The 25-year-old founder of Sewn London, Becca Thurston, discusses her Sussex roots with Rebecca Pitcairn
Whereabouts in Sussex are you from?
I grew up in St Leonards-on-Sea in East Sussex and my family still live there. I went to St Paul’s School and Filsham Valley (now St Leonards Academy) before crossing the border to Chichester in West Sussex, where I went to university and studied Dance. I now live in London with my boyfriend, Harry, but his family live in Kirdford so we spend a lot of time there. I love being able to get out of the hustle and bustle of London and escape to Sussex and I’m sure, once we settle down a bit more, we will move back out.
How did you end up in the world of interiors?
I guess I’ve always had an underlying love for interiors. As a young girl, I was constantly moving my room around and I remember watching my Granny being able to make everything from scratch and being inspired by her creativity. When Harry and I decided to move from Sussex to London together, my love for interiors began to develop further. However, one of the things I really struggled to find for our first home was the style of cushions I was after at an affordable price. Having studied Textiles at A-level, I was confident experimenting with fabrics and designing products so I decided to make my own and, very quickly, I found a real love for designing and making cushions and so started making cushions to sell to pay the bills while I decided what my long-term career goals were.
What was the turning point that made you realise Sewn London was more than a side hustle?
Within months of launching Sewn, influencer Lydia Millen purchased and posted about my products to her 1.2M followers. I couldn’t believe it when I saw her follow me on Instagram and within the hour she had purchased four of our Ayla cushions. I was so grateful for her support. Within hours of her sharing on her social channels, I had thousands of orders and pounds in the bank. I felt such relief that finally, I was going to be able to support myself.
Any other high-profile customers?
Victoria Magrath, the woman behind fashion, travel and beauty blog, ‘Inthefrow’, has purchased from me, and Frankie Gaff and Tiffany Watson from Made in Chelsea. One of my favourite influencers I have an ongoing collaboration with is Chloe Rose. She has worked with us on a gifting basis from the beginning and is such a lovely person to work with.
Where do you find inspiration?
I think Pinterest is my main source of inspiration. I spend hours scrolling and have so many different boards for upcoming projects! I also get inspired by discovering new fabrics, I am constantly ordering fabric samples.
How would you describe the style of your products?
I would say my style is modern country, with a love of neutral fabrics following textures and tones. Our range of products is very versatile and suits all sorts of homes, from trendy modern homes to quintessential country homes. I try to avoid trends and stick to fabrics and designs I know customers will love for many years to come. Hence the stripes: a stripe is such a timeless and versatile print – it can look chic yet relaxed suiting many different styles of interiors.
What are your most popular products?
Our cushions are the core of the business. Our Ayla striped linen cushion was the favourite for many years, but now our Sienna textured linen with fringing is starting to take over. My current favourite is one of our new cushions we have just launched, called Fern – it’s a beautiful linen cushion with green stripes.
What else is new for Sewn London this year?
We have just launched ‘Sewn small’, our very own children’s range of homeware and soft furnishings. I had my nieces, Poppy and Ayla, both 3 and nephew Ezra, 5, help me with the shoot. That was lots of fun.
What do you like doing in your spare time?
I absolutely love travelling and we go away quite a few times throughout the year. I think one of my favourite places we have been to was Positano last summer. And I love a staycation, we recently stayed at Wilderness Reserve and absolutely loved it there.
When you’re back in Sussex, where are your favourite places to go?
Petworth is a lovely place to visit, with lots of nice antique shops, homeware shops and pubs. I love The Half Moon pub in Kirdford, West Sussex, and in East Sussex I love The George in Rye. Rye is such a gorgeous place to potter around, there are lots of independent shops and restaurants, but The George is one of my firm favourites. I actually spent a few years working as a hotel receptionist there for a few years when I graduated from university, so it seems rather special to me.
