The women behind Livotte are creating beautiful T Shirts made to be lived in

Livotte is a company run and founded by Beth and Delphine, two American-born women who both have impressive CVs in fashion. Their lives lead them both to the South West of London (South Kensington for Beth and Chelsea for Delphine) and, more specifically, to a Barrecore class where they met and struck up a friendship that resulted in Livotte, their joint T Shirt company. At that Barrecore class Beth had just given birth to her daughter Livvy and Delphine was pregnant with Charlotte, and hence the name ‘Livotte’ was also born too. 

But it’s not just a T Shirt company. There is a lot to Livotte that makes it stand out from high street brands. The whole premise behind the company was to produce a beautiful piece of clothing that their customers could wear and wash again and again without any fuss: it is all about effortless glamour. So they made their own organic fabric that would do the job that no other brand was nailing. They went to a UK based factory and worked with them to create something that wouldn’t pill, wouldn’t lose shape after washes and would be soft and comfortable against the skin. They designed silhouettes that would work for women on the go- the questions they asked in the process were things like ‘can she put her luggage in the overhead rack without her top bunching up?’, ‘does this suit all body shapes?’, ‘will this survive multiple washes after a messy dinner time with her children?’ (The answer to that last one, by the way, is yes- each top has been third party tested to be able to withstand 200 washes). All those questions resulted in a truly unique way of creating clothes for women. Beth said on the design process: “There’s a lot of brands who are doing T Shirts, but we didn’t feel that there was anyone doing it to the level we were. In terms of construction, they are tailored in a specific way that most T Shirts are not. We use our own fabrics and make our own colours- we dont just buy what’s already available”. It’s an innovative and creative way of thinking and it set Livotte apart from other brands. 

The thoughtfulness in the beginning of their journey paid dividends and turned Livotte into a success; even throughout nightmarish COVID years that saw many companies struggle. The soft fabrics, the easy and effortless style, was exactly what women were after- on Zoom calls or running around after a stir-crazy toddler, the tops can work for all moments. They also say that they get many a returning customer- people wear and wear and wear the tops, realise that the quality is unmatched and then come back for more. And though they started really simply- just a few styles in black and white- they heard the feedback from customers and have since widened their colour pallet (there’s now 11 colours in a total of 18 styles).

And what of the people behind the brand? There is very much a ‘ying and yang’ dynamic of the founders. By their own admission, Beth ‘makes the engine turn’ and Delphine ‘is the chatty one’. It’s not just in their work though- their different body shapes and style preferences have meant that they’ve been able to really deep dive into questions about whether their clothing will work for any taste, size and lifestyle. Their strengths have been bought together in a harmonious way and there is no question that Beth and Delphine are both absolute powerhouses. But it’s not just the T Shirts. They do a lot of work with charities for women and children and they are passionate about women in business. They hold weekly instagram live sessions where a female founder will be celebrated for her work. Delphine summed up their ethos perfectly when she said: “For us, it’s not just about a T Shirt, it’s about so much more than that. It’s about making women look and feel gorgeous. Look good, feel good, do good… That’s what it’s all about. Lighting your candle doesn’t put ours out. Why not support other women? Why not let other people get a piece of the pie? There’s enough for it to go around”. Leaving the conversation on a note like that was about as uplifting as you can get. But both women are South West London locals, so before we said goodbye we couldn’t help but to ask them to let us know their favourite spots here…

Delphine

“You can find us on Pavillion road most days, Ottolenghi is where we have our business meetings” and she’s often frequenting Brinkley’s on Hollywood Road too and the Duke of York farmer’s market on a Saturday for her weekly Chango Empanadas. When she’s with her daughter Charlotte they’ll head over to Rossopomodoro,  B Bagels (which apparently are better than New York bagels) and Marilou at 359 Fulham road. 

Beth

Beth loves Walton Street for their boutiques and for Green Spears and is a huge fan of Wild Tavern… and they have a wine bar next door which has a lovely outdoor seating area- perfect if the weather’s nice. Livvy’s favourite? Pizza Express on King’s Road of course! 

After reading all of this we are sure you are dying to get your hands on one of their T Shirts. And we dont blame you- us too! They are treating readers of BOSW London to 10% off their order! Just type in the code: ‘Best Of SW 10’ at the check out and get ready to be effortlessly chic.