It is 1981, on a wet August day, the Chadwick family steps into a store on Adelaide Street, Penzance. They are quite simply looking for a good pair of waterproof jackets for the three kids, but the end of the story is that they buy the whole store! The assortment includes traditional workwear: fisherman’s shirts, Guernsey sweaters and striped tops. A few months later, they move out of the Midlands, but open a second store in St Ives, Cornwall. The name of the store remains the same: General Clothing Stores.
The customers at that time are the sailors, farmers and fishermen of the area, but what is noticeable is that artists from the area also like to visit. These early days will have a lasting influence on how SEASALT CORNWALL products look today.
The three Chadwick brothers, Leigh, David and Neil, had spent their entire lives in and around the family business, working off and on. When their father Don passed away in 2001, they decided to start their own clothing brand inspired by everything they found special about Cornwall and … SEASALT was born! Fast forward twenty years: the three brothers are still involved in their business every day, as passionate as ever about their product and very proud to be one of Cornwall’s largest employers.
SOPHIE CHADWICK
In 2004, brother Neil met his future wife Sophie, print designer by trade. Sophie’s creativity and commitment became the catalyst for the transformation of the solid family business into the more comprehensive SEASALT CORNWALL. With her love of textile prints and Neil’s endless ideas and enthusiasm, the SEASALT adventure could begin.
However, simplicity has remained SEASALT ‘s first core value and this translates into their signature combination of the beautiful with the useful. The products have a utilitarian feel, but meanwhile only the softest, most comfortable and beautiful fabrics are used. It is as if the Chadwicks want to express their love for ‘the most wonderful place to live and work: Cornwall’ in every detail. SEASALT has never compromised on quality and increasingly outspokenly promotes the importance of sustainable products at a good price. Read all about their second core value here: SUSTAINABILITY.
