Moving to a remote house in the country, whilst six months pregnant is a stressful time for any couple, but Harriet Willis decided to ramp it up another notch and start a side-hustle knitwear business
Harriet Willis runs Flora Percival, a Somerset-based, UK made, knitwear brand, established in 2023.
Interviewing Harriet was such an archetypal Countrywoman’s Guide interview that I’ll describe where we were as we chatted. We were sitting at Harriet’s kitchen table, in her country cottage with a mug of tea poured from a teapot and a pile of gorgeous jumpers in front of us.
As I talked to Harriet about her business journey, I could tell that Flora Percival has been very much created based on her values and a strong need to be making a product that is sustainable and supporting British agriculture.
At one point she says, “a good knitted jumper will last your whole adult life,” and when you combine that statement with her timeless classic designs, you can see the sense in what Harriet’s saying.
With a supportive husband and two young children, as well as a full-time job, we also discussed how Harriet fits it all in – like many people it’s a juggle, but where there’s a will, there’s a way and her determination to create a business that matters, making things that she loves shines through everything she says.
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Podcast Timeline:
0.00 Introductions and start-up story.
6.00 Thrifting and passing clothes around within the family and how that inspired Harriet’s business values.
9.00 Natural fibres and wearing them every day, UK made.
12.30 Deciding on your market and what they want, the customer feedback loop.
15.00 Farming and the countryside.
17.30 Starting out on the Show circuit.
20.00 Harriet’s business journey and the need to be seasonal.
24.00 Business and family – how they co-exist, managing time.
30.00 2025 plans and Harriet’s advice for others.
You can find Harriet’s gorgeous jumpers on her Flora Percival website here and on Instagram here.