In a world where fast fashion dominates, The Little Blazer Company® stands apart - redefining luxury childrenswear through craftsmanship, sustainability, and timeless British style.
Founded by Ria, a mother driven by purpose, passion, and a desire to create heirloom-quality kids’ blazers, the brand has quickly become a name to know in premium children’s fashion. What began with a search for colourful, well-made blazers for her daughters soon revealed a gap in the market - one Ria boldly stepped in to fill with vibrant Harris Tweed®, character-rich embroidery, and gender-neutral tailoring built to last.
In this Founder Q&A with The Little Blazer Company®, we delve into Ria’s journey from motherhood to becoming a female founder, her slow-fashion values, and the meticulous craftsmanship that makes each blazer so special.
What inspired you to launch The Little Blazer Company, and how did your background influence the way you design and develop children’s blazers?
Taking time out of the corporate world to be at home with our eldest - who was born with a physical difference - became a pivotal moment. It created the space to pause, rethink the future, and consider the kind of work that would genuinely matter for our family. When I began exploring the idea of starting a business, I knew I wanted to build something meaningful, something I could feel deeply passionate about, something that added real value and had the potential to scale.
Becoming a mother sharpened that clarity even further. It made me question the kinds of products I wanted to dress my daughters in - pieces that were ethical, sustainably made, beautiful, and practical. When it came to specialising in children’s blazers, the truth is I stumbled across a huge gap in the market. I’ve always loved the tweed blazer and jeans combination, but when I searched for that same inspiration in childrenswear, it was… uninspiring. There were no vibrant tweed colours, no bold, high-stitch embroidery, and very few blazers that offered a traditional, British, structured silhouette while still providing comfort, softness, and freedom of movement - qualities you quickly realise are absolutely essential when dressing children.
Designing our Alpha Collection felt instinctive. Despite not coming from a retail or design background, the process unfolded naturally. My background in the arts - and later in leading a global digital and marketing recruitment practice - shaped how I approached the creative and strategic elements. Our mantra, Colour • Character • Comfort, became the foundation for reimagining children’s blazer tailoring in a way that felt modern yet genuinely child-centred. I wanted to prove that a high-end tailored look for children could also be soft, expressive, malleable, and made for real life.
Launching a startup in the premium, niche childrenswear space has been hugely challenging. Being a female founder is an important part of that story. Raising significant investment pre-launch, navigating a male-dominated landscape, and balancing motherhood hasn’t been easy - but it has been profoundly empowering. I want my daughters, and future female founders, to see what’s possible. My hope is that my future story shows that dreaming boldly, trusting your passion, and building something extraordinary on your own terms is not only possible - but powerful.
Can you share a moment that shaped your passion for craftsmanship and premium kids’ fashion?
A defining moment was being invited by Harris Tweed® Hebrides to design bespoke cloths exclusively for The Little Blazer Company®. It brought together so many of my passions - heritage craftsmanship, premium materials, colour, and meaningful, innovative design.
It was also the moment I fully appreciated that only 1–2% of garments globally are made from wool, and that choosing to work with 100% pure new wool placed our blazers within a rare, premium, and investment-level category. That understanding deepened my commitment to honouring the material through thoughtful design, meticulous tailoring, and impeccable construction.
Designing our Harris Tweed® cloths - alongside my own hand-drawn character icons - was genuinely joyful. Watching each icon evolve into a high-stitch-count embroidery added a layer of luxury, personality, and depth to every blazer. Combined with careful tailoring, the result is a garment that feels truly handcrafted, considered, and full of character.
That process crystallised what I wanted to build: heirloom-quality, beautiful pieces that celebrate individuality and specialist craftsmanship - designed to be worn, loved, and passed down.
As a founder, what values matter most to you when creating luxury children’s clothing that parents can trust and treasure?
Authenticity is foundational - every decision we make reflects a long-term mindset. Our aim isn’t simply to create beautiful pieces, but heirloom garments that become part of a family’s story. Whether it’s our blazers or our collaborative bracelet collections, everything is crafted end-to-end in the UK, supporting local artisans and ensuring exceptional quality.
Inclusion is another core pillar. Our brand celebrates all personalities, differences, and backgrounds. We recognise every child’s need for self-expression, and each vibrant piece is adorned with an embroidered icon that reflects an expression of character. Empowering our mini trailblazers to embrace who they are is at the heart of everything we do.
Ethical and sustainable production guides us too. We use durable, high-quality materials - not only to ensure longevity for families, but to uphold our responsibility as a brand.
Giving back has been important since day one. Our collaborations with The King’s Trust, Freya Rose, and the NSPCC being particular highlights, as was our runway debut during NYFW to raise funds for childhood cancer.
And finally, delivering exceptional customer service and a genuine commitment to our community are values we hold with pride. We want every parent to feel supported, understood, and part of something special.
Above all, I want parents to trust that choosing TLBC means investing in pieces that combine thoughtful design, ethical values, British craftsmanship, and enduring quality - products made for today, and for generations to come.
How has becoming a parent influenced your approach to designing timeless, high-quality pieces for children?
Parenthood shaped absolutely everything about the way I design. The Little Blazer Company simply wouldn’t exist without the influence of our two daughters. They inspired our vibrant-yet-subtle colour palette, our playful embroidered icons, and the celebration of individuality that sits at the heart of the brand. Watching them move, play, and explore taught me - very quickly - that comfort, practicality, and versatility matter just as much as style. Beautiful structure means nothing if a child can’t move freely or feel at ease.
It also completely reframed my view of “occasion wear.” There’s very little value in dressing a child in a beautiful blazer if they wear it for twenty minutes, smile for a photograph, and then spend the rest of the day desperate to take it off. The memory attached to that garment becomes discomfort, not joy. Our blazers are intentionally designed to be both photo-worthy and all-day wearable - the piece they want to keep on, not the one they can’t wait to remove. That distinction is everything.
I’ll never forget our first major photoshoot. We had eight young models, and not one of them wanted to take their blazers off. They climbed, tumbled, rolled, and raced around the studio - while my shoot director looked on in horror because these were our only samples. But I insisted they continue playing. Their energy and authenticity were exactly the validation I needed. Children are wonderfully honest, and their enthusiasm that day told me more than any adult focus group ever could.
My heart genuinely broke when one little boy ended up in tears because he didn’t want to hand his blazer back. If those samples hadn’t been our only ones, I would have sent each child home with theirs. They had shown so much joy wearing them - a moment I’ll carry with me forever.
Becoming a parent also gives you a front-row seat to how different two children from the same home can be - different personalities, styles, and passions. Watching that unfold made it clear how important it is to offer children choice, freedom, and space to express themselves. Why should colour, style, or tailoring be restricted by gender? That realisation naturally led to our gender-neutral design philosophy: clothing created for individuality, not categories.
At TLBC, we blend timeless British tailoring with playful modern personality. Every blazer is handcrafted in the UK using fabrics chosen for comfort and sensitive skin - structured yet soft, stylish yet versatile, designed to be worn across seasons and for every kind of adventure.
Parenthood has taught me that children’s clothing should empower confidence, support movement, and endure beautifully over time. That belief guides every decision we make.
What does “slow fashion for kids” mean to you, and how does it guide your brand and product decisions?
Slow fashion for kids is about creating timeless, durable, ethically made pieces that are loved, cherished, and passed down. It prioritises quality over quantity and honours craftsmanship, sustainability, and intention at every stage of the process.
Our blazers are made end-to-end in London from 100% pure new wool, paired with soft vegan satin linings and high-stitch-count embroidery. Working closely with specialist UK craftsmen enables us to minimise our carbon footprint while maintaining exceptional quality and traceability.
We operate a low-SKU, high-quality model, focusing on detail, longevity, and heirloom potential. Even the presentation reflects this philosophy: each blazer arrives beautifully packaged in a keepsake box and comes with a complimentary, limited-edition handmade blazer carrier - protecting the garment from one adventure to the next and helping families treasure, store, and eventually pass it on.
Supporting slow fashion is at the core of every product decision we make - both within our own collections and in any collaboration we undertake. Every piece must hold purpose, integrity, and lasting value.
For us, slow fashion is a commitment to craft, care, and legacy - creating garments that bring joy today and remain meaningful for years to come, in a world increasingly shaped by fast, disposable fashion.
How would you describe the craftsmanship behind each blazer?
From my very first sketches, I had a clear vision for the cut and form of our blazers - I wanted a timeless, classic silhouette that feels sharp yet effortless for children to wear. Bringing that vision to life has been a meticulous process. I worked closely with our specialist team in London, moving through multiple rounds of sampling, revisiting the fit, working with different cloths and refining every detail.
Achieving a silhouette that flatters different body types, delivers complete freedom of movement, and maintains its clean form even in our very smallest sizes is incredibly specialist work. I feel genuinely fortunate to have found a team capable of delivering that vision with such precision and care.
We champion Colour, Character, and Comfort: a refined reimagining of children’s tailoring that puts individuality and ease at the heart of every piece.
What sets your blazers apart from other children’s outerwear brands?
We are proud to be the first global collection of gender-neutral blazers for children - and there is truly nothing like us on the market. Our designs are unique, revolutionary, and groundbreaking for the niche, bringing a level of tailoring, intention, and originality rarely seen in kids’ outerwear.
Our blazers strike the perfect balance between structure, comfort, and personality. Where many children’s blazers are either stiff and restrictive or overly soft and shapeless, ours hold their form while still allowing unrestricted movement - making them ideal for both everyday play and special occasions.
Each piece carries its own identity through vibrant colour palettes, meaningful high-stitch embroidery, and a fully gender-neutral design approach. Made from 100% pure new wool, they are investment-quality, heirloom garments crafted to be loved, worn, and passed down.
Our collection is genuinely one-of-a-kind, earning multi-award recognition and admiration from the fashion elite - from Florence to London to New York.
And the excitement doesn’t end there. The adult market has taken notice too. Families love the pieces so much that our adult collection is launching soon, allowing parents to match their children in beautifully tailored, timeless designs.
Can you walk us through the design journey of designing blazers?
The design process for me started with research and observation - understanding the way children move, the fit and structure of traditional tailoring, and the gaps in the current market for gender-neutral pieces. From there, I moved to the sketchbook, translating these insights into silhouettes that would be timeless yet modern, structured yet soft. Every line and proportion considered to ensure the blazer design would complement different body types while remaining practical for everyday life.
Next came fabric selection. After considering with various cloth samples, I decided to work with Harris Tweed Hebrides for the qualities the cloth gives - featherweight, breathable, and soft against the skin, cloth especially selected for sensitive skin. The tactile qualities of the fabric are as important as its aesthetic and I wanted it to drape beautifully, while holding the blazer’s shape, remaining comfortable for active children.
Once I had chosen the fabric and designed the cloths, pattern development began. Each cut was meticulously engineered to balance structure with freedom of movement. We created multiple prototypes, adjusting everything from shoulder slope to sleeve length, back vents, and ease across the body, ensuring that even the smallest sizes maintain sharp form without restricting play.
Sampling is an iterative process. Every piece is tested, tweaked, and retested - sometimes several times - to perfect the proportions and refine the finishing details. It’s here that we decided on the placement of pockets, the lining, button styles, and of course our large high-stitch embroidery icons that bring character and individuality to each blazer.
Finally, each blazer underwent rigorous quality checks. The seams, stitching, and finishes were all examined to ensure they meet my high standards for longevity and durability. The result - a garment that is not only polished and versatile but truly heirloom-quality - a blazer that combines structure, comfort, and personality, designed to be worn, loved, and passed down.
What drew you to working with Harris Tweed?
I’ve always loved the tweed-blazer-and-jeans look - timeless, effortless, and full of personality. Harris Tweed embodies everything I value: ethical practice, heritage, authenticity, durability, and British craftsmanship. Its strength and longevity make it perfect for children’s clothing designed to last.
Supporting Harris Tweed is also about preserving heritage and sustaining remote Scottish island communities, with handwoven cloth produced exclusively in the Outer Hebrides. Using Harris Tweed enables us to honour tradition, craftsmanship, and ethical production while creating meaningful, enduring garments.
How do you ensure authenticity, sustainability, and traceability of Harris Tweed?
Every metre of our bespoke Harris Tweed is exclusive to TLBC, designed with Harris Tweed Hebrides and produced in the Outer Hebrides. It carries the Harris Tweed Orb certification, ensuring 100% pure new wool, handwoven by skilled island artisans, and traceable to its source.
Finished end-to-end in London, our blazers maintain exceptional quality, ethical standards, and a minimal carbon footprint, combining bespoke cloth with UK-based craftsmanship to create heirloom-worthy pieces.
For parents unfamiliar with Harris Tweed, what are the key benefits?
Harris Tweed cloth is breathable, durable, and naturally temperature-regulating, keeping children warm in winter and cool in summer. Our featherweight cloth is soft, malleable, and gentle on sensitive skin, countering the misconception that tweed is heavy or itchy.
Versatile and practical, our blazers can be worn as a mid-layer or outer layer, suitable for everyday adventures or special occasions. Beyond utility, they elevate outfits effortlessly, combining structure, comfort, and timeless British luxury.
What new products or collections are you most excited to launch?
Our adult matching blazer collection is next to launch - one of our most requested additions, inspired by the success of our collaborative bracelet collection for both adults and children. It allows families to enjoy beautifully tailored pieces together, extending our signature design and craftsmanship to grown-ups.
Looking ahead, we’re also excited to explore further UK-made collaborations alongside new seasonal collections. These will feature fresh colourways, embroidered icons, and expressions of character - all designed to complement our core pieces and continue celebrating individuality. From innovative fabrics to thoughtful detailing, every new product builds on the hallmarks of The Little Blazer Company: quality, personality, and timeless style.
Are you exploring new colourways, seasonal fabrics or limited editions?
Absolutely. We continue to develop on or original six-piece vibrant spectrum, planning new colour themes. Limited edition pieces that maintain exclusivity and slow-fashion ethos, is key. Seasonal fabrics also bring fresh textures, tones, and storytelling to our collection story.
How do you approach fit, comfort, and movement?
Fit and comfort are central. Blazers are structured yet soft, made from featherweight, temperature-regulating wool, designed to move with children while maintaining polished, high-end aesthetics. Traditional tailoring is balanced with practical, child-friendly functionality.
What feedback has influenced new designs?
The feedback we’ve received from our customers has been overwhelmingly positive - a testament to the meticulous design process behind every blazer. We’re proud to have a zero-return rate across both our blazer and bracelet heirloom collections, a reflection of the quality we promise and consistently deliver.
We also genuinely value the dialogue with our community. Hearing from families about new cloths, embroidered icons, or finishing touches they’d love to see inspires and informs our creative direction. Their insights play a meaningful role as we develop our second collection, ensuring each new piece continues to champion individuality, quality, and timeless style.
Our community also shapes our collaborative journey. Following the success of our summer bracelet partnership with Toolally, their excitement around future collaborations has been incredibly energising - guiding the partnerships and product ideas we explore next.
How do you ensure long-lasting quality?
Quality is at the heart of everything we do. We follow a highly structured and meticulous quality-checking process, with continuous touchpoints between myself and our specialist team. Our standards are exceptionally high - the team knows that if a piece isn’t exactly as it should be, it simply won’t be approved. Nothing leaves our studio unless it meets the level of craftsmanship we’re known for.
Because each blazer is handcrafted, no two pieces are absolutely identical, and that is part of their charm. However, we maintain a rigorous framework to ensure the silhouette, structure, and overall form remain consistent and true to our design vision. This disciplined approach guarantees that every customer receives a blazer that reflects the highest standard of durability, design integrity, and refined tailoring - a piece built to last, be loved, and be passed down.
What steps are you taking to make the brand sustainable?
Sustainability is embedded into every decision we make at The Little Blazer Company. For us, it begins with responsible production: all our blazers are crafted end-to-end in London by specialist makers who work in fair, safe, and transparent environments. Keeping our supply chain local not only supports British craftsmanship but also significantly reduces our transport footprint.
We design with longevity at the forefront. Our silhouettes are timeless, our Harris Tweed® cloth is ethical, durable, and every blazer is intentionally made to be worn, loved, and eventually passed down. Investing in high-quality materials and construction is our way of reducing waste - fewer disposable garments, more heirloom pieces.
Material choice is the next pillar. We collaborate with Harris Tweed® Hebrides to create featherweight, breathable cloth made from 100% pure new wool - a natural, renewable fibre that offers exceptional durability. Our vegan linings and trims are selected for both comfort and responsibility, ensuring each garment feels as good as it performs.
We also produce in small, carefully planned batches to avoid overproduction. Because every blazer is handmade, nothing is created in excess - each piece has a purpose and a home. Throughout development, we minimise waste by working efficiently with our fabric and refining patterns to reduce offcuts.
Packaging is another intentional area. We use UK made packaging, designed to protect the blazers without unnecessary materials, and we’re continuously exploring ways to make this even more environmentally considerate.
Above all, we believe sustainability is also about transparency and community. We openly share our processes, encourage thoughtful purchasing, and design garments that support a slower, more meaningful approach to children’s fashion. As we grow, our commitment is to deepen these principles - expanding responsibly, collaborating with UK makers, and continuing to craft timeless pieces that stand the test of time in both quality and conscience.
Where do you see The Little Blazer Company® in the next few years?
In the coming years, we hope to become a global leader in gender-neutral, luxury children’s tailoring - championing individuality, colour, and British craftsmanship on an international stage. Our ambition is to grow into a fully realised lifestyle brand, expanding into adult blazers and developing carefully curated collaborations that reflect our values of sustainability, ethical production, and exceptional design.
We also plan to continue earning recognition from leading fashion authorities, further redefining children’s tailoring to be bold, meaningful, modern, and unmistakably British. Through this, we hope to inspire families worldwide to choose garments that are expressive, beautiful, and built to last.
Beyond our products, we are committed to contributing positively to the world around us. We will continue supporting initiatives that empower and inspire children globally - championing inclusion, diversity, creativity, and innovation. From design-led programmes to community partnerships and charitable collaborations, giving back both locally and internationally will remain a central part of our mission as we grow.
Ria’s story is a reminder that when design, purpose and craft align, something truly meaningful is created. The Little Blazer Company® is more than beautiful tailoring - it’s slow fashion for children, investment pieces to be loved, worn, and passed down. From Harris Tweed® cloth handwoven in the Outer Hebrides to bespoke icons, heirloom-quality construction, and UK-made production, the brand champions conscious luxury in every stitch.
As TLBC expands into adult collections, new colourways, and limited editions, its mission remains clear: celebrate individuality, support British craftsmanship, and design blazers that last beyond a season - becoming part of family stories for years to come.
If you love ethical kids’ fashion, premium tailoring for children, and timeless pieces with personality, The Little Blazer Company® is a brand to watch, support, and share.
