For this week’s Sunday Series we sat down with Kathy Kyle, a multi-award-winning visual storyteller who has spent nearly 25 years creating captivating art, illustration, and identity programmes for local and international clients.
Kathy’s journey spans from her roots as an art student at San Diego State University to serving as a high-level Communications and Marketing Director for global consultancies, VCs, and tech agencies in Washington, D.C. Today, based in the United Kingdom, Kathy is recognised as one of the country’s inspiring entrepreneurs, the founder of DigiKind, and a trusted advisor to global companies.
Kathy Kyle Studio is built upon a profound commitment to sustainable, slow fashion and an uncompromising ethical supply chain, printing exclusively in the UK and hand-finishing her luxury silks in France. For Kathy, art is about creating timeless, wearable heirlooms to be passed down through generations, a philosophy that perfectly aligned with her commission for The British Museum which explored transforming a piece of history into a breathtaking, bespoke silk scarf available directly at the museum.
Our conversation follow’s Kathy’s leap from a 25-year corporate career in tech and climate advocacy to find creative liberation at the canvas, how she balances her deeply personal memories with her clients' unique narratives, and why championing female-founded businesses both through her high street shop in Dorking and through movements like Buy Women Built remains central to her leadership.
Let’s get into it.
What initially inspired you to use luxury silk and hand-painted stationery as your canvas for storytelling?
I had taken the summer off after my last consulting client engagement, and after creating hand painted gift wrap for my twin girls’ birthday gifts, I decided to stop wondering "what if?" and began thinking, "why not?" I had hand painted cards since University, and after partnering with my stockist, the renowned independent stationery shop Choosing Keeping in Covent Garden, I invested in a letterpress to streamline my work.
Friends had suggested I try different mediums, one suggesting that they could imagine wearing my art on silk. Another friend said it was like taking art off of the wall and putting it on your body. I did a lot of research, tested silks, printers and processes locally and internationally, and after a lot of trial and error, took the leap.
From your Moroccan Dreams scarf to the Indigo Blue scarf featuring pieces from your vintage wardrobe, your designs are deeply personal. How do you balance sharing your own memories with creating something that resonates with a client's personal story?
My initial designs were created as part of my limited edition Heritage Collection for my brand launch in Soho. Every piece I create is a wearable story, and is therefore quite personal. Although these are unique motifs, symbols have shared meaning and it is what unites us as humans. Striking a balance between commercially viable and what is fulfilling artistically is always a challenge, but I love treading this line. My new capsule collection draws inspiration from my personal life, with symbols that have great significance to me, but I have represented motifs that I hope carries meaning with my audience. What may be meaningful and have tremendous value to my life may simply be charming or beautiful aesthetically to another person, but they can appreciate it as much as I do.
You spent 25 years working in tech, PR, and climate advocacy before fully launching the studio. How does that diverse background influence the visual stories you choose to tell today?
As an entrepreneur, I am comfortable taking risks. I listen, receive feedback, make informed recommendations, provide expert advice, and think critically about the needs and interests of my clients based upon extensive research. This is all informed by my deep industry experience as a creative advisor, as a press officer, and as a communications and marketing director. Having worked globally across multiple sectors, I have a clear vision of what I want as an artist and am on a mission to achieve it. I want to help my clients express and share their identity, heritage, history and meaning with great care and intention through wearable art.
I am not interested in trends, fads or fashion. I am creating wearable art heirlooms to be shared with the next generation. I collaborate with my clients – whether they are a private buyer, a bespoke luxury independent stationery shop in London, or The British Museum – to create compelling pieces that last a lifetime.
What is your favourite part of working with clients to make bespoke designs?
Collaborating and getting to know my clients is one of the most rewarding aspects of my work. Some clients know exactly what they want and have a clear vision for their item. Others are happy to be guided by me. I usually provide a guidebook with prompts and examples to help inspire ideas and excitement for our collaboration process. I am always open to feedback on our designs, and I find that by discussing the art, concept and motifs early in the brief, I really get to know my client and their needs.
My second favourite aspect of my work is pushing myself creatively. Working beyond my known ability, beyond my preferred colour palette, and even beyond my product offering makes me a better artist and disrupts ‘business as usual’. I love it when I must solve a problem and am pushed to think creatively and create art I’ve never imagined I could draw or paint. This is when the best work comes.
As the Founder and Director, you wear many hats, from the artist holding the paintbrush to the CEO managing logistics. How do you successfully balance the creative side of the studio with the day-to-day business operations?
Making time to paint while managing all aspects of a business can be challenging. There is being creative as in delivering for my clients and there is just being creative for the sake of being creative. I purposely make time to go to museums with my friends. I’ve never encountered an artist who started their business solely to make reels or to work on business development. Because I have that background, I understand its importance, so I take an omnichannel approach to my work and pursue wholesale, commissions, bespoke, direct to consumer, and editorial. However I not only delegate some of these activities to my trusted team, I set time aside to nurture my creativity. I draw and paint with my children who inspire me with their talent.
I also carry a notebook and set of pens and pencils everywhere. I make time to sketch and doodle in my notebook nearly every day. This helps me to keep ideas fresh and also improve my skills.
What have been the biggest rewards and challenges of strictly maintaining an ethical, slow-fashion supply chain, like printing sustainably in the UK and hand-finishing in France?
I’ve always believed in living your values and I do not sacrifice quality or luxury for ethics. We don’t incorporate sustainable practices into our value chain because we have to, we do it because it is part of who we are. As we have built our brand, we have proven that beauty and responsibility are complementary to each other. In addition to being aesthetically pleasing, I think our artisanal and ethical approach are qualities our clients appreciate. I am really proud that we have been selected to create a bespoke commission from the British Museum within our first year of launching.
Beauty takes time, and our products are meant to be treasured for a lifetime. Our clients recognise this and I am proud that our approach and products are being well-received.
You are a proud member of the Buy Women Built movement. Why is championing women-founded brands so important to you, and how does collaboration play a role in your leadership style?
Children are four times more likely to think of a man than a woman when they hear ‘entrepreneur’. I am very fortunate to be surrounded by inspiring women from organisations like Small Business Britain, Surrey Hills Enterprises, and Buy Women Built, which is an incredible community and movement that mobilises people to buy from female-founded businesses.
Investing and buying from women is our quickest path to a stronger, fairer economy. Building community and collaborating with women is integral to everything I do.
I wanted to collaborate with existing women-owned businesses like Sandrock House to partner and launch my shop this year. It is so fulfilling to work with Philippa Mcfarlane and the brilliant women-owned businesses featured in her shop: artist Kate Walton, jeweller Lisa de Bidalph and interior designer Maya Poplawska. Together we are co-hosting events with local businesses, late night shops and co-branded social media posts. I’ve found that there is a collaborative spirit that exists when working with women; earlier this year I partnered with Jenna Zhang at Sipzen, where Jenna organised a luxury Lunar New Year competition and giveaway of our products with six other BWB brands. As female founders, we consistently lift each other up, support each other, and everyone benefits.
Do you find that your best ideas come to you when you are actively trying to create, or when you are doing something completely unrelated?
Inspiration comes when I least expect it! If anything, I have a list of ideas I haven’t had time to finish. I always carry a notebook for sketching, notes and lists, so I am prepared to capture new ideas. I also find that keeping a diary of some sort keeps me off of my phone and not doomscrolling. I love to visit museums, I read a lot of books, I watch old movies, and I love running and hiking with my dogs. I do enjoy the pressure of a deadline. When I have a brief to complete, I conduct a lot of research and I am very focused on delivering. If I am casting about for ideas, I find this to be very unfulfilling and would rather have a lightbulb moment.
You’ve recently launched your new space inside Sandrock House, from being a women-owned business creating local jobs to collaborating with other women-owned brands, what has been your favourite part of this process so far?
Gerhard Richter once said that “Art is the highest form of hope.” I have found purpose, inspiration, and fulfillment on this journey. I have loved pushing my skills, experimenting with textiles, being brave, collaborating with brilliant brands.
I am honoured to have been commissioned to paint and create a silk scarf reimagining The Tudor Heart Pendant for The British Museum. I've reimagined these historic motifs in a design to celebrate one of the most remarkable jewels of the Tudor age. The pendant is unlike any object in the British Museum collection or elsewhere in the UK. I’ve often wondered what I would do as an artist if I were not afraid, and I am finding out. Creative liberation has been a joy and I will continue to push this in my work.
When your schedule gets incredibly busy, what small ritual do you rely on to stay grounded?
I am grateful to live in an area of outstanding natural beauty, with ancient woods on my doorstep. No matter what the weather is doing, I can nip out for a brisk walk with my dogs, observe the birds, the trees, and just take in the incredible beauty around me.
Do you have a specific physical spot, whether it's a local café, a park, or a corner of your home, that you always go to when you need to clear your mind?
I really enjoy rummaging through Pilgrim Antiques (or any of the antique and charity shops) in my sweet town of Dorking. I have so many vintage hats it has become a bit of a storage issue, but honestly one can’t have too many fabulous vintage hats.
Kathy Kyle’s journey is a masterclass in creative liberation. From the high-stakes boardrooms of global tech and climate advocacy to the quiet intensity of the artist's canvas, she has proven that sometimes the best thing you can do is to stop asking what if? and start asking why not? By marrying her deep strategic expertise with an uncompromising commitment to slow, ethical fashion, Kathy isn't just creating beautiful accessories, she is weaving history, memory, and sustainability into tangible pieces of art.
Whether reimagining Tudor artifacts for The British Museum, supporting fellow female entrepreneurs through the Buy Women Built movement, or finding fresh inspiration in the antique shops of Dorking, Kathy operates with a profound sense of purpose. Alongside The British Museum, you can also find Kathy’s work at her high street shop in Dorking and Choosing Keeping in Covent Garden.
Image credit: Kathy Kyle Studio
