The Mastermind, the Shoot, and a Turning Point at Goodwood
It's been one of those weeks that's hard to sum up in a single post, because so much of it has felt significant. A gift that's left us lost for words, a mastermind session that put fire back in my belly, a two-day shoot at Baddow Park, and a weekend at Goodwood Revival that felt like a genuine turning point for the company. Here's the lot of it.
Lockwooded Up
Our fellow director James Martin gave Ruth and me a gift this week that I don't think anyone will ever top: a Land Rover Defender, fully wrapped in Lockwood livery and topped off with a giant tweed flat cap. We're calling it Lockwooded Up. It's easily the best gift I've ever been given, and it's already earning its keep — the amount of attention it's pulled on social media has been extraordinary. If you haven't seen it yet, it's well worth a look.
The Mastermind
This was our second quarterly mastermind session, and it was every bit as challenging as the first. I was pushed hard on the thinking and direction of the company, including plenty of doubt and scepticism about whether staying British made is realistic long term. As always, I pushed back, but more than that I listened, and it's given me even more fire in the belly. I made a quiet commitment to myself when I left the military, almost an oath of allegiance to the British economy, and that's not something I'll ever walk back on. As long as I'm running this company, we manufacture in Britain. Full stop.
Two Days at Baddow Park
We ran our first proper two-day shoot this week — day one in the studio capturing every product in the range, day two out doing lifestyle shots around Baddow Park House itself. Huge thanks to Mike and Grace, who came down for both days, and to Archie and Tilly, who joined us for day two's lifestyle work.
Jen from Be Inspired led the shoot and was outstanding from start to finish, with Hannah stepping in as stylist and assistant alongside her. It was the first time I've watched a whole team work together with barely any input needed from me, which is a strange and brilliant feeling. My mum came down on day two to see it all in full swing, and getting to watch her see how far the company has come, how professional it's all become, was a genuinely proud moment for me. We rounded off the first night with our first ever Lockwood team meal, which felt like exactly the right way to mark it.
Goodwood Revival
Straight from the shoot, we headed down to Goodwood, where we stayed at a friend's house rather than sleeping in the stand as we usually do. Huge thanks to Tom for putting us up.
Goodwood felt like a genuine turning point. We had a noticeably higher number of people buying from us who'd never come across the brand before, drawn in by the stand and the strength of the products on display. Watching people discover us for the first time and walk away with something in hand was genuinely special.
We also got to catch up with some good friends in the trade: the team from Fortis, always a pleasure to talk to Ollie; James Eden from Private White, with whom we've provisionally arranged a visit up to his factory in Manchester; and Octavia from The Well-Heeled Hippie, one of our regular show friends.
We're straight back at it, heading up to Goodwood again tomorrow to watch the racing.
What's Coming
A provisional factory visit to Private White in Manchester
More from the new studio and lifestyle imagery from the Baddow Park shoot
Back to Goodwood for the racing
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