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Join Creative Director and Founder, Alison Townshend as she shares how the business started, the story so far, and which pieces from our summer collection she’s wearing this season.



When did you launch your clothing brand Luella?

After almost a decade as an independent fashion retailer, Sassy & Boo, I realised there was a real need for a brand specialising in quality knitwear at affordable prices. I listened to customers and recognised the difficulty in finding them fresh, flattering knitwear. So I set about bringing a design team together to create stylish monthly collections. I then travelled to Italy in search of the very best yarns and textiles. 

Those first few months were hard but great fun. I spent time connecting with other independent retailers to find out what their customers really wanted, and interestingly, the feedback turned out to be very similar. 

What makes Luella different?

My first-hand experience means Luella is perfectly positioned to offer beautifully designed collections that are on-trend and timeless. Luella is now synonymous with luxuriously-soft knitwear, as well as in-season Italian linens, beautifully patterned cotton shirts and wear-everywhere dresses – the garments we know our customers love!

Inspired by uncomplicated happiness, Luella creates bright, colourful collections that have wear-forever appeal. We know colour can change your mood and bring joy to your day, so we always design plenty of new vibrant styles and feel-good prints.

Looking good shouldn't cost the earth, which is why we work hard to find the perfect sustainable fabrics, helping you to make a difference to your wardrobe and the environment. Our journey to sustainability is ongoing, but we'd love for you to be a part of it. Read more about sustainability at Luella here.

Luella brand story

Quality cashmere blend knitwear

What’s special about Luella knitwear?

Our first design was the single star on a round neck jumper with curved hem. We launched it at the Pure Show in 2016 and it was an amazing success. We had boutique owners queuing up to order it in an array of colours.

We're proud to be the original home of the iconic Classic Star Jumper and to this day it comes in a range of seasonal shades, bright and neutral. 

Our cashmere blend knitwear is manufactured in Italy with Italian yarn, all of which contains up to 30% cashmere. Our jumpers are blended with either Merino wool, or a blend of Merino wool and bamboo. The bamboo blended yarn is manufactured especially for us and is exclusive to Luella in the UK.

What are you wearing this summer?

The style I’m wearing on repeat is one of our popular unique-to-Luella cotton printed shirts teamed with a pair of white jeans. If the temperature drops in the evening, I layer it with one of our plain tank tops, knitted from our favourite cashmere-blend yarn.

I’m also loving our range of linen dresses and tunics. My favourite pieces are the Maisie Dress and the Wendy Top. Linen is one of the most biodegradable and naturally breathable fabrics. It’s made from the beautiful blue-flowered flax plant, so requires far less water to grow compared to other fabrics. All our linens share the same beautiful softness and drape that feels so good against the skin.

From our High Summer Edit, I’m currently wearing the gorgeous Portofino Dress. And when I’m able to travel abroad again, I'll be packing a Santorini Long Kaftan, with its wonderful gold turtle pint. 

What are you wearing this summer

We enjoyed hearing from our founder, Alison and hope you did too. This will be the first in a series of #luellalife chats with our team members and we want you to join the conversation. Look out for more behind the scenes content like this on our social accounts and let us know who and what you’d like to see next!