BBC One. Award Shortlisted. Trading Less Than a Year. Meet Britches.

There are start-up stories, and then there is this one.

On 28th April 2026, millions of BBC One viewers will see Kate Hewitt - Midlands-based content creator and Interior Design Masters Series 7 contestant - wearing Britches Workwear for Women. Kate, beloved by over 800,000 followers across Instagram, TikTok and Facebook for her IKEA hacks and budget-friendly furniture transformations, is a genuine Britches customer. No brief. No gifting. No brand deal. Just a woman who wears them because they're made for her.

The same month, Britches has been shortlisted for New Kid On The Block at The Small Awards 2026 - the UK's most respected celebration of inspiring small businesses - with the ceremony taking place on 21st May 2026 in Shoreditch, London.

For a brand that only launched its sell-out pilot in August 2025 and formally launched just before Christmas 2025, the words "remarkable" and "overdue" both apply.

Overdue, because women do the majority of the UK's DIY, decorating, gardening and home-making. They renovate houses, raise families, run creative projects and hold domestic life together with remarkable skill and very little fanfare. And for all of that work - for all of those hours on their knees pulling up flooring, up ladders painting ceilings, elbow-deep in garden beds - the workwear industry offered them absolutely nothing. No dedicated fit. No functional pockets. No colour. No joy. Just men's cast-offs in a smaller size, or nothing at all.

It is, frankly, embarrassing. And it took one woman getting fed up enough to do something about it.

Emma left a corporate career in January 2025 and launched Britches - the UK's first and only workwear brand designed entirely by women, for women. Not adapted. Not shrunk down. Designed from scratch, with women's bodies, women's lives and women's work at the absolute centre of every decision. The result is the Tilly Britch overall - 100% cotton, fully lined, with four deep functional pockets, rollable hems, an elasticated waist, and details (scalloped trim, custom-dyed fabrics, embroidered touches) that make clear these were never an afterthought. Available in four colours from sizes UK 4–24, they retail at £139 and ship worldwide from britches.co.uk.

The response since launch has been extraordinary - and entirely organic. No PR budget. No gifting strategy. Just women finding a brand that finally saw them.

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"I knew there was a gap. I didn't realise quite how enormous it was until women started finding us. Within months of launch we'd been featured in Ideal Home, Style at Home, Living - and now BBC Television. That's not just about trousers that fit. That's women saying: finally, someone saw us."

Emma - Britches Founder

Interior Design Masters Series 7 airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

ABOUT BRITCHES Britches is the UK's only dedicated workwear brand designed by women, for women. Founded in 2025 by Emma (@pagesofemma), Britches makes 100% cotton overalls that fit real bodies, hold real tools, and look joyfully, unapologetically good. Feminist in values, practical in design, and built for the woman who does it all. www.britches.co.uk | @mybritches

ABOUT THE SMALL AWARDS The Small Awards is the UK's leading celebration of small businesses, recognising inspiring companies that demonstrate exceptional progress, innovation and impact. www.thesmallawards.uk

High resolution images available on request