Interview with Tacita Brown, founder of Cro-Che

When I had the opportunity to interview Tacita Brown, Founder of Cro-Che, I was so excited as I have admired her beautiful garments after seeing the Under-The-Sea Dress in the iconic fashion magazine, Vogue last summer. In fact, my daughter and I were scrolling through the Vogue site on my phone during a trip to Disneyland. 

My 15 year-old daughter, Ava, loved the nod to mermaids and fishnet – we had a very memorable conversation about this. One that ended with an exclamation – “I would absolutely love to wear that for a formal dress!”

This response to the levelled-up beauty of what is a traditional craft of crochet made me smile. Not least because my grandmother made handbags with crochet techniques and I always admired them very much. I have respectfully cared for these and bring them out for more formal occasions as a talking point to celebrate family. 

The spirit and energy Tacita Brown brings into celebrating the artisan skill of the women who create her beautiful pieces, is inspirational. The kind of response my daughter had when we discovered Cro-Che in Vogue last summer is the same response women all over the world are having as they find Tacita Brown’s work, notably also celebrated by the fashion world and iconic models like Bella Hadid. 

I am delighted to share this conversation with such an inspiring and young entrepreneur creating eco-friendly and waste-free clothing that is playful and fun. Enjoy.

How did you learn to crochet?

I learnt to crochet when I decided to launch Cro-Che, as I felt it was important to try and learn the craft if I was launching a business which only used the method of crochet to produce its clothes! I taught myself the cluster flower first, which is a very simple 5 petal design, which has in fact become our logo. However, I'd like to admit that I have VERY basic skills, nothing comparable to the skilled ladies who create our gorgeous dresses. 

I love that you learnt to crochet in the context of an entrepreneurial endeavour. The passion for creating a response to climate change through a no-waste clothing line shares your passion for the planet in your work. I love this. How did you come to learn that crochet could be a no-waste way of creating a clothing line?

I wanted to start a clothing brand which began with the people who make the clothes, and the process of how the clothes are made. I spent a long time researching the most planet positive ways to produce clothes, and for me it's crochet. Why? Because there is zero or very little waste, you only use what you need. You create something beautiful from nothing. Crochet can only be made by hand too, there is no such thing as a crochet machine, which I thought was really important. Everything is handmade by female artisans in Indonesia. 

Who is your biggest influence? 

I am influenced by so many different things - pop culture, art, nature and music for example. Our first collection Sally Go Around the Roses, was named after Andy Warhol's favourite song. Apparently it was the only song he listened to in his studio. The collection was heavily inspired by the mods, and each dress was named after some of my favourite Motown Songs.

My grandmother was an expert crochet artist. Learning from her and watching her work, I understand the detail and consistency in the practice of this craft, which leads me to ask how do you find the right employees to make consistent quality in your designs? For example, the striped dress in the Sally Go Round the Roses Collection includes such detail in design.

Everything is handmade by female artisans in Indonesia. I employ these ladies to work from their own homes, they do not have to leave their families to find work in big cities which often have unsafe working conditions. I draw and design everything in the UK. I totally trust these ladies to produce high quality crochet. I have been out to meet them, and hope to go back out this year. I also appreciate that this is slow fashion, and quality does take time, so it's important for me to respect that, and not give them unrealistic or difficult deadlines. We also speak everyday on Whatsapp, as it's really important to have good communication, so if there is a problem, or if they have a question it can be easily resolved.

Employing women who are able to create clothing from home, how does it feel now to have created an economy of scale? 

Super great, something I feel very proud of. I want to expand this to work in more communities - more female artisans in different countries. It's important for me to meet these ladies - due to Covid, it hasn't been easy to travel, but I'm feeling positive for 2022!

You have been featured in major fashion magazines like Vogue and have been worn by celebrities like Bella Hadid, Dua Lipa (above) and royals like Lady Ameila Windsor. Did you anticipate such celebrity interest after launching a company during a pandemic? Did you know you were on to something?

I design things that I really love and that I want to wear, and I believed everybody else would like them too - I guess I'm quite a positive person with things like that. Launching in the midst of a global pandemic was not ideal, but again I just carried on, as there was no other option. However, it is so mega when I see a huge celebrity wear one of my designs. It's also amazing when I pass somebody I don't know in the street wearing a Cro-Che dress - this happened a few times last summer which was super cool. 

Creating playful fun designs and saving the planet are a focus in your business. Do you have advice for women who want to shift the concern about global climate change to that of hope? 

Love that. Positivity is contagious! We must be positive, to encourage people to be more sustainable in their everyday life choices.

What is next Cro Che and Tacita Brown?

We are bringing out our new SS22 collection very soon, which I'm super excited about. It is the first time we have incorporated hand beading to some of these pieces. The collection is heavily inspired from the early 2000s, my teenage years, it's super fun and I can’t wait to share it with you.

Tacita, we can’t wait to see the new SS22 collection! Thank you for this kind sharing about your entrepreneurial process and beneficial impacts in the lives of women and the planet. Thanks for being a contributor to positivity in the world. 

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Angela Rosoff is a Health Coach and writer in San Francisco.

She teaches clients 1:1 how to live the life they imagine by tuning into their self-healing power and unlocking their identity to age gracefully with holistic practices of mindset, nutrition, and yoga for face & body. Subscribe to Angela’s free monthly wellness newsletter at her website, https://yoginiprana.live/subscribe/