Press

To Chiswick and Livia Firth’s Eco-Age for the launch of Lily Cole’s gorgeously cosy new knitwear line, The North Circular:“Knitted by grannies, supported by supermodels”. Love that the navy bobble hat I snapped up is made of wool from rescued Wensleydale sheep! Ethical fashion up Kilimanjaro - a first? At least it will make me smile - and keep my ears warm - when the going gets tough.

What do a dozen grannies, a flock of nearly extinct sheep and a couple supermodels have in common? Together they are the driving force behind The North Circular, a new knitwear company that produces cozy wool sweaters and accessories for ethically-conscious customers. Early this year model friends Lily Cole and Katherine Poulton invited Central St Martins graduate Alice Ashby to come up with designs for a line of knitwear pieces using the wool of rescued Wensleydale sheep from the Izzy Lane Sanctuary in Yorkshire. Then they recruited a few friendly grannies for knitting duty. Katherine’s grandmother, Eileen Poulton is 91 years old and has been knitting since the 1950s. While in those days she relegated her talents to teapot covers, her knowledge of garment patterns has become a major asset to the company. “Knitting is a dying art,” she explains. “In those days it was cheaper to knit items for your family than to buy. And what better way to spend your evening?” We concur. Place your orders at www.thenorthcircular.com.

"It seems good old-fashioned skills like knitting never go out of fashion. A group of pensioners from Surrey have been employed by a London supermodel to make hats and scarves for the world of high fashion."

Click on the link to watch the video.

On Wednesday 24th February 2010, supermodel Lily Cole hosted a party at the Brompton Club in Kensington to launch the first womenswear pieces from her collaborative ethical fashion label, The North Circular, which uses British sourced wool from rare breed sheep. The launch marked a step-change  in the momentum behind ethical fashion which has been fostered by schemes such as Estethica – a mentoring and exhibition scheme supported by Monsoon and the British Fashion Council.

Many of the labels under the aegis of Estethica focus on reducing the impact of manufacture on the environment by utilising locally sourced materials such as Scottish lace and British wool. Given the pressures faced by commercial sheep farmers in a global marketplace, could a touch of Hollywood glamour right the balance in favour of sustainable domestic wool production?

In attendance at the launch party were a coterie of models from Storm Model Agency to which Lily Cole is signed. Leonardo di Caprio may even have been spotted at the discreet nightclub – his girlfriend Bar Refaeli is signed to the very same agency. party was held to celebrate The North Circular’s expansion into Ready to Wear pieces for Autumn Winter 2010. Cosy mini-dresses, fingerless gloves and a cream shrug add to an already extensive collection of accessories:

‘Sea Cables’ is inspired by the rich patterns of the British seafaring community and the Masonic symbols that go unnoticed underfoot on London’s ancient cobblestones…

Elaine from Ireland is the artisan behind the shoulder shrug, designed with her intricate signature cable knit and ladder detail. Elaine will be the only knitter who will make this design…

The North Circular uses the knitting experience of mothers and grandmothers around the country to execute the knitwear designs of Central Saint Martins graduate, Alice Ashby. Modelling the clothes this season is Katherine Poulton, model and co-designer at The North Circular.

The North Circular has been featured in the latest issue of Esthetica magazine, part of an initiative by The British Fashion Council.

A new article on The North Circular is now live on Greenmystyle.com as part of their London Fashion Week highlights feature.

The North Circular are very proud to present their AW10 collection 'Sea Cables’ at London Fashion Week, Stand 77, Somerset House.

‘Sea Cables’ is inspired by the rich patterns of the British seafaring community and the Masonic symbols that go unnoticed underfoot on London’s ancient cobblestones.

For more information, please see our Press Release.

Not content with being a top model and acclaimed actor, Lily Cole is embarking on another fashionable venture.

The North Circular is a new knitwear label that Cole has created with fellow model Katherine Poulton and knitwear designer Alice Ashby.

The notion was inspired by their friend and fourth member Isobel Davies’s work at her Wensleydale sheep sanctuary in North Yorkshire.

The women shared a passion for knitting, and soon came up with the idea of using wool from the sheep to make the designs and local knitters to create them.

"I love the fact that because knitting is hand-made, there is personality embedded in the process," says Cole.

In the immortal words of Albert Einstein, “in order to be an immaculate member of a flock of sheep, one must above all be a sheep oneself.” We’re not too keen on blindly assembling into anybody’s fashion flock, but in the case of the North Circular Knitwear Company, the English woolies brand “knit by grannies and supported by supermodels,” we could be persuaded to wear a bit of sheep, if not become one ourselves.
At the end of October, North Circular will launch a collection of handmade knits fashioned entirely of rescued Wensleydale wool, available on a made-to-order basis via their website, where not only can you meet the handsome Wensleydale flock, but select the color, size and style of your lovingly woven garment. The Wensleydale sheep — along with the entire British wool industry — have fallen on hard times as of late, and brand founders Lily Cole, Katherine Poulton, Alice Ashby, and Isobel Davies made the downtrodden breed’s improved well-being the main concern of their stylish business venture.
The wool itself is spun and dyed naturally within 120 miles of the happy flock’s snuggly shed at an organic sanctuary in North Yorkshire, where rescued sheep are guaranteed ample grazing for the rest of their lives. Each North Circular garment will include a hand-sewn tag specifying the total number of rescued Wensleydales at the date of purchase, so the wearer can always keep their fuzz-friendly deed in mind when cozying into an oversized scarf. Be sure to check their website for updates. The launch collection includes a chunky knit hood that’s sure to sell out as soon as it becomes available. We know these Wensleydales are very accomplished, but who knows how quickly they’re able to force those fantastic coats to grow?

We love the idea behind The North Circular, a new ethical knitwear company that keeps you warm while also saving our furry friends.

Three friends, models Lily Cole and Katherine Poulton and Central St Martins graduate Alice Ashby, joined forces with Isobel Davies (founder of Izzy Lane sheep sanctuary) to produce a range of 16 knitted pieces. The garments are made using ethical wool from rescued Wensleydale sheep, housed at the sanctuary in North Yorkshire.

Using the expert hand-knitting skills of local knitters, you can create your own piece, in a choice of five naturally dyed colours, and keep up to date on the progress of your garment by logging on to the knitters’ blog. Every garment comes with a hand-made tag with details of how many sheep have been rescued to date.

The world is Lily Cole’s oyster at the moment. The 21-year-old face of Rimmel is studying for a degree at Cambridge, and is currently receiving rave reviews for her role as Valentina in The Imaginarium Of Dr Parnassus – the late Heath Ledger’s final film. And now Miss Cole has decided to join the green bandwagon by teaming up with friends to create an ethical knitwear line.

Lily has joined forces with model Katherine Poulton, Central St Martin’s alumni Alice Ashby, and eco-conscious fashion designer Isobel Davies (founder of the Izzy Lane ethical fashion label) to produce the range. With a tag line of ‘Knitted by grannies, Supported by supermodels’, The Northern Circular includes 16 designs of modern chunky knits all produced in the UK using wool from rescued Wensleydale sheep (awww) from the Izzy Lane sheep sanctuary. All items are knitted to demand and you can even follow the progress of your order on the local knitters’ blog written by the grannies who make the clothes!

'There's a great dynamic between us,' says Isobel. 'We live evidently different lives and come from different places but underlying The North Circular are shared passions and ideologies knitted together by our fabulous grannies. It's important for TNC to support our crafts people and our textile industry while continuing to rescue lambs from slaughter.'

Although the line is in the early stages right now, the foursome hope to expand it to include accessories, jewellery and even more womenswear. Exciting times ahead for Lils then! Beauty, brains and a social conscience… grrrr.

‘Knitted by grannies, supported by supermodels’ is the motto behind Lily Cole’s new eco knitwear label, The North Circular. Amiee Jones writes.

The brand is a joint effort between models Lily Cole and Katherine Poulton, Central Saint Martins graduate Alice Ashby and entrepreneur Isobel Davies. The line is comprised completely from the wool of rescued Wensleydale sheep and employs local grannies to whip them up into next seasons must-have, eco solution to blustery english weather.

The rescued sheep are from Izzy Lane’s sheep sanctuary in North Yorkshire, where the sheep chew on organic grass and live out their entire life. The dyes used to colour the wool is also natural, the dyeing being carried out within a 120 mile radius of the sanctuary to cut down on cO2 emissions. They also keep the packaging they use to a minimum and use recycled materials wherever possible.

Traditional English pieces are injected with a dose of the contemporary to create cozy, individual pieces you’ll be pulling out year are year. The knits are thick, chunky and practical, with just the right amount of quirkiness.

You can also invest in your very own bespoke North Circular piece by choosing from one of sixteen designs and five colours, so you get the exact combination you want. There is even a blog that keeps customers updated on the progress of their personalised order.

Gloves and scarfs are only the first step however, as the brand is working on expanding into other areas of accessories as well as luxurious yet understated eco women’s wear in the near future.