20 British Brands You Should Really Get To Know, From Sister Jane To Omnes

Pink City Prints is a British brand that celebrates ancient craft – founder Molly Russel launched the label in 2018 after a stint living in Jaipur.

All of the block and screen printing, hand-looming and embroidery is done by a network of artisans in Northern India (each dress can take up to three days to create). The brand’s sales have doubled post-pandemic and it’s recently garnered lots of insider interest thanks to its Prairie-inspired and Victoriana cuts; the peplums, high ruffs and peasant sleeves create such a striking silhouette.

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Despite launching smack bang in the middle of lockdown in April 2020, Damson Madder has seen huge success in its three years of existence. Putting sustainability at the forefront of everything it does, the British brand uses only organic or recycled cottons, and polyster yarns regnerated completely from plastic bottles.

Luckily, the label’s founder manages this alongside keeping price points affordable and designs as impeccable as ever. This season we’re obsessed with the Nineties-inspired poplin maxis topped with Pilgrim collars and velveteen bows – very Victoriana meets vintage Laura Ashley.

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Oceanus first launched in 2017 as a swimwear label. But not just any standard swimwear label – the late-Eighties and early-Nineties Miami influences (think old school Versace vibes) and atmospheric campaigns felt directional from day one.

Fast forward to 2024, and the British brand has expanded beyond resortwear into evening looks, but its retro aesthetic very much remains. Think bejewelled stretch-velvet, printed lamé, playful tropical and nautical motifs, with a heavy dose of sequins, beading and embroidery; alongside halter and square necklines, ultra-high leg shapes and plenty of sultry cutouts.

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By now you will have likely heard of London-based brand Nobody’s Child. The label launched in 2015 and was one of the first to champion sustainable clothing at accessible prices – right around the time British high street favourites were turning more and more to fast fashion methods.

Fast forward nine years and Nobody’s Child has upped both its fashion and eco-credentials. By scaling up (the label is stocked at M&S, John Lewis and ASOS) it’s been able to offer wider stock while maintaining its dedication to using over 95% organic, lower impact or recycled materials.

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Natalie Lake was 40 when she pivoted from interior design to fashion design, proving that it’s never to late to pursue a career change.

Really Wild Clothing was born in 2002 with a focus on heritage fabrics and silhouettes (Lake loves the British countryside) that translate in the city, too. The result is a delicious mix of belted tweed blazers, whimsical florals, Seventies-inspired tailoring and silk separates. No wonder Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, has been championing the brand for two decades.

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House of Sunny hit the big time in 2020 when its now-cult Hockney dress – loved by Kendall Jenner – became a sell-out success. You might not know this, but the British brand was actually launched in Hackney back in 2011.

Skip to 2024 and the label is expanding beyond its graphic knits priced under £150. For Autumn/Winter 2023 we saw House of Sunny take to the runway with a grown-up Unisex offering of sheer evening dresses, fringed leather jackets and Noughties-inspired maxi skirts – and we can’t wait to see what’s next.

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Albaray is the brainchild of ex-Warehouse executives and designers Karen Peacock, Paula Stewart and Kirstie Di Stazio. The trio hit pause on their fashion careers during the pandemic in 2020 (and after Warehouse was bought by Boohoo), coming together over Zoom to launch now-beloved independent British brand Albaray.

From its 100% responsible sourced fabrics to recycled packaging, the label is proudly sustainable (find out more here). We’re big fans of its knitted dresses, tailored separates and plush wrap coats.

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Khanum’s is a little different to the others in this edit – by which we mean, this British brand is unabashedly and unapologetically glam.

Founder Rokeya Khanum takes inspiration from her Bangladeshi heritage and her culture’s love of OTT embroidery and embellishment when hand-creating pieces in her London studio. That’s right: from the floor-sweeping gowns and cutouts minis to ornate wedding suits, everything you browse is made to order here in the capital. This is slow fashion in its truest and chicest form.

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Scarlett Gasque might technically be a lingerie brand, but we’ve never seen underwear so deserving of being shown off outside the house.

Plus, fashion’s current obsession with all things Y2k has brought back the corset in full force and the British brand’s offering of expertly-boned pieces is not to be missed. We’d definitely wear one of the faux fur-trimmed robes as outwear, too.

The label’s Canadian-born founder Chloé Rogers studied Fashion History at Central Saint Martins – and what’s more British than that?

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Revolutionising the way we perceive sustainable fashion, Esther Knight founded London-based Fanfare Label in 2019. Since then, it has quickly become a champion for circularity – winning multiple awards while remaining an independent brand.

Coveted for its eclectic denim with an exceptional fit, Fanfare ensures that each garment is either made slowly from certified sustainable fabrics, or crafted from upcycled textiles that would have otherwise gone to landfill. And it’s not limited to denim, the brand also offers linen sets, tees, and jackets for a head-to-toe conscious look.

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Peachy Den was launched in 2019 by London-born Isabella Weatherby when she was fresh out of university. Fast forward four years and she’s found herself on Forbes 30 under 30 list thanks to the label’s global success and seven-figure profits.

This popularity comes as no surprise: Peachy Den was championing the Noughties before it hit the mainstream, and counts celebrities like like Bella Hadid, Addison Rae and Olivia Rodrigo as fans. What’s more, the label prides itself on using mainly sustainably sourced or deadstock fabrics and producing 50% of its clothing in UK-based factories.

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Lily and Lionel has evolved since its initial launch in 2008 – from a scarf brand, to a dedicated print house, to the womenswear label we know and love today.

Prints are still at the heart of Lily and Lionel, with each individual design being hand-drawn in the brand’s London studio; they help bring each vintage-inspired collection to life. This season we’re coveting the late Sixties-inspired blouses and maxi dresses, as well as the cotton nightwear sets.

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Another sustainable British brand to have on your radar is Omnes. Launching in 2020, the label has stuck to its guns in the past three years; creating small collections made entirely from deadstock and recycled fabrics.

The team thinks about aftercare too, sourcing fabrics made from the same yarn throughout to ensure ease of recycling at the end of life. Omnes’ signature look is the bias-cut, cowl-neck slip – a flattering and timeless silhouette that paved the way for its recent eveningwear collaboration with actor Naomie Harris OBE.

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Ex-Smythson creative director Samantha Cameron (yes, the same Sam Cam you’re thinking of) launched Cefinn in 2017. The British brand quickly built a loyal customer base and having tried its clothes we can guess why: the fit is impeccable.

The words ‘for real women’ are thrown around A LOT in fashion, but this stuff is actually designed with day-to-day life in mind; not to mention it flatters a diverse range of bodies. Our favourite piece ever has to be the corduroy Daphne dress – it’s like the wearable, more affordable version of The Vampire’s Wife’s party looks.

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Susie Cave knows fashion. Before she founded The Vampire’s Wife in 2014 she worked as a model and muse for the likes of Vivienne Westwood, Bella Freud and Philip Treacy.

It didn’t take long for her Brighton-based label to take over: and it’s all thanks to its whimsical, f0rm-flattering dresses that nod to prairie silhouettes in the most luxurious way possible. We can’t count on two hands how many style icons have worn the British brand – but let The Princess of Wales (three times, including in a royal portrait), Dakota Johnson, Margot Robbie, Sienna Miller, Alexa Chung and Salma Hayek sit with you for just a second.

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We’ve always been big fans of browsing vintage Laura Ashley via eBay or Etsy, until Joanie clothing went and did the hard work for us by dropping a collection celebrating the label’s signature prints and silhouettes. Both Joanie and Laura Ashley are home-grown greats, so their collaboration couldn’t feel more apt for our British brands round up.

If you been bookmarking floral prairie dresses from Eighties and late-Nineties, you can cease searching. The Avalon, with its pie-crust collar, pintucks and lace trims, will hit the spot (and there’s no need for any tailoring, as it’s available in sizes UK 8-26). We’ll be throwing in the matching hair bow for full-on chintz.

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Jane Atelier has actually been kicking around for 20 years, but it was actually known as GOAT until rebranding in 2021. Founder and Creative Director Jane Lewis lives and breathes her label’s Sixties aesthetic – she’s rarely seen without her hoop earrings and point collar shirts.

The designer’s dedication to these retro shapes (we’re obsessed in particular with its three-piece suits) is no doubt why Jane Atelier has garnered such a loyal following – it counts Victoria Beckham, Lana del Rey, Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate Middleton, The Princess of Wales, among its clientele.

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