Meet A&R’s Founder: A Chat With Kate Bostock
As Angel & Rocket celebrates its 10th anniversary, we're thrilled to sit down with the visionary behind the brand, Kate Bostock, to discuss her journey in the fashion industry and the secret ingredients behind Angel & Rocket's success.
With an impressive career spanning executive roles at Next, Asda, and Marks & Spencer, Kate's lifelong ambition to create her own brand has blossomed into a thriving family-run business supported by her husband and two sons.
Q: Hi Kate! You've had such an impressive career in fashion! What inspired you to transition from womenswear to creating your own kids' clothing brand?
Kate: It has been a lifelong ambition to own my own brand. The rewards and the pride it gives are second to none.
In terms of choosing kidswear, one of the many highlights in my career was running Next Kids. We recognised a real gap in the market for unique kidswear designs at affordable price points. With many friends and colleagues in the supply base who wanted to support us, we have enjoyed growing and developing our partnerships.
Q: When you first started Angel & Rocket, what was your vision for the brand, and how do you feel the company has stayed true to that vision over the past 10 years?
Kate: Our vision has always been very clear: To design unique collections with great quality at affordable price points.
Our clothes are for 'kids going places’. We want them to feel special and to be noticed. It is paramount that our clothes are different from our competitors, that our quality is never compromised, and our ethical standards are at best.
We have very personal relationships with our suppliers and know we can trust their commitment to our brand.
Q: What would you say sets Angel & Rocket apart from other children's fashion retailers?
Kate: Our designs are totally unique. We design all of our prints and graphics in-house, and in many cases develop our own fabrics - especially our lace designs.
We research trend forecasting constantly and travel in search of inspiration to ensure we are ahead in terms of newness and exciting styling.
We love to be fashion forward, but always ensure our clothes are appropriate for our age group.
Q: You've held high-profile positions at M&S and other major retailers, and we know that you've been instrumental in shaping the fashion landscape. But building a brand from the ground up brings its own unique set of challenges. Can you share some of the hurdles you faced during the early stages of establishing Angel & Rocket?
Kate: Starting your own business in any field requires commitment, hard work, and a confident vision. We are a very small team without the luxury of infrastructure, so we are fortunate that every member of A&R are talented individuals from the fashion industry (most of them have worked with me in previous companies).
We all share the same vision and passion, and very much enjoy working together in our smaller environment. Everyone works hard, but we still ensure we have fun! We are very much a family team.
The biggest challenges have been buying small quantities in the earlier days, whilst wanting design content and lots of detail. We are very fortunate that our suppliers supported us in this and now enjoy good business with us.
Financial investment is obviously a challenge. We have to carefully manage our cost base and often make tough decisions in terms of how much we can buy, and sometimes restrict our organic growth demands which can be frustrating! However, this is also a good discipline as it keeps us focused.
Brand recognition also takes time, but 10 years has flown by and we're so very proud of where we are today.
Q: As a mother yourself, how has your experience as a parent influenced your designs and approach to creating children's clothing at Angel & Rocket?
Kate: I am a very proud mum of two boys who both share key roles in the business. I also have three grandchildren who love our clothes and often model at our photo shoots!
We regularly take feedback from our mums and kids in terms of what they like and don’t like.
I love doing fashion clothes for kids - it is so much fun. Kids are very confident in what they choose to wear and love being admired.
Q: Working with family can be both incredibly rewarding and tricky! How has the dynamic of running a family-owned business been for you and your loved ones, and what do you think are the biggest advantages?
Kate: As a family, we love working together. We have great trust in one another and always strive for the best results.
Naturally, we don’t always agree(!), but we respect our individual skill sets and reach the right decisions. Our team equally have accountability and therefore we deliver best practice.
The biggest advantage has to be our joint achievements and success.
Q: What have been some of the most rewarding aspects of founding and growing Angel & Rocket?
Kate: Achieving my life long ambition. Working with an amazing team who support me on this. It's the ultimate sense of pride.
Q: Angel & Rocket is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year – congratulations! How has your role within the company evolved over the past decade, especially with your sons now at the helm?
Kate: My role has evolved considerably. I am much less hands-on in the office, but very much continue my support and research with the product, ensuring we always deliver our best!
Working with our designers gives me so much joy! At the end of the day, we are only as good as our latest collection.
I have gained lots of satisfaction helping develop both boys on their career journey, giving them advice along the way. Needless to say, they are both confident business men these days and make me very proud!
We have an active board who are also very passionate about our journey and I love working with them.
Q: As Angel & Rocket continues to thrive, have you found yourself with more time for personal pursuits and other projects? We're curious to hear about what you've been up to lately, both inside and outside of the fashion world…
Kate: I am very fortunate to be able to travel a lot these days. This gives me quality time to reflect and realise our plans going forward. We have a home in Spain so I spend a lot of time there.
Shopping and people watching continues to inspire me, and so travelling enables me to continue my product input.
I also enjoy networking with many colleagues from the industry. I suppose you could say I'm a busy semi-retired person who very much enjoys every day!
Q: Reflecting on Angel & Rocket's journey so far, what are some of the most valuable lessons you've learned as a female founder and mother working in the fashion industry?
Kate: Starting the brand was always challenging in terms of timing... I had a great career in fashion that I very much enjoyed. So I was determined to realise my ambitions in the industry.
Managing my family along the way was obviously both challenging and compromising. I was committed to their education and early career support to enable them the perfect platforms in terms of their future.
When we made the decision to start Angel & Rocket, it was kind of 'now or never'… so we took the plunge! The timing was right, however closely followed by Covid which did set us back a little.
Every challenge makes you stronger, and every day you learn something new.
Long may it continue.
