Working at Kinloch Anderson – Interview with a Seamstress

Kinloch Anderson pride ourselves in our handcrafted garments and accessories. Our production supervisor, Frances has worked for the company since 1992 and she reveals some of the passion she has for her job:

“I love being involved in the whole process of making a garment from start to finish. I like something to look as good as it possibly can, to be as close to perfect as possible. When I go home at night I think about what I‘ve made during that day and I wonder if I could have made it any better – I am a perfectionist.”

Frances joined the Company straight from school at 17.  Kinloch Anderson had contacted the school to see if there was any pupils interested in sewing.  Frances went along and knew instantly that she would like to work at Kinloch Anderson.  “I have been taught by some of the best people and I am grateful for that, they were tough but that is the way to learn” she says.

Frances believes the love of beautiful fabrics – wool, silk and cotton and a passion for clothing and fashion are key to a successful career within the industry.

Working with tartan fabrics adds its own technicalities – “It’s a challenge to make the garments look how the piece of tartan looked originally.  You have to match up the sett and that can take ages – but it is always worth it in the end!”  She loves to produce something unique, no one item is the same – it is personal.

She holds great passion for the clothing industry in Britain and would always go out of her way to buy British clothes and is particularly proud to wear garments made in Scotland.