Vanessa Seward on her new vision for Begg x Co, the Scottish knitwear brand with over a century of history

A Parisian insouciance has long defined the work of Argentinian-born French fashion designer Vanessa Seward: her CV includes stints at Chanel, Saint Laurent and APC – working alongside Karl Lagerfeld, Tom Ford and Jean Touitou respectively – as well as her 2014-founded eponymous label, which is currently on hiatus. At the latter, she honed a vision of easy femininity, inflected with flourishes of 1970s glamour and an eye for colour and print (she is also a painter, displaying a series of works created during lockdown at Paris’ Mouvements Modernes gallery in 2021).

A new role, though, takes her far from the hum of the French capital and towards the rugged landscapes of Scotland, the birthplace of heritage knitwear brand Begg x Co, which is headquartered between Ayr on the country’s west coast and Hawick in the Scottish Borders (the latter has long been known as the United Kingdom’s ‘home of cashmere’). Originally drafted for a one-off collaboration for the A/W 2025 season, Begg x Co sought a more permanent arrangement, announcing Seward as the brand’s creative director in early 2025 (the move coincides with the arrival of new CEO Bruno Guillon in 2024, coming to the brand after chief executive roles at Mulberry and John Lobb).

Seward says she was drawn to the role for the ‘beauty and quality’ of Begg x Co’s knitwear, first discovered on a shopping trip to London’s Burlington Arcade, the location of the brand’s flagship store (a later meeting with Guillon would seal the deal). Such technique is time-honed: founder Alex Begg began crafting scarves in Paisley in 1862, before later relocating to Ayr on Scotland’s south-west coastline. Over the century which followed, his mills would go on to craft cashmere for numerous luxury houses and brands – across both fashion and homeware – before Begg x Co, the mill’s eponymous label, was founded in 2013 (originally it was called Begg & Co, before a recent rebrand). The superlative final product is the result of true expertise: a single cardigan can take 20 people and 19 processes to complete, with any mistakes taking it back to square one.

With plenty of competition – including Johnstons of Elgin, Pringle of Scotland and Barrie, which is owned by the Chanel group – Seward says she wants to make Begg x Co ‘the go-to luxury brand for Scottish cashmere’. ‘Visiting the woven mill in Ayr was unforgettable,’ she tells Wallpaper*. ‘I could feel a real spirit. Everybody seemed so happy and eager to explain how they worked. The level of craftsmanship is exceptional, as is the machinery: from the traditional natural teasel gigs used to create the Arran scarf’s ripple finish, to highly advanced, modern technology.’

Her A/W 2025 collection, which marks her debut as creative director and arrives in stores this month, recreates timeless silhouettes in cashmere – from simple A-line dresses to ladylike rib skirts and enveloping capes. More ‘arty’ flourishes come in 1950s-style cardigans knitted with ombré stripes (for tactility, each panel is defined with raised saddle stitches), mother-of-pearl buttons and a painterly use of colour, from bold denim blue and ’college’ red to delicate rose pink and earthy browns and greys. Indeed, such strokes of colour have long been a Begg x Co hallmark: ‘bold colour associations are a signature of Begg x Co, you can often recognise a Begg x Co tartan by the confidence of its palette,’ says Seward. ‘It’s a defining element of the brand’s identity that I want to explore.’

For men, she has created a line-up of knitwear essentials: an army-inspired crew-neck sweater is gently sloped across the shoulder and knitted to appear like tweed, lightweight cardigans and V-neck sweaters are designed to be layered, while a play on the classic rugby shirt arrives in vivid stripes of emerald green and blue. Seward says she designed the A/W 2025 collection by ‘instinct’, creating ‘long-desired pieces I had been dreaming of – a flattering long skirt in interlock cashmere or in a knitted herringbone rib to wear all winter long with boots. A twin-set composed of a long dress and a cape.’

At heart, her philosophy for Begg x Co is to create pieces that last: she cites the ‘buy once, buy well’ mantra of King Charles as a motto to work by (her own beloved Begg x Co purchase is the lightweight ‘Wispy Hanover’ scarf – 'it never leaves me, summer or winter, it’s always on me or in my bag’). ‘I prefer investing in one beautifully made piece that becomes a permanent addition to my wardrobe,’ she says. ‘I also care very much about the craftsmanship involved, how it was made. [It’s why] I’m very proud to work with Begg x Co. It’s luxury as I dream it.’

The collection is available now at Begg x Co’s website.