Cath Kidston Kings Road, London Middlesex England

Cath Kidston Ltd was founded in 1993 when designer Cath Kidston opened a tiny shop in London’s Holland Park. She began by selling the vintage fabrics, wallpapers and brightly-painted junk furniture she remembered fondly from her childhood. Her clever, witty re-working of traditional English country house style meant that her shop soon became a cult success.

Gradually Cath began to design her own prints and products. One of the first was a printed ironing board cover – practical, quirky and with a distinctive floral print, it has come to epitomize the Cath Kidston look. The product base has expanded steadily to include an extensive range of homewares as well as women’s fashion and accessories and the 2008 launch of the Cath Kids brand. Various products are manufactured under license by companies such as Churchill China and Fulton Umbrellas. 

Over the years Cath Kidston’s high-profile collaborations have included creating tents with Millets (2005-6), Nokia mobile phones with Carphone Warehouse (2006) and collectible radios with Roberts (2005 onwards).  In 2008 Cath Kidston collaborated with Tesco and Marie Curie Cancer Care to produce printed eco shopping bags made from plastic bottles which raised over £485k for the charity. Cath Kidston has also published five books, most recently Sew! with Quadrille in October 2009 – a follow up to 2008’s hugely successful Make! book.

Cath Kidston Limited has expanded steadily to become the unique global lifestyle brand it is today, with Cath remaining the Creative Director. Currently there are 28 shops and concessions in the UK, three pop-up shops, two shops in the Republic of Ireland, seven in Japan and one in Kuwait.