Who we are

Founder & Managing Director

Veronika believes in the healing power of handicrafts. We are what we wear - so why to put on a dress that doesn't make us feel good? She would like everyone to stop for a moment and think about the material (fibre and its production), and of course, by whom and how the garment was made, and if there is an option to bring the outfit to the creator/ craftsperson for alterations and repairs, or even repurposing/ up-cycling.

Understanding how something is made, why it's made that way, is more vital to sustainable life than ever. Craft is a language of traditions, place of origin, material, and making. With a little of patience and gratitude creating something new from what we already have has the power to satisfy our body and mind, as we can switch off, live in that moment and enjoy creating an authentic object or just darning socks.

Veronika has spent most of her professional career in communications and project management, her main focus and passion lies in building awareness of the beauty and usefulness of crafts. Thus crafts, their development and sustainability, are one of the most important life drivers, motivations and delights in her life.

She is a member of Czech Fashion Council, she helped to launch projects such as Fashion Talk, Fashion Business Workshop, craft workshops (for young as well as adult public), she was also in charge of international students placements as fashion interns and a Summer School Project for fashion fans.

Here on Merseyside she has been also engaged creatively with the local community, writing and producing her own show 'Through the Bohemian Looking Glass' on community radio station Wirral Wave, delivering high quality, engaging and original content with a vast array of musical variety, coupled with my slightly unique cultural contexts and stylish presentation style.

Director of Creative Development

Director of Vintage Fashion, Sustainable Retail & Education

Esther is a senior lecturer at Leeds Business School at Leeds Beckett University and the research lead for retail and consumer marketing, encouraging collaboration in research and publication across the school. She is passionate about the retail experience and extending research in this area, to encapsulate emotional, subjective and symbolic shopping. Esther's research interests are vintage, slow and circular fashion retail, consumer culture, visual merchandising, and the sensory retail experience in physical stores. Prior to entering the academic world, Esther was in charge of visual merchandising  for global fashion retail brands, Oasis and Coast. Esther has also run her own vintage fashion business and continues to maintain a keen interest in vintage fashion, the circular economy and sustainable lifestyles. Currently Esther is focusing on fostering student sense of belonging through student-centred popup events created as assessment activities.

Currently, Esther is researching vintage fashion pricing, the role of British Vogue in shaping the Slow Fashion agenda, ‘what academics wear’ and the role of mirrors in physical fashion and beauty shopping spaces. She is publishing from her PhD the conceptual contribution ‘Spatial Fabric’ and her innovative participative smartphone photographic methodology.

Esther extends learning beyond the classroom into the world of retail, marketing and business with real organisations and real live problems. Her extended network is always brought in to support the students with real projects, assignments and the opportunity to engage externally with future potential employers. This develops students’ transferable skills and confidence. Esther is also passionate about the students she teaches and especially their sense of belonging. She is undertaking a large and multi-departmental project with the student union, IT, wellbeing, the library, careers and admin to investigate this. By exploring the undergraduate students’ feelings about sense of belonging, Esther aims to improve wellbeing and resilience to enhance belonging, which will in turn improve student success, continuation and outcomes. 

Director of Craft Sector

Cathy is passionate about heritage, sustainability, the soil-to-soil approach and the environment. She is encouraging people to have a passion for textile crafts to keep the skills alive and maintain our wellbeing. 

She often starts with raw sheep fleece to weave with, performing every part of the process, namely dyeing, spinning, knitting, weaving, and embroidering. Thus, a raw fibre is turned into a gorgeous unique hand crafted piece that you will treasure forever. She wants to share her passion for colour, textiles and craft with anyone who will listen. Cathy, as Lazykate Textiles, teaches spinning, weaving and dyeing in person and also online.