ST201905

“Most of our goods are made as

they’ve always been, by locals in

their homes, in small batches”

Making heritage workwear that’s produced ethically, Carrier Company

has always been ahead of the curve. Enzo Cilenti shares their story

How did it all start?
My mother-in-law, Tina Guillory,
a landscape gardener and
environmentalist, needed garden
tools that could be transported by
bicycle. She had been searching for a
rather strange thing she remembered
from her youth, a thing she could only
describe as a ‘carrier’. It was large and
flat; big enough to catch up huge
sprays of pruned or pulled foliage, but
with a handle at each corner enabling
the contents to be enveloped and
easily flung onto the compost heap.
Coming across a large roll of natural
jute cloth, she decided to not only
make her own, but to make them for
other people, too.

Where did Tina go from there?
Carrier Company has been steadily
evolving since 1995. Tina began by
spending her evenings making things
on the kitchen floor; during the day,
she organised local artisan fairs to sell
her creations, worked as a gardener
and cared for her children. Friends in
the local community also needed
work they could do from home so, as
the company grew and Tina’s own
children grew, she harnessed the
resources at hand to expand into a
true family business.

How different is the company today?
In the past few years Carrier Company
has adapted dramatically; Tina used

to drive all over England selling

her gardening apparel and bags

at country fairs, with the help of

her sisters. These days the majority

of sales are online. Tina’s daughter

Sienna (my wife) and I both have

years of experience in the fashion

industry, and collaborate in everything

from development to production

to photography. Tina still works from

her dining room table, and cooks

lunch every day for whichever

workers are around, and Sienna and

I live in London with our children,

fitting Carrier Company work around

our day jobs.

Tell us a bit about the process.

The majority of goods are made

locally, in Norfolk, just as they always

have been. Bags and clothes are

made by local people in their homes,

in small batches. Tina’s ethic is ‘work

to live, not live to work’, so workers

are encouraged to do so in a way that

suits them and enables their families.

Sustainability has always been a

priority, and using natural materials

such as jute, cotton, linen and wool to

adapt to the changing seasons in a

way that defies passing trends drives

Carrier Company’s designs.

What company achievements make

you most proud and why?

It feels good to be ahead of the curve,

in terms of ethical production values

and also the resurgence in heritage

workwear – but it feels even better to

know that our customers come back

again and again, because they love

wearing our clothes.

What makes Carrier stand out?

Carrier Company produces all of its

collection within the UK.

Any little-known trivia to share?

Most of our models are family

members. Manufacturing in the UK is

incredibly expensive so the majority

of our photography is done in house,

or snapped while going for walks.

What comes next? 

As always, looking for more

sustainable materials with which to

produce beautiful, useful things.