Fashion designer leaves London to launch brand in Norfolk countryside

Millie Wykes worked for a rapidly growing firm in the capital for five years before returning to Seething, near Loddon, to found The New Archive.

The New Archive uses recycled and organic fabric to produce sustainable items that look “effortless” and “last for more than just a season”. 

Millie Wykes, 25, is the founder of The New Archive (Image: The New Archive/@emtakes.photos) The 25-year-old wanted to be a fashion designer for “as long as she could remember” and after excelling in textiles classes at school, she studied Fashion Buying and Brand Management at Ravensbourne University London.

While studying, she interned with one of her favourite brands and was invited to stay on full-time. 

The New Archive is a womenswear brand that strives to be sustainable (Image: The New Archive/@emtakes.photos) “I had the most amazing experience in the industry working for a brand that will always remain so close to my heart,” Ms Wykes said.

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“But starting my own fashion brand is something that I have felt was my calling from a very young age – the fact that I now have this opportunity is the biggest pinch me moment.”

The pieces are designed to be worn time and time again (Image: The New Archive/@emtakes.photos)

Since coming back to Norfolk, she has been busy designing, producing, marketing and shipping her own items.

She said she hopes the momentum will continue well into the future so she can fill women’s wardrobes with clothes “designed to make a standout of the every day”.