The Fold London

A London womenswear brand making tailoring, dresses and workwear for professional women, with its own London stores.

About The Fold London

The Fold London designs and sells womenswear for work and occasions, including tailoring, dresses, knitwear and workwear basics, in UK sizes 4 to 20. Its own site says designs begin as hand-drawn sketches, are made from high-quality fabrics, are created in a London atelier and are fitted on real women.

It was founded in 2012 by Polly McMaster, who is also its chief executive. She studied science but kept her love of design, and she has said she started the label after finding workwear for women limited and unflattering. A business degree at London Business School, where she met other women with the same frustration, convinced her there was a market. She tested the idea with a small capsule range shown to businesswomen, and those orders became the first sales.

The brand says it wants to be the luxury workwear label of choice for ambitious women and a campaigning platform for their careers. Its slogan is get up, dress up and show up. It has partnered with a Women's Super League club, has a long-standing partnership with the charity Smart Works, which helps unemployed women return to work, and runs the Fold Woman network. A campaign called StartWithOne gathered advice from over 500 female investors.

The company has London stores, including one in Chelsea where customers can buy, get alterations and meet, and offers personal and virtual styling. Wikipedia's entry says it began with a semi-bespoke service from a Clerkenwell studio, opened its first store in March 2018 in a grade II listed building on Cadogan Place in Belgravia, and was chosen for Walpole's Brands of Tomorrow programme in 2016. It has also been described as the feminine alternative to the Savile Row suit. A 2023 profile says it sells over 30,000 items a year and is growing in the US. It describes its team as ambitious, supportive and passionate, with values including Be Humbitious and Be Empowered and regular socials. These are the company's own words.

Jobs in a fashion retailer like this include design and pattern work, buying and merchandising, store styling and sales, e-commerce, marketing and community, customer care and finance. Its London atelier and stores keep a lot of that work in the capital.

What they do

• {'desc': 'Tailoring, dresses and knitwear for professional life.', 'title': 'Womenswear for work'}
• {'desc': 'One-to-one styling in store or online.', 'title': 'Personal and virtual styling'}
• {'desc': "A network and campaigns for women's careers.", 'title': 'Fold Woman community'}

Key facts

• Founded in 2012 by Polly McMaster
• Designed in a London atelier; London stores including Chelsea
• Longstanding partner of the charity Smart Works
• Sells over 30,000 items a year (Maddyness, 2023)

Website: thefoldlondon.com