The Best of British Faux Fur

Helen Moore's collection of luxurious stylish faux fur fashion & interior accessories are a seasonal must have and surely at the top of this year's Christmas Gift Guides.

Helen Moore is an inspirational designer who, together with her husband Stan and children have built a fantastic British company.

Home and Pantry are delighted to catch up with Helen Moore herself for an exclusive interview to find out more about the woman behind the brand.

Having graduated from Goldsmiths, why did you and Stan decide to start your own brand specialising in faux fur?

Stan and I met at Goldsmiths while he was studying Fine Art and I was studying Fashion and Textiles. Our business started more on the Art side with Stan designing cards which we hand printed. My passion has always been textiles and it was actually from an idea to put materials such as faux fur onto the cards that I first came up with the idea or creating accessories from it. We started with cushions and hot water bottles and it has just grown from there.

I think it is always important to keep evolving a brand and ideas but our core principles of beautiful design, hand crafted and of course made in the UK has always been central to our business for the last 30 years.

A lot of the things your brand represents like faux fur over animal skins, ethical production and fair working conditions are now rising in prominence in fashion, but that's not always been the case, how have you seen attitudes change over the last 30 years? 
We did not set out to make any political statements! I have just really enjoyed working with faux fur and it is fantastic now that the production of it has evolved so much that it is becoming a much more luxurious material than it was 30 years ago! We have always tried to source the best materials and then input our passion and design.

You and Stan have always believed and supported British manufacturing - what does the "Made in Britain" label mean to you and why is it so important?
Whilst it is becoming more fashionable to support British Manufacturing, we have always done it as we believe it has been the best thing for our brand as well as our economy. We employ 50 people in our small village, if we sent our production overseas it would have a huge impact on our community. Some of these people have been with us for 20 years, without them the business would not be where it is today. However, controlling our production also gives us a huge advantages such as being in control of the quality and being able to react quickly to changes in the market and introduce new ideas at short notice.

You have always run the business alongside raising your family and it's wonderful that your children are now involved in different sections of the company. What do you love about working as a family?
Everybody brings something different! We never imagined that everyone would be so involved so it has just been a wonderful development as all of our children have contributed in their own ways, but also come to it in their own time. Tom has worked as a pastry chef in top London restaurants for example, which has given him an incredible work ethic that he brings to the factory (as well as fantastic cakes). I also think that because when they were small, so was our business and they have really seen it develop and helped it grow and this means that no job is too big or too small for anyone in the family. Having our grandchildren around a lot is a big bonus too!

On the other side, what are the challenges of running a family business and do you have any words of wisdom for people wanting to do the same?
The main difficulty is switching off. We do try and have rules about having some family time where we don’t discuss work! It is hard when everyone is so involved and passionate about it not to just let it take over sometimes.

Quality design and attention to detail is central to the Helen Moore brand and you develop this with your customers, even taking ideas from them. Why is this process so important to you?
Along with our wonderful staff, we would not be where we are today without our customers and some fantastic suggestions and ideas have come from them and I believe it is really important to listen to everyone as you never know where the next great idea will come from!

We really believe that the design and the attention to detail are the things that really set us apart. We are competing in a market where products are mass produced overseas and we will never be able to compete on price with those brands, and we don’t want to go down that road. We want to stand out and move forwards because we always aim to be the best, because we care about every customers’ experience with us and because we will never be complacent about what we are doing. It is all consuming sometimes but it is the most rewarding job in the world.

Do you have any favourite pieces in your collection?
It is so hard to pick a favourite! Our tippet scarves for example are just classic Helen Moore. Simple design, innovative and versatile. There are lots of copies in the market now but we were the first to develop this style and I chose the name because my mother had a small scarf that she used to refer to as her ‘tippet’. However I have to mention our Vixen Scarves. To me this represents more about where the brand is heading, it is current, elegant and luxurious. We have so many leaders in the fashion world as well as celebrities wearing this scarf and the press interest has just been phenomenal, but as always we are not resting on our laurels, we have plans for the Vixen for next year so just watch this space!

Helen Moore Faux Fur Accessories | Shop the look...