Cath Kidston
Encyclopedia
Catherine Isabel Kidston, born 6 November 1958 and generally known as Cath Kidston, is a British
fashion
designer, businesswoman and author whose company, Cath Kidston Limited sells home furnishings and related goods through shops, online and by mail order. In February 2010, the company was valued at £75 million. She is particularly known for her nostalgic floral patternsand has also published a number of books.
was a renowned sportsman in the 1920's . Also her cousin is Kirsty Allsop.
Raised near Andover in Hampshire, she was educated at various UK boarding schools, later moving to London aged 18. She was employed by the socialite
, Nicky Haslam
, before setting up an interiors
business with a friend, then opening her own shop.
Kidston's partner is record producer
Hugh Padgham
, whom she met as his decorator
. They have homes beside the Thames
in West London, and in Gloucestershire
. She has a step-daughter, Jessica.
in 1993, selling hand-embroidered tea-towels and brightly renovated furniture, and later described it as a "glorified junk shop". As of April 2011, there are 41 shops and concessions in the UK, two in the Republic of Ireland, eleven in Japan and three in Korea, with more due to open in the latter two countries. Appearing on BBC Radio 4
's Desert Island Discs
programme, she described her shops as provoking a 'Marmite reaction' - "People either love it and want a little bit of it very much, or want to stab us."
, number 02808583, on 3 April 1993.
The company's profits jumped more than 60 per cent from £2.9million to £4.6million in the year to March 2009. Sales rose to £31.3m during the period, compared with £19.3m the year before, partly due to new store openings.
In 2010, she sold a majority stake of the company to private equity investors TA Associates
, but retained a minority stake and is the company's Creative Director.
s (2005-6), Nokia
/ Carphone Warehouse (mobile phones, 2006) and Roberts
(radios, 2005 onwards). In 2008 she collaborated with Tesco
to produce shopping bags made from plastic bottle
s, which were sold to raise almost £500,000 for Marie Curie Cancer Care
and saved about six million plastic bottles from landfill.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
fashion
Fashion
Fashion, a general term for a currently popular style or practice, especially in clothing, foot wear, or accessories. Fashion references to anything that is the current trend in look and dress up of a person...
designer, businesswoman and author whose company, Cath Kidston Limited sells home furnishings and related goods through shops, online and by mail order. In February 2010, the company was valued at £75 million. She is particularly known for her nostalgic floral patternsand has also published a number of books.
Personal life
Her grandfather Glen KidstonGlen Kidston
George Pearson Glen Kidston was a record-breaking aviator and motor racing driver from Britain. He was a member of the well known Bentley Boys of the late 1920s, and possibly the wealthiest of that already wealthy set. His father, A.G. Kidston, was a grandson of the original A.G...
was a renowned sportsman in the 1920's . Also her cousin is Kirsty Allsop.
Raised near Andover in Hampshire, she was educated at various UK boarding schools, later moving to London aged 18. She was employed by the socialite
Socialite
A socialite is a person who participates in social activities and spends a significant amount of time entertaining and being entertained at fashionable upper-class events....
, Nicky Haslam
Nicholas Haslam
Nicholas Ponsonby 'Nicky' Haslam is a British interior designer and socialite and founder of the London-based interior design firm NH Design Inc.-Background:...
, before setting up an interiors
Interior design
Interior design describes a group of various yet related projects that involve turning an interior space into an effective setting for the range of human activities are to take place there. An interior designer is someone who conducts such projects...
business with a friend, then opening her own shop.
Kidston's partner is record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Hugh Padgham
Hugh Padgham
Hugh Padgham is a British record producer. He has won many awards, including four Grammys, with Producer of the Year and Engineer of the Year. A 1992 poll in Mix magazine voted him one of the world's Top Ten Most Influential Producers....
, whom she met as his decorator
Decorator
Decorator can refer to:*a house painter and decorator*Interior decoration*Decorator pattern in object-oriented programming*Function decorators, in Python*The Decorator, a 1920 film starring Oliver Hardy...
. They have homes beside the Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
in West London, and in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
. She has a step-daughter, Jessica.
Shops
Kidston opened her first shop in London's Holland ParkHolland Park
Holland Park is a district and a public park in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, in west central London, England.Holland Park has a reputation as an affluent and fashionable area, known for attractive large Victorian townhouses, and high-class shopping and restaurants...
in 1993, selling hand-embroidered tea-towels and brightly renovated furniture, and later described it as a "glorified junk shop". As of April 2011, there are 41 shops and concessions in the UK, two in the Republic of Ireland, eleven in Japan and three in Korea, with more due to open in the latter two countries. Appearing on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
's Desert Island Discs
Desert Island Discs
Desert Island Discs is a BBC Radio 4 programme first broadcast on 29 January 1942. It is the second longest-running radio programme , and is the longest-running factual programme in the history of radio...
programme, she described her shops as provoking a 'Marmite reaction' - "People either love it and want a little bit of it very much, or want to stab us."
Business
Cath Kidston Limited was registered with Companies HouseCompanies House
Companies House is the United Kingdom Registrar of Companies and is an Executive Agency of the United Kingdom Government Department for Business, Innovation and Skills . All forms of companies are incorporated and registered with Companies House and file specific details as required by the...
, number 02808583, on 3 April 1993.
The company's profits jumped more than 60 per cent from £2.9million to £4.6million in the year to March 2009. Sales rose to £31.3m during the period, compared with £19.3m the year before, partly due to new store openings.
In 2010, she sold a majority stake of the company to private equity investors TA Associates
TA Associates
TA Associates, founded in 1968, is one of the oldest private equity firms in the United States. The firm employs a hybrid strategy making growth capital investments in developing companies and acquiring mature companies through leveraged buyout and recapitalization transactions...
, but retained a minority stake and is the company's Creative Director.
Collaborations
Kidston has worked with Milletts to design tentTent
A tent is a shelter consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over or attached to a frame of poles or attached to a supporting rope. While smaller tents may be free-standing or attached to the ground, large tents are usually anchored using guy ropes tied to stakes or tent pegs...
s (2005-6), Nokia
Nokia
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki...
/ Carphone Warehouse (mobile phones, 2006) and Roberts
Roberts Radio
Roberts is a consumer electronics limited company based in Mexborough, South Yorkshire, England. It has been producing radios for over 80 years. Initially the company only traded in the United Kingdom, but now exports worldwide...
(radios, 2005 onwards). In 2008 she collaborated with Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
to produce shopping bags made from plastic bottle
Plastic bottle
A plastic bottle is a bottle constructed of plastic, with a neck that is narrower than its real body and an opening at the top. The mouth of the bottle is normally sealed with a plastic bottle cap. Plastic bottles are typically used to store liquids such as water, soft drinks, motor oil, cooking...
s, which were sold to raise almost £500,000 for Marie Curie Cancer Care
Marie Curie Cancer Care
Marie Curie Cancer Care is a charitable organisation in the United Kingdom which provides nursing care, free of charge, to terminally ill people, giving them the chance to choose to be cared for at home...
and saved about six million plastic bottles from landfill.