Ten years ago, I was working from a desk in the corner of our bedroom. My daughter, Vita, had just started walking, she’d toddle around the room while I sketched. I’d only just become a mother, and in a way, I was building something else at the same time, something I hoped might grow alongside her.
Fig. 1 juliet souter
There was no grand plan. No funding. Just a clear idea of the kind of clothing I wanted to wear, and a quiet belief that maybe others might feel the same. Beautiful pieces made to last.
I never imagined how many people would come to be part of this - our team, our makers, the women who wear Marle with such confidence. That shared connection is what’s made the last ten years so special.
Our first collection was all knitwear. I remember holding those first samples and just hoping someone else would feel what I felt in them.
That’s always been the most important part of this for me: how a piece makes you feel - not just on the body, but in the rhythm of your life. At first, I just didn’t like the feel of synthetics on my skin. But over time, that preference became principle. Natural fibres became the heart of what we do - non-negotiable. We couldn’t build Marle any other way.
From the beginning, Justin - my husband - has been by my side. We’ve made each of the big decisions together. I honestly don’t think Marle would exist without that shared belief in what we are creating.
We’ve grown slowly and organically. That’s something I feel proud of - building all of this on our terms, and never compromising on what matters. The fashion industry can be tough and fickle, there’s always noise, always pressure to move faster. But we’ve never chased trends. We’ve stuck to our own rhythm, and that’s what makes it meaningful.
Some of the moments that stay with me aren’t the big milestones. They’re small. Like seeing someone in a different country walk past in Marle, or hearing from a woman who wears one piece over and over again because it makes her feel like herself.
"The dream has always been to make sure our children are proud of us - not just for what we’ve built, but for doing right by the planet."
One day, a great-grandmother and her great-granddaughter came into our retailer’s store, and both walked out with a piece of Marle. Different pieces, but each found something they loved and felt good in. That’s the kind of longevity I care about, not just in how we make things, but in how they resonate across generations.
At the heart of it all is this quiet hope: that our children will be proud, not just of what we’ve built, but of how we’ve done it. That they’ll see we tried to do things the right way, with care for people and the planet, even when it would’ve been easier not to.
And I want to say thank you - to our team, to every person who’s worn Marle, shared it with someone, or felt something in it. You’ve helped shape this brand just as much as we have.
Ten years in, I feel more sure of what matters. And more open - and curious - about what comes next.
Thank you for being part of it with us.
Juliet Souter
“This moment will stay with me - a great-grandmother and her great-granddaughter came into the our retailers store, and they both walked out wearing Marle. Different pieces, but each of them found something they loved and felt good in. That’s the kind of longevity I care about - not just in how we make things, but in how they resonate across generations.”
