Tamara's Eco Edit. What our CEO Loves Right Now
Before Fashion Roundtable, Tamara Cincik was a well-known fashion stylist and here she shares her favourite SME and Sustainable British brands and why she loves them.
Here is what I love right now.
01 The Perfume
Completely enchanted by the cinematic social media whimsy of Somerset based botanical brand Ffern, I took the plunge and joined their membership. I received all this for their latest perfume drop for Spring. The fragrance feels like walking through an Elizabethan orangery on a dewy springtime morning. The branding, the storytelling, and the customer care are just next level. I loved opening this, the wild flower seeds in their sweetly illustrated packet, the sound map of the land where the flowers in the perfume grow. All so meta, yet so tangible. A new obsession, which I know I shall cherish.
02 The Face and Body Oil
I discovered Bristol based natural botanic skincare brand Faith and Betty when I was asked to chair talks at Wilderness Festival in the early days of Fashion Roundtable, where Faith was hosting classes to make your own beauty products. Most face oils give me spots. Her’s doesn’t. It glides on and works just as easily with my fingers giving my face a light massage, as with my Lyma laser which I use while watching Netflix in the evening.
03 Fragrance for the Home
I am incredibly fussy about fragrance. I like my home to smell welcoming, relaxing and yet not overpowering. Added to this, I like this to be natural, as I have a husband and son who both have asthma - which is on the rise in London’s children due to pollution. Certain perfumes have been known to result in a sneezing attack by my husband! Traditionally in Turkish culture guests are welcomed with “kolonya” poured on their hands to refresh them. A mix of lemon, rose and tobacco fragrance, which probably informed me as much about Ottoman ideals around hygiene and hospitality as the importance of smells to make a home as welcoming and attractive as possible. My North London go-to for household fragrance is Jo Tocher, who blends oils so beautifully I even add them to my household cleaning products. I met her at a local fair and have been ordering from her directly ever since. So bespoke, that yesterday when I reordered, Jo delivered the parcel the same day to my door! Even Amazon cannot beat that!
CLOTHES AND STYLE
05 The Female Led Brand
I met Nick Wakeman, the woman behind Studio Nicolson a few years ago, and thought she was very special. There is a space in British fashion for clothes which are quietly cool, tastefully made and well designed. Think brands like Margaret Howell, Labour and Wait, and Sunspel, who create forever classics, updated workwear, distilled school uniforms, rather than impulse buy gimmicks. I spotted Studio Nicholson had a sample sale last month and picked up two pairs of trousers, one in a taupe drill cotton, the other in a grey wool. The fit is comfortable, trousers as good for the school run, or a local cafe catch up with friends, as my meetings in Parliament or with fashion brands. A rare combination.
06 The British Wool Knitwear Brand
As a former stylist, some brands (who shall remain nameless) laudably lean into ethics as their core KPI, but make me groan inside. They can be strong on values, and weak on design. I have always said that a brand whatever their message, has to sell a dream. What in fashion-speak we call “resolved”, meaning the silhouette makes good design sense and is well executed. NavyGrey create luxury knitwear designs with products made in the British Isles, using British wool. This aligns with the ethos of the Great British Wool Revival, a project I launched in September 2024 (since when the price of British wool has risen by 29%!), to promote British wool from farm to fashion. Plus these pieces are also covetable and forever classics. See the theme there, buy well, it will last, you will wear it forever. To the other nameless brands, while you work on your message, define your design signature, determine who you are making clothes for, build the narrative of their life, their needs, their wardrobe, and if that is not your strong-point, hire someone like me!
THE BRAND WE NEED TO SAVE
07 The British Pottery Brand
Denby have been making pottery in England from Derbyshire clay for 217 years. Handcrafted in the UK and designed to last, they are also proudly sustainable thanks to their ‘zero to landfill’ solution for all their process waste. However, due to the escalating energy prices, soaring costs, and low customer confidence, on the 31st March 2026 this centuries old British business with over 500 employees has brought in the administrators. It IS trying to seek investors and I really hope it survives and thrives, as losing a brand like this would be a tragedy for British business. In the meantime, you could do as I have and make a purchase from Denby. My husband doesn’t know it yet, but his Easter present is not a chocolate egg, it is in fact a Denby oven dish! #SaveDenby
