Key takeaways from Original Thinker, Kate Rose

Key takeaways from Original Thinker, Kate Rose

In the latest episode of Original Thinking, O founder Kari Owers sat down with Kate Rose, Founder and Creative Director of TUTTI, to talk about building a fashion and accessories brand over more than 20 years. It is a conversation about brand and growth, but more than anything it is about making the right decisions at the right time and staying close to what made the business special in the first place.

Kate started TUTTI from her mum and dad’s conservatory after studying fashion marketing at Northumbria and struggling to find the creative job she wanted in the North East. What began with jewellery and accessories has grown into clothing, concept stores and a loyal customer community, all built around a clear sense of understated style.

Here are three takeaways from the conversation…

1. Growth doesn’t just mean doing more

After more than 20 years of building TUTTI, Kate reached a point where the business was moving into a new phase. There was a rebrand underway, a store about to launch and a bigger creative vision starting to take shape. From the outside, it was an exciting moment, but Kate talks openly about feeling overwhelmed and burnt out by the weight of decision-making.

For many founders, there comes a point where growth means creating the space to do the work only you can do. For Kate, bringing in an MD helped her move more fully into the creative director role she had always wanted. It gave the business more structure, but it also gave her room to lead the brand with more clarity.

That is a really useful founder lesson – growth sometimes means stepping back so the business can move forward.

2. Real connection is still a serious brand advantage

Kate talks about how much online shopping has changed the way people buy, but also what can get lost when retail becomes too transactional. For TUTTI, customer connection has become one of the brand’s biggest strengths and that is built into the way people experience the brand.

That comes through in the clips around the TUTTI customer, Harbour House and the future of retail. The concept store is not just a place to sell product. Sitting alongside the design studio, it gives customers a chance to see behind the scenes, understand who is behind the brand and feel part of the process.

There is something really smart in that. At a time when so much of retail is designed to be fast and frictionless, TUTTI is leaning into something more humana and the chance to see, touch, try, talk and spend time with the brand in real life.

3. Good taste is knowing what to leave out

The TUTTI brand is built around a very clear point of view, which is what gives it strength. The pieces feel confident because the brand itself knows what it is trying to be.

The same thinking comes through in Kate’s advice on considered business ownership. She talks about trusting your gut when something feels right, but also knowing that you do not have to take every opportunity. There is a lot in that, especially for businesses under pressure to move quickly and keep pace with whatever everyone else appears to be doing.

That feels like one of the biggest messages from the whole episode. Whether Kate is talking about design, retail, leadership or growth, there is a strong sense of knowing when to push forward and when to hold back.

There’s plenty more in the full episode – it’s a clear story of brand, instinct and considered growth.