You may have noticed the stunning chalky-pink backdrop to our Autumn Winter collection studio shots. This was an enormous piece of sustainable linen, hand-dyed with natural dyes by the Cloth Collective founder, Charlotte Lawson Johnston. 

Charlotte studied at the New York School of Interior Design, then lived in Switzerland and Argentina designing textiles. When she moved back to the UK, Charlotte's daughter asked her whether the pigments in the fabric on their furniture were environmentally friendly, and Charlotte immediately became interested in the sustainability of the fabrics we have in our homes. Discovering that many brands use artificial dyes and highly industrial processes, she set about educating herself on more natural, non-invasive ways of colouring textiles - and Cloth Collective was born.

Avocado stones are among the natural products used to dye cloth

Charlotte started with dying fabrics naturally at home, and, after posting the process on Instagram, she realised there was a real interest.  Cloth Collective produces interior textiles designed in an environmentally conscious way.  All of their sustainable fabrics are naturally hand-dyed and are completely compostable.  "I want to educate people to buy healthily for their home," she says.

Furthermore, because the dying process is entirely unique each time - taking into account such natural factors as air humidity and temperature and the potency of the natural dyes - every single bale of Cloth Collective cloth is completely individual. While avocado stones may always yield a pretty, pale pink - for example - the exact shade will be ever so slightly different each time. 

In her researches, Charlotte also discovered that no fabrics (apart from wool) are made on any large scale in the UK - everything from our linen to cotton is imported. She has made it her mission to create a collective of artisans who produce fabrics on these shores, from natural fibres. The dream is to create demand for textiles which are grown, spun, woven and dyed in Britain. "With Brexit and Covid-19, people are increasingly looking towards things they can grow at home," she explains. "We've got all these disused mills that are crying out to be reinstated. It's about getting our industry back."

The Little Bella Frill Dress against the sustainable Cloth Collective linen

Find out more about her work at clothcollective.co