About Us
We are a vibrant, proudly women-led business based in rural Somerset, UK. We're proud to be the first ever clothing brand to put color theory and expertise at the heart of our business. We use our passion for color, and 20 years experience with color theory and analysis, to create wardrobe essentials in colors that love you back, all year round.
Our Vision
We want to help every woman to show up as her best self, every day, through color and community.
What We Do
We use our color analysis expertise to help you choose and combine your best colors, dividing all our clothing into four seasonal palettes and guiding you to the colors and styles that love you as much as you love them. In short, we help you build a wardrobe that really works for you!
Why Us?
Vibrant
We believe in being seen and heard. We stand up unapologetically, whether it's in wearing our boldest color or speaking our mind.
Empowering
As a female-founded and led brand, we support every woman to feel their best and make confident choices.
Sustainable
We sell high quality products, with a low cost per wear, and we help you to make fewer expensive shopping mistakes.
Honest
We believe in transparency at all levels in our business; with our team, with our supply chain and with our customers.
Color For Your Palette
We expertly select, code and curate our range of timeless, essential styles and elevated basics into the seasonal palettes. This means that whether you simply want to add a splash of color or go full on bold, we can help you build a stylish, contemporary and versatile wardrobe.
Community Led
We are hugely proud of our community, and the voice our customers have within our brand. From our online community to customer listening groups and in person events at our Somerset Colour Studio, you are at the heart of everything we do.
Transparent Supply Chain
We believe in building direct, honest relationships with the people who make our clothes. That's why we don't work through agents - we speak directly with our factories to ensure clear communication and mutual respect. We choose partners who share our values around fair working conditions, including safe environments, fair wages, and reasonable working hours. These close relationships help us ensure that our standards are met and upheld with care.
What Our Customers Say
Our Founder, Melissa
It was over three decades ago that, while working as a young woman in fashion, Melissa had her colors done and, far from her fashion uniform of black, discovered a whole new world of color. Fast forward a decade and freshly settled in Somerset, Melissa was ready to turn her experience into a business that has transformed the way women get dressed.
Kettlewell was created in 2004 as a shopping solution for women interested in color and color analysis. Whether it's simply discovering a new vibrant shade of yellow or diving deep down the rabbit hole of color analysis and a wardrobe aligned with your personal best colors, Kettlewell remains committed to Melissa's founding principles, providing color and empowering you to show up as your best self, season after season and year after year.
2025
Kettlewell opens it's doors to 120 customers for it's first ever archive sale
2024
Kettlewell turns 20 and announces that we will be offering color analysis at our Somerset studio. We now also offer style analysis.
2023
Our Colour Studio opens to the public; A venue with a constantly updating rota of events, meetups and guest speakers, with the opportunity to shop the latest collection.
2023
Dame Prue Leith becomes Kettlewell’s new brand ambassador and launches the first Prue Edit.
2022
We join Celtic & Co, Frugi and Turtle Doves to become a part of Refined Brands.
2021
Our photography studio was built on-site, where we now have all our ecom and product shoots.
2020
The Facebook Colour Club launches one month before lockdown and becomes an instant success. It now has circa 21K members.
2019
Kettlewell launches in the US and also celebrates 15 years of trading.
2016
The Colour Quiz is launched on the website to help direct customers to their best colors. To date almost 500,000 people have taken the quiz.
2016
As the business grows, Kettlewell expands into a state-of-the-art warehouse facility in Cricket St Thomas, Somerset.
2015
TV presenter and model Alexa Chung wears the Silky Roll Neck in The Telegraph and sparks a love affair with this bestselling style in the press. It is our most requested style to date.
2009
Our first shoot in South Africa, the ideal destination for sunshine when you’re shooting your high summer collection in January! We still shoot there each year.
2007
The small, close-knit team moves from Shepton Beauchamp to a new HQ in Crewkerne, Somerset
2006
Kettlewell starts producing with MEBA, a family-run factory in Turkey that shares its environmental values and provides fair working conditions for its employees.
2006
The first Kettlewell catalogue is printed, featuring family friends as models and photographed at Melissa’s cousins house.
2004
Husband and wife team John and Melissa Nicholson launch Kettlewell, selling colourful t-shirts for women who love to wear color.
In The Press
