Once apron a time….!

Hi! I’m Carla Risdon, founder of Risdon & Risdon, the business I run with my two sons Alex and James. The journey to creating this family company started a long time ago in the 1980’s when I chose travel over a career!

Aged 18 I decided it was time to see more of the world…Italy to Singapore, Egypt to Indonesia and plenty of places in between.

After spending several years in Australia, I became a Mum to 3 beautiful children and properly settled back in Shropshire when I was 30. That early wanderlust hadn’t done my career opportunities any good though and finding a decent job kept proving to be impossible.

What I did have however, was my sewing machine…and so at 45, with the children grown up, and having earned money from sewing throughout, I knew it was time to start my own business.

Why aprons? I had seen different aprons during my travels, the people who wore them and the enterprising jobs they did. I wanted to make a very British apron: something that was craftsman built, comfortable, practical and stylish. Design-led but with a traditional feel.

I decided to call upon the help of my sons. Alex turned out to be a natural with leather design and together with James, we designed the brand and themed the photography. Not to be outdone the image of my daughter Amber, with knife in hand, taking a bite out of an apple and wearing one of our aprons has been the brand’s signature image since the start. In 2017 we became Risdon & Risdon Ltd.

Our biggest motivation is helping to share creativity – we really believe individuals and society are much happier and healthier for it. With their apron, we hope people feel a greater sense of purpose and achievement in the work they do. An apron is often an additional part of their tool kit – it is the start and the end of a job - it’s what connects people to their passion. Owning an apron that has seen you through every learning curve, every success and failure, and has been on a journey with you is extremely gratifying and brings a huge sense of pride.