Looking Back on 45 Years of Seasalt Cornwall

45 years ago, my family bought a small shop in Adelaide Street, Penzance, selling workwear to farmers, fishermen, people that worked in the fields picking daffodils, and artists from St Ives.  

The way we do business goes back to the early days, when my family all worked together in a small shop. We look back fondly to those years and we're still involved in the business every day. Always looking to see how things can be improved, checking on quality, talking to our colleagues, and chatting with customers.  

Sophie is a textile designer, and when we met, we started making our own pieces: stripy tops, practical coats, all inspired by our nautical heritage.  

The collections have evolved and expanded over the years but I'm still wearing and enjoying garments today that we produced in the first season. Longevity and quality, as well as beautiful style, has always been central to what we do.  

As the product range has grown, we often look back to those early days for inspiration. You can still see it in the things we make today - in the practical details. The heritage feel of the garments, and the well-worn colours inspired by fishermen's smocks and, of course, the beautiful place where we live.  

Today, that thinking lives on in the latest versions of those early pieces – like the Sea Drift Coat, made using our exclusive Tin Cloth® organic cotton waterproof fabric, or our organic cotton Sailor Shirt, a true Seasalt staple. Our incredibly talented design and technical team make beautiful garments that feel and fit perfectly.  

In 2005 we became the first fashion company to achieve Soil Association certification to the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). Our photoshoots are always in Cornwall. Even at the beginning, we wanted to be a major employer in Cornwall and do it the right way.

Circularity has been really important for us along the way. Handybands were originally made from offcuts of our T-shirts, and now we're using more recycled fibres and repurposed fabrics in our collections. 

The lampshades in our new shops were made by Sophie using yarns she had in the garage, left over from when her mum and auntie used to make rugs.