My Top Five: Lucy Hitchcock

Founder of Sassy Digital and Partner In Wine Lucy Hitchcock tells us her five favourite female founded brands.

Six years ago, Lucy Hitchcock set up her own digital marketing agency, Sassy Digital, to offer clients digital marketing, website design and branding. However, it was during mid-2020, as the UK was coming out of lockdown, that she came up with the idea for her newest business.

While meeting a friend in the park for a drink she realised the wine would be warm by the time she arrived. The idea played on her mind, and after doing some research, contacting manufacturers and working on the graphic design, Partner in Wine was born. In March this year she went viral on TikTok, which resulted in her average of 200 orders a month jumping to 1200 orders a week.

She also received a call from Selfridges asking if they could stock her products. Partner in Wine launched instore at the end of April. As her business approaches its first birthday, she is currently working on new products, and one day hopes to go worldwide.

Lucy’s Favourite Female Founded Brands

Jo Loves
Jo Malone is one of my favourite people. I had no idea she had sold her business to Estee Lauder until I read her autobiography. Learning more about her journey I think she has such a remarkable story. I met her once and was starstruck. I think the fact she started Jo Loves just through mixing up lotions and potions from home is a really lovely and inspiring story for a lot of new product makers just starting out. There’s also something that feels really good about supporting a person who owns a business. 

Stay Wild Swim
Stay Wild Swim are a sustainable swimwear brand that launched around three years ago. They were just named on the Forbes 30 under-30 list, and they’re doing some incredible things. They have a great recycling initiative where you can send in any old swimwear you have, and they will send it off to be recycled or made into something new. They’ve also just launched a sustainable underwear line and are really encouraging people to buy well and buy less. They’re also working on new initiatives in the background, so I’m excited to see where they go.

LRM Goods
I met Rachel [McCoubrie], one of the co-founders, back when I was working with Madeline Shaw. She had just started out, and sent a sample of a little makeup bag for giveaway with Madeline's initials on them, and we kept in touch. They have just done a popup in Fenwick’s and just as with my own Selfridges launch, neither one of us had done retail before – so it’s been great to have someone at the other end of the line to talk through the same experience. I’ve got some of their bags – real Italian leather and as good a quality as any designer bag. They come in all different colours and make a really nice present.

Sass & Edge
Sass & Edge are a client of mine. They’re a small boutique in Winchester who have just absolutely nailed social media. They are two of the most hilarious women, who are also best friends, and they go live pretty much every day. They’re really cool and they have this amazing spirit about them. Their womenswear is just so inclusive, and they cater for all ages. I think what they are doing is amazing and it’s great to be able to support a small brand.

Too Good To Go App
Too Good To Go is an app where you can find local food and drink places near you that have leftover food at the end of the day. You can then you can buy it at a hugely discounted rate, which I think is amazing. There's so much food waste that happens, we don't even think about it, so it’s great that more of these apps and companies are starting to bring more attention to it. Rather than going to the local supermarket and picking up bread, why not see what's going to waste instead! Everyone loves a bargain.