We’ve all picked up a piece of sea glass, a shell or an interesting rock on a beach walk and marvelled at its simple beauty.
For Kate Rose, founder and creative director of Tutti, the design–led jewellery brand based in North Shields, she took this moment of wonder much, much further.
What started with a simple walk on the North East coast has led to a creative journey that now sees Kate heading up a lifestyle brand stocked in luxury retailers including Fenwick, John Lewis, Macy’s and Nordstrom.
Kate knew from a young age she wanted to run her own business.
Tutti’s story, though, didn’t begin with a business plan as such; it started with a young woman’s decision to stay true to her home, act on her instincts and keep things practical.
Kate says: “I’d always said I was going to have my own business.
My favourite days at school were when we did design and technology – those were the days I felt most alive.
When I left university, I wanted to stay in the North East, but 21 years ago there wasn’t a huge amount of creative opportunity up here.
So, I thought, ‘I’m going to do it myself and create the job I want’.
I had no commitments and no mortgage, so I figured I might as well give it a go.”
Her first ‘warehouse’ was her parents’ conservatory, so operations had to start small.
Kate says: “Jewellery came from a deliberate decision; it was something I could do from home while still living with mum and dad.
I’d always loved fashion, so it was ideal, and there was no sizing, small products and manageable stock levels; it was just what I needed at the time.”
Like many great ideas, Kate needed a little distance to see her dream clearly.
A shopping trip to Milan left her bubbling with ideas, enthusiasm to get started and a name, with Tutti translated as ‘everyone’ from Italian.
She says: “I was really inspired by the Italian women; they were classic and stylish, though not overdone.
They wore a white shirt; a gorgeous necklace; a pair of beautiful brogues.”
“That was the inspiration I needed to create really gorgeous, classic and wearable accessories.”
Younger Kate didn’t wait around.
She travelled in May and had launched the brand by November.
She says: “Would I do it again? I don’t know. I was young and full of energy.
I had this driving force to create the job I really wanted.
Of course, the truth for all business owners is that you don’t ever really get that job.
As soon as you start a business, you have to do everything – I became accountant, warehouse manager and designer from day one.”
Her first grant was a small cheque from the Prince’s Trust.
As Tutti has evolved, though, it has been entirely self-funded.
Kate adds: “I’ve never taken funding – everything has been self-funded and re-invested.
That’s given us control and integrity.”
Spend five minutes with Kate and you’ll understand why that was important to her.
She’s poised and perfectly put together, warm and smiley, but with a clear inner strength and determined nature.
That strength is further bolstered by the North East, which has played a huge role in shaping Tutti, with Kate’s regional roots helping her make more decisive decisions.
She says: “I nearly took a job down south, but I couldn’t face leaving the North East.
In hindsight, that decision shaped so much.
The North East is everything about what we do – the pebble I pick up on a dog walk or the photograph of waves crashing in.
That all feeds into the texture and form of the jewellery.
And, of course, the people are a crucial factor too.
There were some trickier elements about being in the North East, though.
I remember going down to my first trade shows in London, and people would ask where I was from and then act as if nothing existed up north.
They’d even ask if I could get deliveries!”
Her initial northern stockists also became an important part of the Tutti story.
The Art Café, in Corbridge, near Hexham, was one of the first to order Kate’s designs.
Kate adds: “Kay (Allinson–Cooke, owner of The Art Café) was an amazing supporter and mentor.
She stocked my first designs and it grew organically from there.”
Like most successful endeavours, though, it took a touch of luck as well as talent.
And Kate’s came in the form of Andrew Dixon, then executive director of Arts Council England.
She says: “He spoke about me on BBC Radio.
And then I got people ringing to ask if they could stock us.
It was never really the plan to go down a more wholesale route, but it’s just the way it happened.
Family members were really against me having a shop, because they felt it would mean being tied to a till seven days a week.
Instead, we went on this completely different journey and into a wholesale business, which has been amazing for building the brand.
“But it was never the plan.
Looking back, I wasn’t ready for the store – until now.”
Kate and her Tutti team are now making themselves at home in Harbour House, the dynamic creative hub and co-working space in North Shields.
She says: “I waited 21 years for the right space.
When Harbour House came along, I knew instantly – even when it was still a building site.
It’s more than just a space to us, it’s a community.
If I need photos of our new designs, for example, I can just pop upstairs.”
The move to Harbour House coincided with the brand’s 20-year anniversary.
Kate’s first visit to the Little Bedford Street base was to suss it out for a birthday event.
That never happened, and she instead found a space she adored that would enable her lifelong dream of having her own store come to life.
She says: “It just felt like the right time. We’ve been in business for two decades; we can finally shout about it now.”
The concept store launch also came with an unintentional full rebrand.
Kate says: “The move to Harbour House allowed us to develop our first capsule clothing collection, and I wanted it to have a brand mark.
I went back to our original designers and told them more about where I am now in life – more confident and self-assured – and that I wanted that reflected in the brand.
They created the new TT brand mark, and it was spot on.
But it didn’t fit with the old Tutti branding, so we then had to relook at that.
I’m so glad we did; I feel like the brand was never fully me until now.
This version captures every essence of what I wanted Tutti to be.
It’s about being unapologetically feminine – confident but calm, strong but serene.”
When Tutti was launched, it set out as a quiet rebellion against throwaway fashion.
The Edit, Tutti’s new clothing range, brings that full circle.
Kate worked with designer Amy Whitfield to create a blend of classic capsule wardrobe and core items that nod to trends but would still fit in your collection for years.
She says: “The white shirt, the perfect knit and the blazer are our cornerstones – those are the timeless pieces every wardrobe needs.”
The range is currently only available in store.
Customers can come along for the full experience – from the curated store to a glimpse into the design world in the studio space next door, and even the 10/10 changing room (perfect lighting, soft colours and a wonderfully flattering mirror).
Kate says: “It’s exclusive, so people can try things on, get personal service and feedback – that helps us grow the collection in the right direction.”
And it also helps Kate share her love of Harbour House with customers.
She says: “You can buy flowers from Muscari next door, head upstairs to We Rise wellness studio, pop over the corridor for coffee at Northern Rye and round off your visit with lunch at Uncommon.
I wanted our first store to feel like an experience, and within Harbour House, you can get that from us and other fantastic local brands.”
From pebbles and skylines to texture – Kate’s eye for detail is always on high alert.
She says: “Every single piece is thought through; each one comes from a moment in time.”
Emphasising the point, the inspiration for one of Tutti’s spring summer 2025 collections came from an old door on a Spanish island.
Kate says: “I saw this gorgeous door just outside Ibiza Old Town – the textures were so beautiful.
I took photos, sent them to the factory and they became moulds for our spring collection.
We’re design-led, rather than trend-led.
Each piece should have a classic element with a twist – something that lasts season after season.”
As a young female founder in the early 2000s, Kate’s unwavering energy was also met with challenges.
She says: “I’ve learned a lot about myself over 20 years: resilience, patience and the need to sometimes let go.
It can be a lonely place. You make the decisions, you take the risks and you live with the consequences.
I’ve always been quietly confident – getting on with it, rather than shouting about it – but with conviction underneath.
When I started, business meetings were all men, and I felt out of my comfort zone.
Now, though, there are so many women-led businesses in the North East – it’s amazing to see.”
In a year of change and growth, another important step was taken by Kate with the appointment of Helen Williamson as fractional managing director.
Helen’s CV speaks for itself, with senior roles at Whistles and Hobbs.
A recent move back to the North East, and a chance meeting over dinner, led to her joining the Tutti team.
Kate says: “Bringing Helen in was about me realising I can’t do it all; the business is now bigger than just me.”
And the move means Kate might just get the job she always wanted.
She adds: “After 21 years, I’m finally getting to focus on design and creative direction, while Helen handles strategy.
The next five years are about strategic growth – more stores, but only where it feels right – and expansion overseas, especially into the US, New Zealand and Australia.
We’ve just rolled out to Macy’s and Nordstrom in America.
That’s huge for us.”
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