We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Meadows to The Hambledon. Founded by Louise Markey, of L.F. Markey fame, this is a collection of simple, feminine and pastoral beauty. It was one of our very favourite buys of the Spring Summer season. We sat down with Louise and talked about the life and work of a fashion designer.
Hello, my name is Louise Markey and I am the founder and designer for Meadows and L.F.Markey.
Meadows is the yin to L.F.Markey’s yang- it’s completely different in styling, very soft and feminine. Its inspiration draws from English folklore and historical costume. It is something I became interested in several years ago, but it was too different to be included as part of L.F.Markey. Eventually we decided to launch it as its own line.
Business-wise, Meadows run very smoothly alongside L.F.Markey as it can piggy-back on the foundations and infrastructure we spend many years building up there. In the real world it sits out on its own and we don’t really mix the streams.
I am originally from Sydney, Australia, and I started working in the fashion industry 19 years ago in surfwear initially after completing my degree. In 2002 I moved to London and started designing for Burberry. In 2006 I went back to university to do my master’s at Central Saint Martins, and launched L.F.Markey off the back of that.
I love researching for the Meadows line- I get to pore through medieval and pre-Raphaelite art, botanical drawings, 70’s hippy fanzines and books on the occult. In addition to vintage and antique clothing research which I do for both lines.
Our clothes are made in boutique sized ethical facilities in China. We chose to work in China due to their very high quality of manufacture.
Moving to organic fabric is something we have wanted to do for a long time, only now do our orders sizes permit this change as the fabrics have high minimums. We are very happy to have reached this point!
I love the richness that embroidery brings to a garment and the structure it brings to the fabric. It is an ancient art too so it fits the line.
My partner is a country boy so I have been spending more and more time in the Suffolk countryside since we met. I think this has had a big influence on Meadows.
I do see it as a trend, I see echoes of this movement in other mediums like music and art. I see Meadows evolving to have its own bricks and mortar retail like L.F.Markey, and to expand the line to include things accessories, cosmetics and homewares.
I have the most wonderful team! It is 7 of us currently in head office and the same again in our L.F.Markey stores. We are lucky to have found a great group of some of the most pleasant, bright and capable I have ever met.
Despite not living near The Hambledon I have known about it for many years now. We are thrilled to be stocked there amongst such a great mix!
We have highlighted some of our favorites from the collection below.
Click on the link to view the full offering of Meadows beauty!
