Bethany Williams creates Capsule Collection exclusively for Selfridges

This London Fashion Week, MA Menswear alumna Bethany Williams, presents her gender neutral capsule coat collection, exclusively for Selfridges. The collection draws on Bethany's inspiration, diving into the heritage of vintage wool blankets from across the UK. Each blanket sourced and used in the collection tells its own individual story and represents various textile techniques unique to town and county. Bethany's upskilling techniques allow the story of this capsule collection to continue. To add to her success, Bethany has also been shortlisted for the British Fashion Council x Vogue Designer Fashion Fund 2021.

“This particular project was inspired by our ongoing work with The Magpie Project, a charity that supports women and children under five in temporary, unsuitable or no  accommodation. The Women’s Institute community creates a personal blanket for every baby born into the Magpie Family. A blanket is so much more than a piece of fabric, it is a feeling of comfort and shelter and I wanted that feeling to be at the heart of this capsule collection.” -  Bethany Williams

Handcrafted in London, the nine upcycled blanket coats are available in three different jacket styles. Each garment is conceptualised by allocating a specific blanket to each style of jacket based on its weight, thickness and colour. The outer material is the blanket wool for optimal  insulation with a 100% organic cotton lining, sourced from Wales. And the story does not end with the wool that was sourced, each element of these coats has a  history. From the UK sourced organic cotton insulation to the handmade wooden buttons made by craftsman Spencer Martin from London Green Wood, a not for profit cooperative,  using Hackney grown wood or waste wood from local tree surgeons. 20% of the profits from this collection will be donated to The Magpie Project via The Bethany Williams Benevolent Fund, a fund set up by The Magpie Project and Bethany Williams London.

“Working in partnership with Bethany Williams and her creative crew is like a dream come true for us, our mums and minis. Bethany's collection brought the issues that blight our families' lives to the attention of a whole new audience - making change increasingly possible. Now the profits from her collection have become a lifeline for mums in moments of crisis. When a mum was forced to move home with 12 hours notice, the Bethany Williams Benevolent Fund paid for a man with a van, which meant that she did not lose the furniture she had saved and saved to buy. When a mum was forced to flee domestic abuse and was housed in a flat  with no beds - the Bethany Williams Benevolent Fund meant that her children did not have to  sleep on the floor.” - Jane Williams, CEO and Founder of The Magpie Project

You can donate to The Bethany Williams Benevolent Fund. This collection is part of Selfridges sustainability initiative, Project Earth, committed to putting sustainability in the heart of the business and reinventing the way we shop.

“We are so thrilled to be continuing our partnership with Bethany Williams. Bethany joined the Selfridges menswear edit as part of our Bright New Things programme, and we are so excited to now be launching this collection straight from her LFW presentation. She was a clear choice to be included as one of our key Project Earth partners due to her innovative approach to sustainable and socially conscious work"​ - Jack Cassidy, Head of Menswear at Selfridges.