At Red, we make no secret of our love for cool, independent brands, and the latest label to dominate our wishlist is British, affordable, and female-led too. Damson Madder has been on our radar for some time now – its cult popularity with celebrities, fashion editors, and influencers alike means it never leaves our Instagram feeds – but its dominance of Copenhagen Fashion Week SS25 street style is sure to take it to new heights.

Buy Damson Madder now

Even if you’ve never heard the name Damson Madder, you’ll definitely recognise the Dakota puff sleeve bow midi dress; it was all over the front row at London Fashion Week SS24 and the gingham version in particular is a real social media favourite. The statement bows on the front are perfectly in keeping with the ongoing hyper-feminine ‘flirt’ trend and the flowing cut makes it easy to throw on and wonderfully comfortable to wear.

Still not? You might have spotted the brand at Anthropologie, where you can currently find 42 of its pieces, as well as Urban Outfitters, ASOS and Harvey Nichols. Or you might have admired Anya Taylor-Joy’s outfit at the Cannes Film Festival in May, when she wore Damson Madder’s cream Lola blouse (£75) with a pretty blue bow print (see above).

If you’re not familiar with the label, this piece sums up its “romantic but cool” modern vintage aesthetic well – again, look out for the airy balloon sleeves, oversized ruffled collar and, of course, the signature bows.

Damson Madder was founded in 2020 (a week before lockdown!), so it’s a fairly young label. Founded by Emma Hill and still based in Camden, North London, the label has become the go-to for leopard print clothing – which also happens to be another major trend right now – with the leopard vest and leopard cargo jeans always selling out (check out our fashion director’s styling tips here).

The on-trend oversized scrunchies are another big draw, as is the Edith white nightie (another major micro-trend that took off this summer). But no matter which Damson Madder piece we put on, we instantly feel great and know we’ll be attracting compliments like a magnet, asking us, “Where’s it from?”

Hill focuses on designing timeless clothes that you’ll want to keep in your closet forever, at a price that still seems affordable. She places a strong emphasis on responsible practices – she left the fashion industry after many years after becoming “disillusioned with some of the bad practices” – so Damson Madder pieces are slowly made in small batches from organic and recycled fabrics to minimize their environmental impact. Wondering about the name? When testing natural dyes, two of her early favorites were called “Damson” and “Madder,” and so Damson Madder was born.

While they support the brand’s sustainable ethos, the limited edition collections are a big seller, with 15-35 styles per collection, so if you fall in love at first sight with something you know you’ll wear for a long time, we recommend buying it before it’s gone. No, really: only around 100-350 pieces of each design hit the shelves at a time to keep excess stock out of landfill. We know it’s hard to believe that with such gorgeous clothing, overstocking can happen, but we admire the determined efforts to avoid it.

With that in mind, here are just a few of the Damson Madder pieces on our never-ending wishlist, including some new pieces for Autumn/Winter. A big thank you to your bank balance in advance…

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