EKO Sense

Helen Davies has created a luxurious range of clothing that not only feels and looks fantastic, but is also kind to the environment.

Helen grew up in Cornwall but left after school to study fashion design at the University of Creative Arts in Surrey. After time spent working in London for labels like JoJo Maman Bebe and Natural Colour Cotton, she attended one of InvestinCornwall’s ‘I’d Rather be in Cornwall Club’ events and returned to Cornwall in 2009 keen to start her own label.

Taking her inspiration from the colours of the Cornish coast and the iconic modern art of sculptor Barbara Hepworth, Helen created EKO Sense - a range of luxurious, easy to wear women’s clothing that can take its wearers from the beach to the bar.

Helen felt it important to use eco fabrics and organically produced fibres in her clothing. “I’ve been working with organic and ethically-produced textiles since my final year at fashion college,” said Helen. “Bamboo and soyabean fabrics are fantastic to work with because they are so soft and drape beautifully.”

Bamboo is a quick growing plant that does not require pesticides to thrive. That means the supply is plentiful and organic. Bamboo is also water absorbent and contains antibacterial and insulating properties that make it ideal for sports wear – like the EKO Sense yoga range.

Clothing manufactured from soyabean fibres not only drapes well and feels cashmere-soft, the fabric is also good for you. Soyabean fibres contain amino acids that are healthy and nutritional to the skin.

Once Helen designs the clothing and sources her fabrics, they are created in Turkey before being sent to her base in St Just for distribution.

Helen is passionate about clothing and obviously knows a great deal about design and fabrics. However when she started EKO Sense she admits she was in the dark when it came to the day to day running of a business. She said: ‘I learned a lot of it as I went along. I also met with Lucy Jewson from Frugi who was great and gave me a lot of advice’. EKO Sense received assistance from Cornish business support services including YTKO’s ‘Partner to Succeed’, Unlocking Cornish Potential’s (UCP) Start Up scheme and Business Link. Helen also became a member of Cornish network The Hub and won the coveted Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2009.

Helen has plans for expansion in 2010 and hopes to soon be in a position to move to larger premises and take on some staff members. At present the EKO Sense market is sold wholesale in 22 boutiques nationwide, including their flagship shop Onda in St Mawes. Helen also sells her collection online at http://www.ekosense.co.uk/.