ABOUT US

MEET THE FOUNDER

OUR MATERIAL

OUR PRODUCTION

MEET THE FOUNDER

I am Sally, Solo parent of a 15 year old, Owner and founder of MANNERS LONDON, poem scribbler, word lover, joy seeker, designer & survivor (amongst other things)

I made this by accident in one of the hardest chapters of my life.
I made these clothes at a time when I needed to be brave.
A time when joy always felt just out of my reach.
At a time when I needed a lot of help to feel good in my skin, these clothes saved my life.

It sounds dramatic but in many ways it's true. We left our old life fast one day. Me, a 5 year old, and a few pieces I’d designed for myself. (Indonesia didn't really cater to bigger sizes so I had over time found people to make all the things I needed)
We arrived in London broke and broken but determined to somehow put our lives back together. It’s hard to talk about the first years there, but I decided then that I would never work for ‘the man’ again.
That I would never be at the mercy of any man again and that we (my son and I) would someday be free.

So with jet lag, one succulent (for the display), a fading tan, a kid in toe and 15 items I hustled a stall at portobello road market, and prayed that women with medium sized tops and large sized bottoms would buy my clothes.
And they DID!
So I called Dewa in Bali and asked him if he’d take a risk and make me some more and he agreed.
And so the road to freedom began!
For 4 years living in temporary accommodation our tiny flat filled up with stock. I moved to Spitalfields market and started (and finished) a law degree which I studied for at my market stall, with a hot water bottle stuffed down my trousers and chip butties for lunch every day, and I kept pushing.

Women came and tried things on and I saw them stand a little taller, I saw their eyes soften a little as they looked at themselves in my nearly always broken mirror and I knew I wanted more of that!

I am a soft, strong, tall woman and the high street has never been my friend, and I always knew many other people felt like this. I'm thegirlthat shouts 'You look great in that dress!" to the person on the metro, (much to my kids embarrassment) so I wanted to translate that into clothes. Into clothes that make YOU want to say that to your reflection in the mirror!

I started sewing at 11. Then spent years searching for something that didn't exist.
That's how it all began, just me wanting to feel powerful in my clothes, wanting to feel unapologetic about my body and wanting the same for every person around me!
When we take back our power and stand a little taller, speak a little louder, feel a little stronger, shit changes, we rise and in that rising we can give each other a leg up.

So here I am 10 years later still creating clothing that lifts you up when all the women in you are tired.
Clothes to fight in, clothes to love in, and clothes to cry in.
I hope you love them as much as I do

Love
Sally x
Founder & Designer

P.S. In September 2020 I was awarded the GBEA Entrepreneur of the year in Fashion and Beauty for the South West!!!
P.P.S Ooh and I appeared on Dragons Den in 2015. Have a look to see ‘the man’ AKA Peter jones tell me this would never work. Heeyyyyy Peter! ;) I’m still here boo boo x