This Brand Is Quietly Taking Over Instagram – One Perfect Dress At A Time

Part of the issue when it comes to choosing something lovely to wear to a wedding or, indeed, any occasion that requires you to wear something dressier than jeans, is that there is so much choice. This can obviously be a good thing – greater choice is democratic, after all – but in a world where we need to start making much more conscious and responsible decisions about what we buy and from where, it can also be a hindrance. This is something Isabelle Waring, founder of young British label Isabelle Fox, knows all too well. And in 2016, she decided to do something about it.

“I just had this particular idea, this concept around British-made, direct to consumer, affordable luxury,” says Waring. “And I thought, well, if I don’t do it now I’m not really ever going to do it and that was three years ago. I quit my job in the law firm where I was working and we launched in October 2016.” Loved by fashion insiders on social media as well as Carrie Symonds, who has now worn the Amelia coat twice, the brand itself is as romantic as it is functional, full of sweeping skirts, fitted bodices and easy-to-wear dresses that are all produced in a sustainable way.

A lot of the fabric used by Waring and her team, for example, is out-of-season material rescued from being destroyed or sent to landfill. “I would say about 30-40 per cent of the fabric we use is destocked, which basically means they’re brand new but nobody wants them. This could be because they’re out of season or just not used. It’s bizarre to me because I can’t see why fabric should be seasonal but that’s how it works. We have also used vintage fabrics from the 60s and 70s in the past that we just found in fabric shops.”

Although Waring has no formal training, she studied the work of her grandmother, a former couture seamstress, throughout her childhood. “Ever since I was a little girl I would do drawings for her and she would make basically whatever I wanted. She made a dress for me and then she’d make a matching dress for my teddy and the dog and everyone would be wearing the same dress.” Her grandmother, Marie, is etched into the seams of the business – Fox is Marie’s surname – and while she doesn’t work with Waring every day, she is often called upon for her expertise and advice. “I’ve obviously learnt a lot from her over the years,” says Waring. “So, I do know a lot about dressmaking and anything I don’t know, that’s where she comes in and helps. I just call her up, as she’s still based in Manchester, and say ‘we just can’t get this bodice to work,’ or whatever it is. I don’t even need to send her a picture – she will be like, ‘have you tried this? Take this out. Add this in’. And then all of a sudden, everything will work perfectly. She’s a real master of construction. Which is really important, you know.”

While Isabelle Fox may still be in its infancy, it has developed a very loyal and engaged following, largely through social media. Recently, a number of UK-based influencers have been showcasing Waring’s designs and this, she says, has been integral to the development of her business. “I don’t think we would be here without Instagram, to be honest. It’s been absolutely pivotal for us to be able to reach people because we don’t wholesale at all, to anybody, which is why we have relatively low prices compared to a relatively high quality product. If I went wholesale, the prices would literally double – if not triple – because of the wholesale margins that are demanded by the third party retailers.” Apart from the fit of each piece, the fabric is clearly one of Waring’s main concerns, with dresses made from natural fabrics (“More sustainable, which has always been crucial to me,” she says) sources largely in Italy. Dresses are realised in silk-cottons, for example – a fabric which, among brands that do sell wholesale, demands much higher prices than Isabelle Fox. Dresses hover around £300, while a full-sleeved top tied with ribbons is £230. The brands Greta bags, fashioned from any fabric unused in each collection, are £95. Everything is also made in London.

“I am always slightly wary of flying the made in Britain flag because of course you can make really well and ethically in countries other than the UK,” says Waring. “I get that and I also know that in the UK, there are places that are not paying people the minimum wage and they are not treating their staff properly. But for us it was convenient and it’s where my grandmother has always made clothes. I have always said that if I was going to do this, it would have to be done 100 per cent ethically. Manufacturing in the UK and in a factory that I know is paying the London living wage lets me keep an eye on that. I go to the factory at least twice a week. That might just be to check on production, or to have a meeting or even just to say hello. But I was never prepared to just brush everything under the carpet as long as I got my end product. I was never going to accept that as a mode of working.”

The collections are limited to fit with the brand’s sustainable methods of working. And thanks to the recent uptake in interest on social media, many styles sold out within weeks. They’re being restocked all the time, however, and some are made to order. Plus, if you happen to find yourself within zones 1-2 in London, you can make an appointment for Waring and her team to come to you in order to try on pieces or have them altered. Alternatively, you can visit the studio in Clerkenwell. “One problem that we have is that we have really beautifully made products which you can’t really appreciate until you’re holding it in your hands. So, we decided to offer free appointments and we do around one a day now. But we don’t market it because, you know, we’re a really small team and we don’t have that much man power. But we’ll take anything you want to try on in different sizes and then if you need it altering, we can do that for you. We do all that for free.”

This personal, bespoke approach is something that a lot of new brands are embracing of late. Perhaps it’s a reaction to the rise of online shopping and the impersonal experience that offers, but it’s something that is clearly important to Waring and her team. Particularly at a time when Brexit is inflicting such uncertainty on small businesses in the UK. But Waring is confident that they can weather any storm which may be on the horizon. “If anyone can withstand it, the Brits can,” she says, with a sense of patriotic pride.

The future certainly looks bright for Isabelle Fox, and certainly extremely busy. A new collection is due to launch in October, and Waring says they will also be focussing on Christmas gifting. There will be luxury pyjamas, made from a sustainable fabric, she says. And also some silk scarves. She is also excited about the prospect of a wedding capsule collection, although this is still in its initial stages. “And also I’ll just carry on growing and learning and really trying to stand my ground on my business model – selling directly to our customers and manufacturing here in the UK. I really do believe that it’s possible to run a profitable business like that and I’m trying to stick to my guns.”

SHOP: What To Buy From Isabelle Fox