Malton based designer Merryn Wilderspin creates a Yorkshire Tartan design for bags and scarves

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The collection printed on leather features a colour palette typically associated with the county’s flag – blue, green, white and yellow. “When I realised that I wanted a special and exclusive design that celebrated my Yorkshire heritage and identified TVFMR as a Yorkshire brand, I decided on a tartan in Yorkshire colours as I’ve always loved the timeless pattern and it seemed like the perfect fit,” she says.

Merryn is from Scarborough, where in the 1920s, her grandparents established a toy and sports equipment business, Wilderspin Sports, where the young Merryn helped as a girl. After studying she had an 11-year career in London in real estate development. Following a five-year stint with Balfour Beatty as development director at the Specialist Homes Division, she entered the world of digital technology as the recession hit in 1992. Here she spent 25 years managing the development and delivery of largescale web-based business applications.

She returned home to Yorkshire in 2014 to care for her late parents. She settled back into rural life in her home between Malton and Pickering, volunteering at the Milton Rooms in Malton. “Then Covid hit, and it gave me a natural break to think about what I should do next,” she recalls. “I had a lifelong love for photography, and I began posting images of the moors, coast and my garden. I had a huge response – the uplifting images lit up people’s lives.”

Merryn launched The View From My Rear business – the name inspired by the view of a rainbow arched over the cornfield she saw from the back of her garden. “When I saw that beautiful rainbow at a time when we all needed some joy in our lives, I knew I had to use that inspiration for good. The name makes people laugh.

“I began with photographic art prints and canvases of landscapes and iconic places and added abstract prints of my garden, flowers and trees. I have an instinct to create colourful and vibrant artwork that has appeal. I had a vast archive to draw on and soon produced merchandisecollections.” These now include prints, stationery, bags, clothing, scarves, homeware and travel accessories.

Then she turned to the idea of launching a flagship collection of bags and accessories featuring tartan. “The decision to use colours typically associated with Yorkshire was a logical choice and I chose tartan as it’s my favourite classic pattern and links nicely to Scottish history relating to my Wilderspin surname.”

She used a design tool which creates authentic tartan textile patterns as developed by St Kilda, a traditional Scottish weaving company.

“From an authentic tartan viewpoint, it’s the sett pattern created by weave, weft and thread-count that’s all important and which not only provides the means to ultimately weave related tartan cloth but also officially distinguishes one tartan from another,” she explains. The Scottish Register of Tartans officially registered her design as the Merryn Wilderspin tartan.

The ‘Yorkshire Tartan’ design is printed onto soft Nappa leather, which is then cut to shape, sewn and finished by hand, combining a blend of digital printing techniques and traditional artisan skills.

The bags are constructed from 100 per cent Nappa leather – a soft, fine-grained leather which is renowned for its luxurious feel, smooth finish and durability. Faux leather options for vegans are planned for later this year.

“This project has been years in the making, but I’m thrilled to finally introduce this vibrant range of chic bags and accessories,” Merryn says. “It’s been a steep learning curve and an exciting journey to bring the collection to life.”

Models gathered at Goathland railway station to showcase the tartan collection, which includes the hobo bag, mini shopper, mini backpack, round box bag, flap over box bag, metal frame bag, clutch, cardholder, zip purse, fold over purse, men’s wallet, tote shopper, bucket tote, slouch bag, cabin case, duffle bag, holdall, messenger bag, wash bag, bum bag, laptop, MacBook, iPad and cases and umbrella. Outfits were provided by Master Debonair and Jigsaw.

“It was wonderful to see the collection matched with a wide range of outfits,” Merryn says. “Tartan looks smart, is much-loved and works well in any season, for any occasion and is perfect for travel.”

Merryn is constantly coming up with ideas for TVFMR and enthusiastically expanding the range. Next in the pipeline are two designs to coincide with Whitby’s Steampunk weekend in July and Goth weekend in November.

The logo for TVFMY is an oak tree in the field behind Merryn’s home – the business model which centres on ‘made-to-order’ is in tune with the concept of slow fashion, sustainable, eco-friendly products and ethical production from specialist British suppliers.

Merryn is keen to avoid waste in her business. “As a result of the fast fashion issues of overstocking and high levels of annual landfill, the sector is witnessing the start of substantial change,” she says.

“There is greater emphasis on wardrobe longevity, repair and recycling. My TVFMR business model centres on the made-to-order, slow fashion approach, which means I can showcase new and niche collections without investing in stock or being adversely affected by trends and fashion fads.”

Every product is handmade to order online and usually takes between three and 15 days for delivery.

All from tvfmr.com