In Conversation: William Costelloe, Phoebe English, Ex-Matches CCO Carl Tallents, in their own words

February was the shortest month of the year but it packed a punch.

Last month, we heard from London Fashion Week powerhouses Phoebe English and William Costelloe on how they are transforming their eponymous labels, former Matches CCO on his entry into the athleisure market, as well as founders in London and beyond who share their growth ambitions. 

Mars the label, founder, Arianna Ajtar

While London Fashion Week dominated the headlines this February, TheIndustry.fashion continues to strive to shine a light on the creative voices outside of the capital.

"There's a deep creative passion in Manchester that I believe derives from northern grit. Mancunians are grafters through and through. We have a sense of community that isn’t found everywhere across the country." - Arianna Ajtar, founder of Mars the Label.

Mars the Label was founded in 2016 in Manchester, with a mission to design clothes that make women feel confident and seen. Chloe Burney sat down with the brand’s founder Arianna Ajtar to reflect on the early days of launching the label, the influence of Manchester’s creative culture and the realities of scaling an independent fashion business.

Kaiia the label, Head of Global Brand & Marketing, Emily Frazer

"The next phase for Kaiia is about scaling while deepening brand identity. We’re continuing to build out our long-term brand strategy, strengthening creative consistency, expanding storytelling, and elevating the customer experience across all platforms." - Emily Frazer, Head of Global Brand & Marketing at Kaiia the Label.

This is not the only voice out of Manchester we are featuring this month, as we hear from Kaiia The Label’s Head of Global Brand and Marketing, Emily Frazer, on how the brand has become one of the fastest-growing fashion retailers on TikTok Shop, and how it now entering its next phase of growth as it evolves from viral favourite to more established fashion player.

Florere, co-founders, Michelle Evatt and Heidi Fielding

"It was really clear from the start that there was a real appetite for what we were putting out in the market. The early validation from partners and customers taught us to keep trusting our instincts, shake off the naysayers and stay true to what makes Florere so unique." - co-founders Michelle Evatt and Heidi Fielding.

Even though economic realities are tough, this has not stopped independent businesses from thriving. Michelle Evatt and Heidi Fielding, co-founders of independent label Florere, spoke to our editor in chief Lauretta Roberts on how they poured their friendship, ample high street experience at names such as Ted Baker, Oasis, Debenhams and New Look into a flourishing company that they have ambitions to grow even further. 

Now You Live, founder, Carl Tallents

"I think people are re-evaluating how they live. There’s a shift happening towards balance, wellbeing and intentionality. The lines between work, movement, travel and downtime are blurred. Clothing needs to reflect that." - Carl Tallents, founder of Now You Live.

If you thought the activewear and athleisure market is saturated, you have not yet met Now You Live, the newest addition to the market, which launched online on the 17th of February and is coming soon to Selfridges, Harrods and Harvey Nichols. Contributing reporter Tom Bottomley sat down with the founder, none other than Carl Tallents, the former Chief Commercial Officer at Matches, how his very personal take on athleisure will shake up the industry. 

Pour Moi, founder and CEO, Michael Thomson

"Athleisure is absolutely a growth pillar going forward. Off Duty is just the beginning and we see huge potential to expand the range seasonally and build it into a core lifestyle category alongside lingerie and swimwear." - Michael Thomson, founder and CEO of Pour Moi.

There is clearly a lot of appetite in this space, with British lingerie and swimwear brand Pour Moi kicking off 2026 with the launch of a new athleisure collection called Off Duty. Pour Moi founder and CEO Michael Thomson explains how the category expansion is in response to its customer demand.

Fabletics, European General Manager, Mark Ralea

"When you are young and ambitious, you often feel you need to prove yourself by having the answers. In reality, the fastest way to accelerate your development is to learn directly from those who have already mastered the craft." - Mark Ralea, European General Manager of Fabletics.

In our ongoing series exploring how key fashion leaders got their start in the industry, Sophie Smith sat down with Fabletics' European General Manager, Mark Ralea, to get the inside scoop on how the executive started in fashion, with nearly decades of leadership experience spanning e-commerce, technology and fashion. 

British Fashion Council, CEO, Laura Weir

"In a global industry that's consolidating, accelerating and polarising, it's exceptionally tough and very confusing at the moment. Our responsibility as the British Fashion Council is really clear, in that it's our job to support, defend and promote British fashion, and this year, you're going to see some really tangible shifts." - Laura Weir, British Fashion Council.

It wouldn’t be February without fashion week and this season has seen some truly stunning presentations come to life. British Fashion Council’s Laura Weir officially opened the event with a rallying message of unity: “We're all in this together”, a sentiment that underpins her mission to champion accessibility, cultural relevance and global visibility for British fashion.

Phoebe English, founder, Phoebe English

"I felt like there’s that kind of need for protecting ourselves in many ways,” she says, “this act of decorating the human body is a way to keep it safe. It’s felt like a sort of caregiving process […] a loving process." - Phoebe English

It is just this message of unity and support that saw designer Phoebe English returning to the schedule for the first time since 2020, presenting what she describes as her most personal – and most “exposing” – collection to date. We sat down with the circular fashion pioneer to talk about how motherhood had made the AW26 collection was as much about family logistics as fashion.

Vin + Omi, Founders, Vin Cara and Omi Ong 

"There’s a lot of kids that work with us [they] shop in charity shops, thrift shops and they’re really big on recycling. What we wanted to do was look at the way in which we can actually use recycling in a much more contemporary way." - Vin & Omi

Phoebe English is not the only sustainable voice presenting its AW26 collection, with eco-design duo Vin + Omi making headlines for their first ever “see now buy now” strategy that forms part of a new collaboration with the British Heart Foundation. 

Paul Costelloe, Creative Director, William Costelloe 

"My artistic abilities are key to me. Much like my paintings, my design voice is rooted in structure and form, and in how a garment sits and moves on the body. That feels closely aligned with my father’s love of tailoring." - William Costelloe

Paul Costelloe was famously the only designer to have shown at every London Fashion Week since its inception, with his show a beloved and consistent fixture as the event’s opener. Now, the eponymous British-Irish fashion house is entering a fresh chapter as William Costelloe, son of the brand’s late founder, is taking over the leadership reigns. Speaking exclusively to TheIndustry.fashion, William opened up about the deeply personal journey of stepping into this role following his father’s passing.