Tell us a little about yourself!
I’m Designer and Founder of my homeware and fabrics brand Isla Simpson
Take us behind the scenes! What can you share about working with Weezie and Moda on this upcoming collection? Where did you look for
inspiration?
I adore old French trousseau linens, monogrammed with hand embroidery to start the promise of married life with. So I thought that would be the prettiest starting point for our collection, towels embroidered with antique typefaces and tiny flowers. Luckily Weezie and Moda were open to my sentimental ideas! I hand draw everything to capture that vintage feel, all my designs need to have a heavy dose of nostalgia woven through.
How do you slow down and #enjoythestay?
My best ideas come to me when I’m relaxed, so I do like leaving London for the country, where work feels far away. I like visiting historic houses, auctions and antique shops. A good walk with the hares and deers always clears my head first thing in the morning too.
Current brand crush?
I want to wear everything Thierry Colson designs, just the kind of clothes a modern Edwardian girl wants to wear - heaven.
Favorite interior designer or design inspo on Instagram right now?
Frantz Wehrle painter and decorator of the most romantic interiors.
Reuben Architectural designer and classist, it’s pure joy watching him gently restoring his cottage back to its original state.
Tinsmiths for pure arts and crafts homeware heaven, Phoebe has the best eye.
Towel Time dreaming: Favorite place you've traveled and why?
Sicily! It’s so exotic and regional, you travel just a couple of miles west and the food and feel is completely different. It’s Italy times a hundred!
Just fabulous.
Towel Time entertainment: Last show you binge-watched, last book you read, or last podcast episode you really loved?
I just blitzed State of Happiness, a tv series on striking oil in a small Norwegian fishing village in the late 60s. Some exemplary knitwear and hairstyles in there!
Quick takes
Bath or shower:
Bath with an audiobook or podcast - I’m always trying to learn more.
Towel time is quick & no-nonsense or an indulgent time:
Indulgent! A good soak really relaxes me.
Weezie picks for me:
Hair Towels! They're beautiful, soft and at a great price point for gifts.
Moda picks for me:
Isla Embroidered Hand Towels
Famous last words:
‘There is more in you than you think,’ Kurt Hahn. It took an awful lot of courage to leave my established career in fashion design and strike out
on my own. These words get repeated in my mind more than you’ll ever know.
