Meet the Makers: Grace Tozer from Lark

How would you describe Lark?

I like to think that Lark is a playful, thoughtful little brand, built around the idea that children are happiest when they are comfortable and larking about.

What was your journey to setting up Lark?

I started making kids’ clothes while I was pregnant with Suki, my third child. I had been working freelance as a print designer for womenswear for about a decade, and although I loved the creativity of it I felt that the constant turnover of design and emphasis on ‘trend’ that drives that part of the fashion industry was unhealthy and unsustainable - for the planet, for the people making those garments, for consumers, and for me as a designer. I created three print designs that I loved and then spent about 12 months working on the garments and teaching myself how to sew.

It took a long time to take the plunge and get the products out there... I think mainly because it felt so ‘visible’ having my own brand after selling my work through an agent for such a long time, it was really nerve-wracking. It has been the most rewarding experience though, seeing a design through all the stages from the first sketch to the final product. Building relationships with customers, getting positive feedback and having return customers is the best feeling.

What is your main thought or inspiration when you’re designing or planning a collection or piece?

As many designers do, I often look to nature for inspiration. Sunlight through leaves, animal camouflage and stylised plants and flowers... but I’d say my heart lies with geometrics, gimme a triangle to play with and I’m happy. I am drawn to bold pattern and high-contrast prints and I love playing with scale. Babies are fascinated by bold design especially in black and white, and older kids seem to like the graphic look too. I like to give a little bit of character and background for each of the prints in the collection, it’s a little window into the design process and I think it helps give customers an added connection to the prints and our brand.

Who or what are your top design inspirations?

I remember seeing Eley Kishimoto’s work for the first time and being struck by the way they had such a ‘signature’ look. The same with House of Hackney, I love the way they extend their print design onto all sorts of products, clothing and interiors. I’m a big fan of more is more in terms of print: if it stays still long enough I’m likely to try and print on it!

Why is it important to you that your collections are unisex?

As a mother of a child who has always found clothes shopping quite a traumatic experience, I really want to offer an alternative to heavily gendered high street clothing. One of my daughters was always drawn to the ‘boys’ department in shops, one of her earliest memories is of feeling distraught in a shop because she thought she wouldn't be ‘allowed’ to choose from the boys section. We always encouraged her to choose whatever she wanted whether it was from the girls or boys department, but the feeling that she was going against the grain and that she’s different has been a heavy load, and so unnecessary in my opinion.

In terms of sustainability and value for money if children's clothing is made to be unisex it is more likely to be passed on and worn again. It just makes sense. It is really important that we take steps to address gender inequality in general, and by making our clothing, toys and activities gender inclusive we are teaching our children that we are all equal.

How is sustainability important to Lark?

We try to tread as lightly as possible with all our choices within the business in terms of environmental impact. There are some key factors for us: we use organic cotton sourced from responsible factories, our printing and production is kept small and local, so we only produce what we need and have control over every process – this means less waste.

Our clothes are designed to last longer than average kids clothes, by using great quality fabrics, the way they are printed, and also the design of the garments. We have also chosen not to produce new collections each Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter. There are a couple of reasons for this, firstly as a designer it is so wasteful to spend so much time and effort creating a wonderful collection only for it to be ‘last season’ within a few months, and then for the whole process to begin again. This cycle also means that those garments have to enter into a sale to be shifted to make way for New Collections. The knock-on effect being that no-one makes any money from all that hard work because it has been discounted to sell quickly – or it has to have an inflated price tag to begin with to buffer the discount which for us would make our products unaffordable for many people.

Another reason is because as a customer I am always gutted when my kids grow out of their favourite jumper and it is no longer available – I am one of those people who buys two of something that I love so I won’t have to live without it when it’s worn out.

It is up to us to start to do things differently for our children’s sakes. The love of convenience and abundance has made a right old mess that sadly our kids will have to deal with. We need to lead by example and teach them a different approach so they have the skills to tackle this massive change that needs to happen with regards to over-consumption.

Who would you say is a role model for you and why?

Oh gosh, I’ve just watched the new series of Abstract on Netflix and I’d say most of the people featured in that programme! Particularly Cas Holman the toy designer. I watched that episode and had a tear in my eye, seeing someone who felt like a square peg really find their place in the world – and pass on their unique approach to design by teaching the next generation too. So inspiring.

Vivienne Westwood is a great role model. A woman who is unapologetically herself, rule breaker and game changer. Self-taught trailblazer and unafraid to do things differently. Her Pirate boots are still my all time favourite footwear.

What’s on your Christmas wishlist this year?

I’m really looking forward to some time off to relax with the family, it has been a really busy year for us all, juggling this lovely little business with our two teenagers and cheeky 4 year old is pretty full on, so just having some time to hang out will be perfect. I’d love some new bedding though – it has been on my wish list for ages. I’ve seen some lovely sets on Etsy and AB Småland, I’d rather buy from an independent maker or small brand than a big store. Oh and anything from Neighbourhood Botanicals. Yum.

For the kids we usually stick to the mantra “Something you want. Something you need. Something to wear. Something to read” which keeps it really simple, their christmas stockings are usually full of edibles, craft stuff and stationery… they get new PJs and a book on Christmas Eve and one great pressie under the tree.

What are you most looking forward to for Lark in 2020?

Lark has been evolving quite organically since we started two years ago, we have had a wonderful 6 months with our tiny pop up shop, but that has meant there has been little time for designing and making new things, so as our pop up comes to an end it will mean I get to spend some time at my drawing board which is really exciting.

I’m also hoping to bring out larger sizes for bigger kids and adult sites this year too, I get requests every week for grown-up clothes, so it’s time to act on that!

Find out more about Lark at Grace’s website: wearelark.com or on Instagram : @we.are.lark

---

See All in Issue 8