Features / 30 January, 2017 / My Baba

Wild & Gorgeous’s Lucy Enfield & Sophie Worthington on Balancing Work and Home Life, Prince George & Favourite Family Recipes

We caught up with Wild & Gorgeous founders Lucy Enfield and Sophie Worthington to ask about work life since their rebrand, tips on just how they manage to juggle a busy business with family life, and that ‘Harry’ jumper! 

The brand has been running for 10 years, what was your original inspiration for ilovegorgeous?

Our original inspiration for ilovegorgeous (as we were then known) was our own children. Ten years ago we were both new mothers of three kids looking for beautiful and unusual ways dress them. Fed up with the high street offering and out-of-reach expensive designer brands we decided to embark on our own adventure to design and make beautiful, unique clothes for girls.

How has the industry developed and changed from when you first started the company? Have these been positive changes? Is there anything that has been specifically challenging?

Yes! The childrenswear industry has become much more saturated and we really have to keep on our toes to keep coming up with new ideas and stay ahead of the competition. Another radical change is internet shopping which is so omnipresent now and means that brands really need to have great online proposition to remain in the game. This change is also great news for parents, as shopping with kids just got so much easier!

What triggered your decision to rebrand from a girlswear label to Wild & Gorgeous, creating clothes for both girls and boys.

For 10 years we had been making ‘beautiful clothes for gorgeous girls’, and we really wanted to try our hand at designing a boyswear collection but could never get past the name. We couldn’t envisage ‘ilovegorgeous boys’ in any parallel universe and were basically frightened to set out on the perilous path of a rebrand. It took us AGES to come up with a name that retained some of our heritage, whilst adding something new and desirable. The trigger was really our determination to find a way to open up the brand and introduce something new. Once we found the will, the way followed on from there.

Why did you choose to design and create a childrenswear brand rather than a womens’?

We felt there was a gap in the market for great girl’s clothes that was not so apparent in the womenswear market. Also we both had young children and post pregnancy bodies that made shopping and designing for kids so much more appealing and exciting than designing for ourselves!

Have you received good feedback since rebranding?

Yes, the feedback has been really positive. I recommend a rebrand every 5 years. The new challenge has breathed life into the design process which has translated into sales. We love the new logo and packaging and also freshness that a boys range has brought to the brand. We always had the yin but now we have the yang as well.

The ‘Harry Jumper’ has been a big hit. It was all over the press because it was worn by Prince George. What was the reaction to this? Did sales rocket after he was spotted sporting Wild & Gorgeous?

We were beyond delighted that Prince George chose to wear the Harry Jumper for the Canadian Royal Tour. And yes, it did become our top selling jumper overnight. It was a fabulous high-five moment that happened literally the month the boyswear was launched. Just a couple of months earlier, in July, the Cameron girls had exited Downing Street in our dresses which was also all over the press. It is always thrilling to see the clothes that you have worked so hard at creating on the front page of every newspaper.

What is your number one top tip for balancing work and home life?

Errrrrrrr… it’s always tricky when you have the dual demands of kids and work life to juggle. Our top tip is keep clam, do your best and don’t beat yourself up every time you miss a school play or parents evening. And when you are with your kids try to be present and resist the temptation to trawl through emails on your phone.

Are your families close? When you get together what are the typical activities/events?

Our families are very close. Lucy and I are godparents to each other’s children and some of them are even at school together. As their ages now range from 14 to 20 we no longer play kick the can and twister together it would be more a delicious dinner and a good laugh.

Do either of you have a favourite family recipe that you’d like to share with us?

We both love this chilli and cumin spiced chicken dish served with a sweet and spicy cucumber relish. We love it, the kids love it and best of all it’s a fabulous dish for feeding the masses. Follow it with our favourite gooey, almond heavy brownie recipe and some fresh berries!

If you had to describe Wild & Gorgeous in one sentence, what would it be?

Wildly gorgeous clothes for children from birth to teen. That’s our new tag line. In reality we aim to make vintage inspired clothes with a modern twist, designed to inspire and delight.

Check out Lucy and Sophie’s online destination for Wild & Gorgeous.