fashion in cornwall?

When you think of fashion in Cornwall, wetsuits and dryrobes are probably the first things that come to mind, however the county is rich in small independent boutiques and even a few more mainstream brands.

Brands like Seasalt and Celtic & Co originated from Cornwall and spread across the country.

These brands have a tendency to focus on country-living, with practicality taking precedence over the latest trends.

Along with their clothes, they sell a lifestyle of relaxation and comfort which is heavily sought after in both rural and urban areas.

Cornwall is home to small boutiques and local owned stores.

The owner of Secrets Boutique in Falmouth  highlighted the issues of micro-trends and the importance of slow fashion.

“Fashion is too fast now” Sarah stated, “new seasons are coming in far too early”.

This is a view seemingly shared by many small businesses in the area who market their clothes as sustainably made or responsibly sourced.

Brands like Rooted Ocean and Wildwood Cornwall are examples of the county-wide focus that influences the presence that fashion has in Cornwall.

Sally at Maxari, who have six stores across Devon and Cornwall, discussed the resurgence of vintage clothing amongst young people in Cornwall but said that Cornwall wouldn’t be the place for expanding the fashion industry with more high-fashion or avant garde designers saying that “people are too laid back here”.

This is definitely a noticeable feature of Cornish fashion, with the key theme of comfort in many locals’ style.

The university in Falmouth runs courses in textiles and fashion design which is training the next generation of designers and artists.

Some of the students shared their opinions about the fashion they had seen in the area.

They reported that because of the university, areas like Falmouth and Penryn are seeing more fashion subcultures than it used to.

They also noted that the style here is more relaxed and chilled out than other areas, specifically large cities, again leaning more into the lifestyle than the clothes.

When asked, most said that they would be unlikely to stay in Cornwall after completing their degree.

Their reasons varied from a lack of opportunities here and the isolation of the area, to wanting to work internationally with larger brands.

While the university brings colour and variety to the style of the area, it seems that the majority of its fashion and textile students will work elsewhere later in their careers.

That’s not to say that this is a bad thing.

Having a constant cycle of new students each year allows the fashion culture in areas populated by students to evolve and grow as new subcultures are brought in and old ones are revived.

While the stereotype of wetsuits and dryrobes may have been earned, it’s evident that fashion in Cornwall can be a unique mixture of comfortable living, and vibrant new cultures.