Page 26 - Oundle Life November 2024

QA
Caroline Johnson-Fairbank first had the idea for Natural Wear UK towards the end of 2019 and started working on sourcing the stock. However it wasn’t until May 2020 that they launched the brand and due to Covid, it wasn’t quite the beginning that they planned.
What made you choose Oundle? My partner has lived around here for most of his life. We moved here eight years ago and found it such
a friendly place. The pop-up shop works really well around Oundle and the surrounding areas.
Plans to expand further? We’ve just taken on a brand-new range which adds onto our sustainability angle. It is created from plastic bottles from the ocean and it’s a brand new dog range; leads, harnesses, collars and bandanas.
Any colleagues or do you work alone? At the beginning of a week there is just me now but at the end of the week my partner Steve is always around helping with the stock and selling in our pop-up shop. Going forward, next year we plan to be the two of us team all year round.
Highlight of the day? It is so nice when people come to the pop-up shop and comment on what good quality the products are and that it’s a small way of helping the planet.
Describe your business in five words...
Pop-up-shop, support, sustainability, quality products.
The most challenging part of the job?
Working on the website – I’m not technical and I do find this tricky at times, but when an order is made it makes me smile and I feel happy inside, all my hard work has come to fruition.
Any funny moments? I was once asked if bamboo socks were a little bit brittle and hard on the feet? I explained that bamboo socks are soft, kind and caring for the feet and have antibacterial products to keep the feet healthy. This person went away very happy and really liked the socks and came back for more!
What makes Natural Wear UK different? I believe that we are different because we focus on products that are supporting sustainability.
26
AND
NATURAL
WEAR UK
Sustainable unique products