HEADER IMAGE Photographed by Joseph Clarkson for BRICKS #12 The Age Issue
Kathryn Hewitson’s earliest recollections are of her wanting to become a fashion designer. “Even as a little kid, I was obsessed with clothes and style, mad about Barbies, and always being creative,” she recalls. “A pair of slippers made at school in year 6 is a particularly fond memory – they had little bunnies appliquéd on them and I insisted on building up the footbed with kitchen sponges.”
In the years that followed, Kathryn pursued this passion with rigour – she moved to Newcastle to study design before procuring competitive internships in London at Roksanda and Ashley Williams. She later became Head of Design at Rokit Originals, the upcycled label of the famed vintage shop chain.
In 2021, Kathryn launched her London-based independent brand, Pristine. The brand is an amalgamation of her experience – marrying the celebrated femininity and vintage references of her early mentors with the sustainable solutions she developed while upcycling. “The core Pristine identity is an amalgamation of vintage glamour, a celebration of femininity and sexuality, subculture and gorgeous craftsmanship,” she explains.
Since its inception, Pristine has steadily garnered a loyal following across social media and in London’s fashion it-girl circles, most recently worn by artist and performer Dakota Schiffer to Ru Paul’s Drag Con this past weekend. Schiffer adorned a fuschia newspaper-print two-piece, gracefully posing with fans while laid across a Y2K-ified office desk. Other fans include viral fashionista Julia Fox, who showed off the label’s nude-printed dress back in September, masterfully clashing old-school glamour with modern sensuality.
Despite the brand’s stellar reputation, Hewitson is not afraid to get candid about the harsh realities of running an independent label in today’s climate. Using the highest quality, limited-edition deadstock materials and handcrafting each garment from her studio, the ever-increasing costs of production have forced the designer to work 100-hour work weeks resulting in inevitable burn-out.
Below, Hewitson shares her career aspirations, her biggest inspirations and her vision of a sustainable future for Pristine.
What were your earliest inspirations to study/practice fashion design?
I grew up in West Cumbria which most people have never heard of, so I mention the Lake District, which tends to get a nod and a ‘ah, so beautiful!’ To which I agree, and then tell them that I grew up in a tiny village just outside of the Lake District called Thornhill that was significantly less beautiful.
My dad is super creative, though he never pursued a creative career, he would build us wooden toys as kids and used to decorate wedding cakes in his spare time. I definitely think I get my creativity from him, and my general restlessness – he is always tinkering away on loads of different projects in his spare time.
How was your experience studying fashion and how did your practice develop while you studied?
I studied Fashion Design at Northumbria in Newcastle and I did enjoy it, but I think it was mainly the independence that came with moving away from home. While I did well in school, I have always hated being told what to do, and I’m much better at learning by doing, so I learned loads more in my year in industry than the rest of the time studying.
I spent 9 months as a sampling intern at Roksanda. It was back in 2011 and the company was still tiny so I got to be involved in so much stuff. I was really nosy, always listening in on conversations and soaking up as much as I possibly could.
It’s frustrating that there aren’t alternative routes into the industry – either take out thousands in loans for university and not really get taught very much, or work somewhere for free, with no funding whatsoever, despite it being more useful from a learning perspective.
I understand the problems with internships – and I had to work 30 hours a week outside of the placement to afford being there – but I do think the opportunities to learn are so valuable. It’s frustrating that there aren’t alternative routes into the industry – either take out thousands in loans for university and not really get taught very much, or work somewhere for free, with no funding whatsoever, despite it being more useful from a learning perspective.
When Pristine grows, I want to introduce an apprenticeship program to offer a different route into the industry, but it’s still a very London-centric solution and is probably a few years off yet.
What barriers, if any, have you experienced in accessing the industry?
Financial [barriers] have been the biggest, for sure. Pristine is growing and on paper our sales are healthy, but daily cash flow is a huge struggle, and I still make most of the pieces myself. Growth is expensive, and I dream of the day we can hold stock of popular and entry-level items, and have a team of people helping to make it happen.
The company has been completely bootstrapped since day one, and I funded the first collection by selling clothes given to me at old jobs or that I had saved up for and really cherished. I wish I could have kept those things and had an amazing archive, *cries in vintage Dior Saddle bag*, but building this business and the life I want for myself means so much more.
It’s frustrating that, even though on paper the business is doing really well, thanks to spending my twenties in low-paid jobs for other small brands – and going through breast cancer at 25 – left me in a bit of a financial muddle. I can’t qualify for any loans or financing and my family aren’t in a position to help either. Pristine has been my full-time job since day one, which is obviously amazing and I am so appreciative, but it feels like I am constantly teetering on the edge of burnout and just hoping I can keep going until one day we reach a tipping point and things begin to get easier.
It feels like I am constantly teetering on the edge of burnout and just hoping I can keep going until one day we reach a tipping point and things begin to get easier.
Who or what has inspired your upcoming/most recent collection?
We saw a huge positive response to our AW23 collection, and so it was really important to me for SS24 to carry through some of these new brand signatures, as well as adding in some new pieces I’ve been longing to create.
Our signature padlock pieces are inspired by my obsession with early 90s fashion, in particular Gianni Versace, and those pieces which were so commercial but still playful and fun. You could tell when the models put on the clothes that they felt fucking unstoppable. There are also elements nodding to punk and 90s goth-wear – the zips and padlocks; but in unexpected playful colours- a really fun combination of naughty and nice.
Those 90s, fashion-with-a-capital-F inspired padlock tailoring pieces were carried over in new colourways of ivory and a baby blue (In hindsight I hate the blue!) and some new shapes – the hotpants that look super simple from the front, but with zips and padlocks in the back are a personal favourite!
We also revisited our lace trim bias cut styles, cut from silk scarves, or a stunning deadstock pink lamé.
My other favourite pieces in the collection are a series of super antique-looking slips, tops and skirts – made using a super heavy silk crepe, printed with a tonal version of our archive newspaper print, and trimmed with chunky vintage-looking lace from the last remaining UK lace manufacturer. They’re inspired by those amazing vintage slips from the 30s and 40s that go for a pretty penny on the second-hand market, and sadly so often disintegrate within a few wears.
To be entirely honest with you, this collection was made in a mad panic in about 3 weeks, whilst also struggling to juggle various batches of production. While it does contain some of our best pieces to date, and feels like a real elevation of quality and design, it was an incredibly stressful process, fuelled mainly by the desire to stick to the conventional fashion calendar, presenting in September and February, selling the collection wholesale. It’s hammered home how keen I am to find a way to grow the business on my own terms, give collections the time, development and breathing room they need, and prioritize growing Pristine into the best version of the brand that it can be. While it’s pretty much designed, and development is well on the way, I am currently unsure when our next sample collection will be released, and I am feeling quite excited and inspired by that!
Can you describe your design process?
It is honestly pretty instinctive, I feel like the Pristine world is quite clear, and will hone in on different nuggets of inspiration to draw upon from season to season whether its a certain film, old porno mags, an amazing vintage piece or, realistically, something I just really want to have and can’t find. That said, I am trying something different for our next collection which I think will be challenging and push me as a designer in terms of research and concept, but I’m excited about it.
I love the process of developing a garment from an idea or doodle into a tangible object, and even as the business grows, I always want to be heavily involved in that process. I love pattern drafting, fabric selection, figuring out the best colour combos, and honestly, even love sewing, but that’s much more enjoyable working on a sample piece than a production batch of 20 of something for a retailer… but then that’s what pays the bills!
Are there any materials that are significant in your work?
I am passionate about supporting and working with traditional and heritage fabrics – French laces, British wools, and we recently developed our own house tartan with a traditional Scottish mill. It scares me how few of these old companies are left and once they’re gone, they won’t ever come back.
I am also a snob, and I find it sad that even the big luxury brands these days will rarely use silk and instead will be selling polyester jersey dresses for over a grand. If you were to give me £10k tomorrow to go shopping, I am honestly not sure where I would go (other than Pristine, of course!) I really believe in the power of beautiful things, and want our pieces to make the wearer feel special, and improve their day. Everyone is different, of course, but a digital print tube dress just doesn’t do that for me.
Sustainability is also a big factor in the commitment to natural fibres too, along with working with dead stock and repurposed vintage – for example, we have done limited drops from repurposed t-shirts in the past, and I absolutely adore our bias cut silk story in the new collection which is made from very carefully selected vintage silk scarves – with the addition of our signature lace trim, its a really satisfying combination of a traditional textile, with a very modern, collaged feeling.
It’s really easy to feel critical of yourself when it comes to making ethical choices as it’s impossible to be perfect, especially as a small business with limited resources, but you just have to focus on making the best decisions you can, trying to be better than the big guys, and improving as you are able to do so.
It’s really easy to feel critical of yourself when it comes to making ethical choices as it’s impossible to be perfect, especially as a small business with limited resources, but you just have to focus on making the best decisions you can, trying to be better than the big guys, and improving as you are able to do so.
Who would you love to see wear your designs?
It’s a tricky question because so many of the collections are inspired by iconic women or moments from the past, but many are either no longer with us (Jayne Mansfield, Mae West) or as women of a certain age are perhaps not as desperate to wear teeny skirts and bullet bras as they maybe once were. That said, the idea of working on a custom look for the likes of Madonna or Debbie Harry would be insane.
I also love Violet Chachki, her drag style and always looking iconic while never really wearing breasts helped me come to terms with still being able to look phenomenal and feminine after my mastectomy – not that I look as fab as her!
How do you like to present your work?
It is the dream to put on a show – the all-out glamour and being able to present the clothes in motion, fully styled, as a little Pristine army would be amazing. But shows are so fucking expensive – unless you can find a clever way of paying for it (sponsors, support from the BFC, etc).
It feels like a constant process of figuring out what actually makes sense for the brand and business, versus the things you think you should do because you’ve seen others do it or are under the impression that it is the “right way” to build a brand – be it shows, wholesale, PR, whatever will pay off versus just be an elaborate waste of money. The survival of Pristine has to be the priority, and I have no safety net so it’s really hard to take risks, even though some of them might pay off massively.
The survival of Pristine has to be the priority, and I have no safety net so it’s really hard to take risks, even though some of them might pay off massively.
How would you like to see your work develop and how are you approaching this?
I took a big risk with our latest collection in spending a lot more on the range, and introducing some higher price point pieces which I was weary of doing, but the response has been phenomenal. Clothes are expensive, especially when you’re working with the premium fabrics we use, and I was worried people just wouldn’t have the budget, or wouldn’t understand why the pieces would cost what they do. But the more luxury pieces in the collection have been far and away the most popular in our pre-orders and on social media – we’ve had a few really viral moments which is amazing (and a bit scary!).
Having the reassurance that we can experiment is really exciting, and I’m excited going forward to flesh out the range at both the top (think embroidery, volume, more gorgeous tailoring), and more affordable end (little add ons like tees, jewellery, tights) for people that want a piece of the Pristine world but can’t necessarily afford big bucks.
It is all ultimately dependent on the damned cash flow though… we can only afford to introduce these things gradually when there’s a little spare cash to do so.
How do you think the fashion industry will evolve over the next five years, and how do you feel about that change?
I hope we will see a swing back to an appreciation of quality and craft – beautiful details, and amazing fit. It feels like in the last 5 years or so the industry has been fuelled by quite disposable, Instagram-orientated fashion – and while I am all for making a statement, it feels like the actual craft of making clothes has been lost. All this talk of “quiet luxury” over the last few months gives me hope things are changing, but I don’t want fashion to become boring or stale, just actually lovely.
I know it’s hard when the cost of living is insane and people have less and less disposable income, but I think more than ever, people are carving out their own unique tastes and style, so hopefully that means they’re more likely to invest in pieces they will love and cherish forever.
What changes would you like to see, if any, and how is your brand contributing to this?
I love the idea of the landscape in fashion and the other creative industries becoming more of a level playing field, with more, and better opportunities for those not born with all the wealth and connections, but sadly I don’t anticipate that change happening anytime soon, if ever. The internet is incredibly powerful in helping brands and people connect outside of the typical fashion system, but it is still incredibly hard to turn that attention into something tangible and stable.
I also hope we don’t continue to lose what little amazing craftsmen we have left in this country, whether it is the fabric mills, factories or other suppliers. Being able to produce in this country is important, not just for the apparent kudos of calling something “Made in Britain” but for the skilled jobs it provides, and the lesser environmental impact too.
I would love to see British manufacturing grow again – every now and again I think of one day opening a small garment factory back in Cumbria. The job opportunities there are pretty bleak, but I am definitely not in a position to do so at this moment in time.
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