Goatherdess, Designer & Maker
I’m Polly, goatherdess, designer and maker. I trained as a scientist, but years of office politics and long commutes made me crave something different — a life where I could create, nurture, and work with my hands. So I retrained in womenswear at the London College of Fashion, specialising in bridal, and eventually moved to a smallholding in the Scottish Highlands and started with just three Angora goats.
I love goats and my three goats quickly became the heart of our little farm and the flock grew. Over time, I welcomed rare-breed sheep, each with their own quirks and personalities, and even rescued a donkey — an adventure that had my husband never being late home from work again! Every new arrival reminded me that life is richer when it’s slower, more considered, and full of care.
Today, our farm has a fully integrated studio, where every fibre is known, valued, and transformed into garments by hand. From mohair faux fur to knitwear, tweeds, and woven wool, each piece carries the story of the animals who grew the fibre, the land they live on, and the care woven into every stitch.
Through Goatherdess, I aim to give rare and endangered breeds purpose, visibility, and a voice — so that when you wear one of our garments, you’re not just wearing clothing, you’re carrying forward a story that deserves to be remembered.
At Goatherdess, every creation begins with patience — and with me, Polly, at the heart of it all. The story starts in the fields of my smallholding in the Scottish Highlands, where our rare-breed sheep and Angora goats graze, each known by name and character, and much loved. Their fibre is never a commodity; it is a by-product of care, seasons, and long lives lived well.
From hillside to my studio, I transform these fibres into garments designed to endure. Every piece is made to order, with the Order Book opening just 3–4 times a year.
Once your order is placed, I handcraft it in my on-farm studio and deliver it within 3 to 4 weeks. Wool and mohair are spun, woven, or knitted with precision; tweeds are cut and stitched using traditional techniques; and natural fibre faux furs are brushed and shaped to capture softness, sheen, and movement. Nothing is mass-produced, nothing is rushed — every stitch is a reflection of care, skill, and my connection to the animals and the land.
Then, delivered to you where a new story begins.
From Our Flocks to You
“Protecting Rare and Endangered Sheep and Minority Breeds through slow, thoughtful craft”
Collectible Companions
The same care and attention I bring to garments extends to my collectibles, made from wool not suitable for spinning and carefully saved fabric offcuts. Each Cotton Reel Needlefelted Companion and Linen Lamb & Friend is handcrafted by me, Polly, with the same devotion I pour into every piece I make.
Every miniature animal begins with a wooden cotton reel or linen base, and I hand-needlefelt and embroider the wool and fibre to capture the meadows, hedgerows, and tiny details of life on our farm. Each companion is unique — a tactile, collectible reflection of our rare-breed flocks, designed to be cherished alongside my garments.
Whether a garment or a companion, every creation is guided by respect: for the animals that provide their fibre, for the landscape that shapes the colours and textures, and for the craft that turns raw material into objects of beauty and warmth.
Each piece carries a story — of hills and hedgerows, of quiet looms and spinning wheels, of fibre collected, shaped, and finished with intention. My companions are made with purpose, patience, and love — a connection between land, maker, and wearer, between past and present, and between imagination and the tangible.