My granny was a great seamstress. I remember, when I was really little, my father dropping me at her house on a Sunday afternoon and I’d sit there for hours watching her sew and stitch. She worked at Laura Ashley – the two of them were great mates – and I loved hearing the stories as well as all of the magic she would create right in front of me. Then there I was, quite unable to stitch a button, and yet fascinated by the intricacies of it all. It never left me.

Older me went on to work in retail; here I found things that enthralled me too. Though it was the listening to customers that captivated me most – what was it they wanted to wear, where to and why? Largely, it was about buying for a specific occasion in mind but wanting pieces that would live on and on. These exchanges stayed with me too over the years and I daydreamed about a world of work I’d love to call my own.

With troublesome life events that came my way, they pushed me into waking up to the adage that life really is too short. So I stopped daydreaming (sort of), and decided to start my own little label, By Søren. I hoped it would capture the detail I delighted in as a young girl and the insights from the many women who I spoke to about what they wanted from their wardrobes.

Greatly inspired by embroidery and textiles of old, By Søren is an all-female collective of creators and makers. We design slowed steady womenswear collections that are handmade in the UK by fellow female fabric houses, embroiderers and button-makers. It’s all that I ever hoped my own brand could be.

I hope with all my heart you enjoy wearing them well,

Henny x