Rachel Carvell-Spedding by no means got down to launch a trend model, however when her 20-year seek for the good jumper—one identical to her mum’s outdated favorite—continued to return up quick, she determined to easily make her personal. And so, in 2019, Navy grey was born. The idea? Beautiful, long-lasting and timeless knitwear constituted of pure, traceable wool, that is designed to fit seamlessly into the trendy girl’s on a regular basis wardrobe, and really feel like residence.
Unsurprisingly, the model was an prompt hit; its jumpers shortly changing into much-loved, endlessly worn go-tos for sustainability- and style-conscious trade insiders—and past. Since, Navygrey has expanded its providing to incorporate all method of knitted staples, from cardigans and jackets to equipment and tees, in addition to jersey and linen fabrications—all with the identical easy-to-wear ethos, and dedication to sustainable practices and distinctive craft.
Here, the model’s CEO and founder Rachel Carvell-Spedding shares a glimpse into the great world of Navygrey and what she will get as much as in her 9-5—from morning rituals and sources of inspiration to the most necessary classes she’s realized.
(Image credit score: Courtesy Navygrey)
I am unable to begin my morning with out… A cup of English breakfast tea with a splash of skimmed milk. Amidst the chaos of two energetic children who like waking early, it’s my second of calm.
My go-to outfit for work? At coronary heart, I’m a jeans-and-jumpers particular person. It’s all the time a Navygrey knit on prime, with denim and both boots, loafers or pumps relying on the climate. It’s a uniform I don’t have to consider—a mixture I really feel utterly myself in. It all the time feels proper. Relaxed, simple, and simply… proper. That’s how I wish to really feel, day by day.
My in-office necessities are… My laptop computer and cellphone. They have every thing on them, and as we’ve a hybrid working set-up throughout our small workforce, chucking them in a tote or backpack and having them with me all the time is important. I additionally want tea, water, a clear desk and headphones for zoning in. Then I’m all set.
(Image credit score: Courtesy Navygrey)
My timetable after work now could be very a lot pushed by my youngsters. After-school-club pick-up is round 5.30pm, after which I spend time with them till they go to mattress round 8/9pm—so that basically has develop into my submit work ritual. I do love a night bathe nonetheless, and discover that helps my mind to decompress. I’d like to get again into studying earlier than bedtime, however as quickly as I’m in mattress, I simply fall straight to sleep.
Inspiration comes from in all places… Our prospects, outdated household images, the books stacked round the studio, even the classic magazines I accumulate. But for us, it all the time begins with a sense. Navygrey was born from my mum’s jumper and the manner it made me really feel: snug, at residence, merely proper. That feeling, paired with the quiet energy of a well-designed navy knit, underpins every thing we make. Pieces folks instinctively attain for, time and again.
(Image credit score: Courtesy Navygrey)
Built on feeling, worn on repeat—that’s our mantra. We don’t suppose in “collections.” Instead, we concentrate on the items that really feel lacking—the issues we wish to put on, the gadgets our workforce retains speaking about, the layers our prospects inform us they attain for many.
The Navygrey girl is… Discerning, assured, and values issues that final. She’s in her 30s by way of to her 80s, however age isn’t the defining issue—her mindset is. She cares about how garments really feel as a lot as how they appear. She gravitates towards items with ease, heat and emotional resonance; garments that match seamlessly into her life reasonably than ask for consideration. She loves good design, pure fibres, provenance and items she’ll attain for with out considering—as a result of life is busy and good garments made effectively won’t let her down.
(Image credit score: Courtesy Navygrey)
The better part of my job is… Hearing the tales. Customers telling us how a jumper made them really feel—at residence, comforted, assured—or the way it reminded them of somebody they beloved. That emotional response is why we exist, and it’s the half of the job that also surprises and strikes me.
There have been so many highlights since founding the model… Especially as a result of we began small with no funding, so each milestone feels hard-won and deeply significant. One of the first actual pinch-me moments was our very first article in The Telegraphwhich prompted us to promote out virtually in a single day. It was the first time I realised that folks outdoors my quick circle genuinely linked with what we had been creating. And then there are the journeys that stick with you. Travelling to Shetland to satisfy the workforce who carry our sell-out Shetland items to life was extremely grounding. To see the panorama, the craft, the folks—it made every thing we do really feel much more rooted in one thing actual.
(Image credit score: Sarah Frances Kelley, Courtesy Navygrey)
Seeing somebody sporting Navygrey in the wild offers me a jolt each time. I used to be in a café only a few days in the past when somebody walked in sporting one of our knits—that feeling won’t ever get outdated. Because at the coronary heart of it, the true pinch-me moments are when prospects select us, love what we make, and are available again. That’s when all of it feels value it.
The greatest lesson I’ve realized is that money is every thing. Most companies don’t fail as a result of the thought is mistaken or the product or model story isn’t good—they fail as a result of of timing and money circulation. You may be constructing one thing good, but when the cash doesn’t land in the account if you want it, the complete enterprise turns into susceptible. Understanding that—actually understanding it—has been one of the most necessary classes of rising Navygrey. Being throughout the numbers, the timing, the rhythms of money in and out, is what retains the enterprise regular and permits the creativity to flourish.
Navygrey founder Rachel Carvell-Spedding
(Image credit score: courtesy navygrey)
Right now, we’re engaged on… Refining and increasing the items our prospects love most. We’re persevering with to construct on our work with Shetland wool, creating new colors and silhouettes with our companions in Scotland, and making certain that the heritage and provenance behind these items stays entrance and centre. We’re additionally evolving our summer season providing. So many of our prospects come again to us time and again, so changing into a real year-round model is extremely necessary. We’re engaged on warm-weather items with that very same Navygrey feeling: pure fibres, stunning simplicity, and designs that match effortlessly into on a regular basis life.
We have a number of thrilling issues on the horizon… After the success of our pop-ups, we’re exploring the chance of a everlasting house; someplace that permits folks to expertise the model, the fibres and the craftsmanship in a extra immersive manner. We even have a very thrilling collaboration coming in early spring subsequent yr, which I cant wait to indicate everybody.
Navygrey’s pop-up store is open at 29 Marylebone Lane till 31 January 2026. navygrey.co