeping that classic heritage feel while adding a fresh, stylish edge? To be honest it just comes naturally and we tend to make things that I instinctively know will work – the detailing on men’s clothing tends to be a little more subtle e.g. the patriot appliqué under the Brace pocket flap is a subtle yet cool nod to the British flag – or even Britpop! (Brace is also a more modern less baggy cut to some men’s tweed sporting coats). Our stripe range of skirts have a really classic but fresh look – achieved through the tweeds, the colours and the cuts – depending on what they are worn with they can look classic e.g. with a white shirt, or more modern teamed with a patterned jumper and scarf. The patriot range has become a stylish addition to many a wardrobe. 

Do you have a personal favourite piece from your collection? One that feels extra special? The Aspen is our most luxurious – we make this to order as the material is so expensive but it is a showstopper and feels amazing!! Next to the Mallard and Finch tweed hoodies for ladies and in the men’s range one of my personal favourites is The Karl tweed coat – it looks great layered over one of our men’s tweed gilets such as the Woodcock. 

What’s been the most unusual or fun custom request you’ve ever received? I have recently been asked to design one of our regular customers a tweed House coat (think Noel Coward ) – I am going with soft luxurious tweed and we will appliqué on things that are personal to him and his character and interests eg The Welsh Dragon, rugby ball, food of some sort!! A classic car. Another really great order was a pair of bespoke patriot breeks that our customer wore on the London Tweed Run with his Patriot tweed gilet and cap. If you could design a tweed piece for any historical or modern icon, who would it be and why? Probably David Bowie – for his style, elegance and quirkiness, or Grace Kelly. 

The business side

What do you think makes Maude & Fox stand out in the world of British fashion? Maude & Fox has now established itself as a recognisable brand and those who love our clothes collect more and more – as one customer at Cheltenham Festival said recently – “you instantly know it’s Maude and Fox “ – it has a slightly quirky edge but has not gone too far.  We have been consistent in always testing our new products at events to see how the feedback goes so we know prior to launching whether an item will be popular or not. We repeatedly make bespoke twists for people by request which is something many brands are unable to offer – for example we recently made a customer a Scottish Lion skirt. Another thing which I think makes us stand out is our wide appeal to many age groups and the fact that we are equally as popular with men as ladies. 

How have customer tastes changed since you launched, and how do you keep up with evolving trends? We always listen to our customers and have got to know the Maude & Fox personality through the years. We have kept many of our popular styles since 2012 as the designs are timeless. Customers are definitely enjoying more of a colour ‘pop’ in the last couple of years which we offer in tweeds, details and linings. 

Your pieces are both practical and stylish – do you find people are surprised by how wearable tweed can be? Yes we often have people say, for example, ‘my husband hates tweed but he really likes your tweed clothes’ – men in particular love practicality and also will check our seams and details for quality. Our clothes are definitely designed to be worn and we have customers who now have a Maude and Fox section in their wardrobe that they say they wear all the time – this is perfect news to me as we strongly believe that our clothes should not be saved for best.

Sustainability is a hot topic in fashion. How do you ensure ethical sourcing and responsible craftsmanship? Sustainability is a tricky subject and often misrepresented by companies – for example some big companies who claim to be highly sustainable but have their clothes made in Vietnam or China and imported. We literally only buy our tweeds directly from British Mills and we have stuck to our Made In Britain promise for all our clothes from designing and cutting through to completion – everything is done in the UK. We don’t make any false claims. 

Looking ahead

What’s next for Maude & Fox? Any exciting new designs or projects in the pipeline? We have just launched the Men’s Tweed Shacket – it has really subtle detailing and a great urban country chic styling. We are about to bring out a new colourway in the ladies tweed shacket – a beautiful soft oat coloured tweed with fuchsia satin lining and a fuchsia tweed stripe down the back. We are also launching a new dog walking range starting with the ladies dog walking tweed hoodie – it is cut to flatter a s well as being really practical and we have already had amazing feedback about it. In both ladies and gents we have fairly gently introduced lightweight tweed gilets with satin lining for wearing during the warmer months – the linings are chosen to contrast and complement the tweeds. 

If you could collaborate with any brand or designer, who would it be and why? Paul Smith – I love Paul Smith and his quirkiness, humour, as well as intelligence  – my husband and I both had Paul Smith suits made for our wedding 

What advice would you give to someone looking to invest in a great piece of tweed? Don’t think of it as expensive (if it is proper British tweed ) think of it as good value as the value per wear over many years and the enjoyment of the garment will make it worthwhile. Take time to choose the shape that suits you, ladies or gents  – our tweeds are different as we have recognised the female shape and cut our own patterns to flatter.

Quickfire fun

What’s your go-to tweed outfit for a perfect countryside day? My Mallard tweed hoodie with a colourful silk scarf, white shirt , black Levis and a pair of fabulous boots with a bit of a heel possibly by Penelope Chilvers. Also a hat for some events – possibly by Hicks and Brown – I’m currently enjoying large rimmed hats. 

If you weren’t designing tweed fashion, what would you be doing? I am actually also a Landscape Architect so my whole life is full of design.

One fashion rule you swear by – and one you love breaking? Ohhhh I’m not sure I really stick to rules!  I do love a bit of clashing – I once did a Sarah Raven 1-day flower arranging course and I loved her rule of the bride and the groom in harmony with the gatecrasher as a bit of disruption!! So a bit of a clash –  I do love big earrings!! 

Images courtesy of Maude & Fox