Celebrating International Women’s Day
Get to Know the H&I Team
International Women’s Day falls every year on March 8th and is a global celebration we always take time to recognise here at Hope & Ivy. As we reflect during our 10th year as a brand, it’s important to remember that there’s still so much to be done to champion equal opportunities for women, both in business, and from a social, economic, political, and cultural perspective.
We feel so lucky to have an office full of kind, talented, funny, and hard-working women, and wanted to use this opportunity to give you an insight into how we work as a female-founded business.
So, without further ado, he’s an introduction to H&I HQ, and the women who create the dresses you love to wear to every special occasion. Plus, we’d like to give special thanks to our freelancers, factory and warehouse staff, and brilliant customer service team – we couldn’t do it without you!
Beth
Director
Beth’s career began with a degree in fashion management, and like fellow co-founder Sarah, she found her placement year crucial in determining her next steps. She’d always known she wanted to start her own brand, so built experience early on by learning the mechanisms of how running a business worked across a range of small companies. When starting out with the idea of Hope & Ivy, she knew how competitive the industry was, and trusted that between herself and Sarah, they had a product range and brand image that demanded attention and could stand the test of time, carving out a distinct space in the fashion sphere.
Day to day, Beth handles cash flow management for the business, meeting with accountants and planning strategy and logistics, while solving any issues in the supply chain. Additionally, she gets to make the most of the fun parts too, creatively directing the brand and co-collaborating on future collections with Sarah and the design team.
Advice: It’s not a dress rehearsal.
Sarah
Director
Sarah studied fashion design and knew she was on the right track for a career she’d love after a one-year placement in industry (an opportunity she’d highly recommend for any budding designers out there)! Already friends, when Beth came to her door with the chance to build a business together that allowed for total creative freedom and a spot in the perfect gap in the occasion wear market, Sarah couldn’t say no.
Today, Sarah heads up the design team, and week to week, her role involves anything from researching to sketching, approving designs with our factories and dreaming up fantastic photoshoots. From seams and silhouettes to flower arranging, mood board-making, and back-drop constructing, Sarah’s creative eye is behind every campaign and collection we release!
Advice: If it doubt, put some lippy on!
Millie
Wholesale & Production Assistant
Did you know, in addition to shopping for your dream H&I dresses on our site, you can find select styles at retailers including ASOS and Simply Be? Millie is our go-to for all things wholesale, acting as the point of contact for all buyers and sellers, supporting with production, and assisting on our all-important photoshoots.
Advice: Success isn’t about knowing everything from the start – it's about how quickly you pick things up.
Sophie
Content & Creative Manager
After studying literature at university, Sophie worked as a Copywriter in the travel and beauty industries before branching out into social media and content creation. Today, she’s responsible for keeping the H&I website looking fresh and exciting for our customers, general wordsmith duties, and everything you see from us if you follow us on Instagram and TikTok – and if you don’t follow us yet, make sure to do so at @hopeivylondon to keep up with our latest releases!
Advice: Always say yes to new opportunities – you'll gain skills you never thought were possible.
Laura
Print Designer
Laura is our resident artist and is behind all the hand-painted prints you love to see on our dresses at Hope & Ivy. From researching trends and the most beautiful blooms, to painting stunning scenic pieces from scratch and digitally creating repeating motifs to decorate your favourite designs, she’s a key component of our design team! She’s also regularly enlisted to hand-paint gorgeous creatives to appear on our socials and emails.
Advice: Always share your crazy ideas.
Maddie
Production Manager
Without Maddie, you wouldn’t have dresses to shop at Hope & Ivy! She’s a spreadsheet master, who spends much of her time ensuring the production of our dresses is a seamless operation. Liaising with the factory teams who produce our garments, tracking shipping, and keeping in touch with the warehouse to make sure your dresses make it to you in perfect condition – the queen of multitasking!
Advice: Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
Amy
Design Assistant
With a fashion design degree under her belt, Amy has brought a wealth of knowledge in pattern cutting, garment construction, and range planning to H&I. Amy works best when surrounded by creative energy, and her day-to-day life is full of it in the Hope & Ivy office. From working on print selections to technical drawings, she’s always on hand to help bring new designs to life, season after season.
Advice: Embrace change – even when it scares you.
