Clothing brand founder says taking risk 'worth it'

Jemima Gray recently started selling her clothing from Cavendish House in Cheltenham

A business founder who launched her clothing brand with "a couple of hundred quid in the bank" is preparing to sell her designs at a major event.

Jemima Gray, 26, set up Cotswold Fox Clothing while studying for a master's degree at the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester during the pandemic.

After selling her clothes online and at a pop-up at Cavendish House in Cheltenham, she will be at the Three Counties Show in Malvern this weekend.

Speaking about being a young business founder, she said: "It does feel like a big responsibility sometimes but it's totally worth it."

Ms Gray added: "I had a couple of hundred quid in the bank and literally just started there.

"I designed my first logo on Microsoft Word and set up a free website. It was just one of those things that made me think about something I thought I couldn't do.

"Now, three years later, it's my full-time job."

Cotswold Fox is a unisex clothing brand, featuring gilets, shorts and polo shirts

Ms Gray said being a young business owner can be difficult.

"All my friends have corporate jobs and work in London and it does feel very different to that," Ms Gray said.

"Having that responsibility of investors, shareholders, members of staff, bank loans; all that sort of thing."

Ms Gray said she was approached by the new leaseholders of Cavendish House around a month ago to establish a pop-up shop there.

"I just thought, 'why not?'," she said.

"It's low-cost, low-risk, it's a brilliant space in Cheltenham and I thought it would be a great opportunity just to see what happens."

Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X, and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.