Joules recruits Natalie Fones

Country wear brand Joules has appointed Natalie Fones to design for the label. Fones, 26, previously worked as assistant knitwear designer at Burberry and is expected to lend Joules a bit of glamour. The Central St Martin's graduate is looking forward to her job with Joules. "It's good to know that I am working for another truly British brand which is not scared to shy away from its heritage and takes great pride in the final product," she told Vogue. "It really is an exciting time to begin a career with such an established company."

For spring, Joules has included camisoles, kaftan tops and A-line skirts in pastel colours and candy-stripes, recalling the glamour of Hollywood in the Fifties. Joules was established by managing director Tom Joule, who was named Entrepreneur of the Year at the Leicester Business Awards last week. He took over the business from his father in 1994 and has turned it into a 600 outlet-strong company throughout the UK. His philosophy is: "We take the conventional and do something a bit more exciting with it. We are a unique business with unique ideals and most definitely are not following the crowd."

Since 2001 annual turnover has increased almost tenfold from £1.5 million to £11 million and continues to rise.