Founding Principles with HERD

In our Founding Principles series, we introduce you to the founders behind each of the companies on the current Walpole Brands of Tomorrow programme. Here, meet Ruth Alice Rands, Founder of wool clothing and accessories label HERD

Walpole: What is your career background, and how did that lead to launching your company?

Ruth Alice Rands: Prior to founding HERD in 2020 I had been at the helm of a wild, organic seaweed company for nine years whose stockists included Wholefoods, Sainsburys, Ocado, Planet Organic and healthfood stores around the country. I learnt a lot about business, brand building and about being excellent in a niche. I fell for wool through knitting and began to explore the possibility for a truly British, luxury yarn. That's how I discovered the Bluefaced Leicester and built a farm-to-knit supply chain for yarn, knitwear and now cloth, all made within 150 miles of the sheep farms around Yorkshire.

What does your company do and what sets you apart?

HERD makes exceptional knits and tailoring made exclusively from our own homegrown wool. We are a working example of a fashion business operating in harmony with the land, craftspeople and community around it. Everything we make is free from toxicity as we use organic detergents for scouring and botanical dyeing ingredients for our colours and we love to support and champion our supply chain and partners. 

Our processing ethos makes us special but what keeps people coming back are our designs, playful interpretations of heritage styles like our Aran cable knits, yoked Fairisle and Argyle alongside custom-designed and made cloth for our tailoring and accessories. 

Why was launching this company important to you?

Although Britain has millions of sheep, we import almost all of the wool that we wear from Australasia on the other side of the world, with all the shipping and opacity around where it stops for processing along the way. At the time I launched HERD, British farmers were receiving so little in recompense for their fleeces that they were just burning or burying it on farms as it was more work to try and sell it. Because of my understanding of natural ecosystems from my previous enterprise I could clearly see this was a crazy waste of a precious resource, and harmful to both the local farms and environment. Wool can be used for everything from fertiliser and plant pots (as it contains vital potassium), to naturally anti-flammable insulation, to curtains and carpet. The finest and highest quality wool can be used for clothing which is soft, keeps us warm, and keeps going for years.

I saw how farmers, communities and entire towns used to work with wool and how fragile the remaining infrastructure was, simultaneously as awareness of the problems with petrochemical-derived fibres is growing. HERD is a response to these themes, a way of reshoring luxury yarn and knitwear production, restoring knowledge and respect for this fibre and reconnecting people with the rich stories behind their HERD pieces. 

How does your company represent the future of British luxury?

I heard this quote recently in one of our Brands of Tomorrow workshops: "countries that stop making things, stop inventing things". It really resonated with me. Britain is the only place in the world where all the facilities to take a fleece to a knit exist within one country. Without the dye house we work with we wouldn’t have been able to innovate a range of botanically-dyed natural colours at industrial scale. For Britain to retain the global reputation for excellence and originality it must have manufacturing capabilities. I believe we are part of the future preserving that capacity. 

What’s an important value for you that you’ve ensured is part of your business?

Honesty. We are transparent about our supply chain and methods but we are also always in communication with our community about which dye runs have come out a slightly different colour than expected, manufacturing delays and stock levels. Working with small-scale manufacturing and plant dyes is never straightforward or predictable, and we are constantly running out of sizes or pieces as we make in small batches, but that is part of the beauty of a brand that a customer knows is limited edition and extra special.  

Tell us about an obstacle you’ve experienced in establishing your business, and how you overcame it?

Our supply chain is constantly changing and evolving and there are lots of factors beyond our control, from which sheep breeds farmers choose to keep, to the viability of the British factories we work with (three of which have closed in the past 18 months). I’ve learnt that being in regular, positive contact with my supply chain helps me to get ahead of future issues and adapt if needed. 

What is your ultimate goal for your business?

HERD is building a global community who are inspired and uplifted by the possibilities we have created together. Nothing gives me more joy than a kind email from a happy customer who loves their new piece, has been complimented on it and wears it often. The dream is for HERD to reach all those for whom it will bring joy. 

What’s the best thing you’ve learned on the Brands of Tomorrow programme so far?

That there are lots of ways to climb the mountain, and the peak looks very different for everyone. Best to enjoy the journey!

What’s a key piece of advice you’d share with another entrepreneur that you’ve learned or been given on your journey?

Don’t always accept no for an answer. If an idea is too hard or expensive or complicated or hasn’t been done before it creates an initial barrier to entry to others, which helps to protect the brand in the early years. 

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