Meet Ceilidh Chaplin | Slow fashion, natural dyer.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ceilidh Chaplin and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ceilidh, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I’m from West Wales in the UK. I had a very open and liberal upbringing in the countryside with quite a quirky family. My father was an incredible musician, artist, antique dealer and an all round eccentric character and I do think that had a huge impact on who I am today. I was never “book smart” like my mother and older sisters but I am good with people. And that is one of the things I enjoy most about having a brand actually, the connections and interactions I make with clients and other creators. Sometimes I receive the sweetest and most unexpected messages, it is really one of the best perks to being such a tiny brand, to be able to connect in that way. I have always enjoyed making things with textiles. I went to a Steiner school when I was young and I adored the handwork lessons. I have such fond memories of knitting and felting and cross stitching. I also studied knitwear at London College of Fashion but I never felt drawn to doing fashion the “fashiony” way, if that makes sense? I’m not really that interested in things like fashion week or trends. I just like making what I like making which are usually oversized, comfortable naturally dyed or knitted garments.
One of the biggest things that has impacted who I am today was becoming a mother. I feel like this was the catalyst to me becoming the true me and motherhood, family and children are a huge part of my brand. Billynou is a family affaire and would not exist without my darling daughter Billy.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Billynou is really a slow fashion brand. My passion is to find antique and vintage French textiles and turn them into special and unique garments. I have also spent the last few years learning about and discovering the wondrous world of natural dyes. I wanted to find a non toxic way to colour the overalls I was making and stumbled upon avocado dye making pink. I was sold on natural dyes before I’d even tried my first dye bath. Now I offer in person workshops and naturally dye many of the garments I make. Honestly, my journey hasn’t been super easy and it still has its struggles. It’s hard to get noticed in such a saturated industry but over the years I have built a solid and loyal community for my brand. My goal is not to sell my products to anyone and everyone but to those who will cherish and enjoy their Billynou items. I want to encourage people to think before they buy and step away from mindless consumerism, wearing, re – wearing and repairing the items that they have.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Well I don’t live in a city, I live in a tiny French village in Provence. I love it here because there is nothing and everything. I could never go back to living in a big city like London, for example. The countryside is everything for me.

One of my favourite things to do here is go to the marked every Wednesday morning. I love our local farmers and I know them so well now that they even save me onion skins for my natural dye projects. It just so happens that my best friend is coming to visit from the UK very soon and I will absolutely be taking her to the market. We also spend a lot of time at the rivers here in summer. It’s so hot and it’s just perfect to go and spend all day by the river with a picnic or a bbq.

I would also take my friend to a local villages, Dieulefit, famous for it’s ceramics and Nyons, for it’s olive oil.

Maybe it’s a bit boring but, for me, one of my favourite things to do, is to invite friends over for dinner. I consider that to be a great time, we love hosting and my partner is an incredible cook.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
So my brand Billynou would literally not exist without my family. We are all involved in all aspects of the business. Billy and Folasade,( my daughters) regularly get involved in our YouTube videos and help me in the garden while Alex (my partner) is my photographer, filmer and website designer. He encourages me daily and puts a lot of time, energy and creativity into my brand.

Website: https://www.billynou.com/

Instagram: billynouapparel

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJzrFsUywxmh88MdehJv9qw

Image Credits
Photos by Alexandre Valentino