the young Nigerian curator who is platforming artists from the African continent and driving an open, accessible and non-el it i st agenda (p134), a nd Amy Pow ney, whose power f u l journey into regenerative fashion with her brand Mother of Pearl, has been capt ured in a new fi lm by Becky Hutner (p131). However, what l ies beneath these thril l ing ta les of dy namism, ded ic at ion a nd succe s s i s somewhat murk ier – for the fact remains that female-founded businesses attract only one to t wo percent of available venture capital investment, meaning it ’s far harder for women to scale their businesses.

Following the publication of the 2022 Rose Rev iew on fema le ent repreneu r sh ip, I ta l ked to a ser ie s of fema le founders about t hei r ow n e x per ience s , what t he cha l lenges a re (idea l ly not being propositioned in an investment pitch, for starters) and their ideas for fi xing them. It makes for a thought-provok ing read and I’m real ly grateful to those women for sharing their stories (p125).

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Onto more positive v ibes. You may be hearing the thud of heav y embossed card hitting your doormat quite often this year as 2023 continues to be one in which the wedding is well and truly back. So for brides, grooms, guests and more, we’ve compiled your complete wedding dossier on ever y thing (and ever yone) you need to know to make your occasion sing (p49).

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Ed i t o r ’s LETTER

I’m blown away by the raft of strong, ta lented brilliant women feat u red in ou r pages this issue. From Sian Sutherland, whose moonshot is to entirely change our relationship with plastic from the design stage up (p110) to Marine Tanguy, who set up the fi rst ta lent agency in the a r t world t hat ’s a l ready wor t h mi l l ions , has B Cor p certification and counts artists Lorenzo Quinn, Claire Luxton and Robert Montgomery among its clients (p120). Plus, there’s Oyinkansola Dada,

60

And if it ’s a home you’re i nvest i ng i n a s a new couple , Carole Annett ’s special spring interiors section will have you wedding l istready before you can say John Lewis (p139).

Last summer, you may have noticed massive bil lboards on the streets of Knightsbridge advertising t hat Saud i A rabia i s open i ng its arms to western tourists. Problematic as the countr y ’s politics and regime definitely are (I don’t need to spell out why here), Annabel

Illingworth presents an interesting case for keeping an eye on the state and its loft y ambition to create a sustainable tourism model. Never should we disregard the issues but you never know what changes might one day be possible (p169).

So here’s to curiosit y, openness of mind and spirit – and, of course, the support and investment in the female founder. May a brighter future await.

EDITOR’S PICKS

BOOST I ’m loving new company Lifebio’s transdermal patches to give me a boost of Vitamin D and C while I wait for summer’s return. life.bio

APPLY I ’m late to the party but Soho Skin (the skincare brand from Soho House) is filling my cosmetics cupboard nicely, thank you. sohoskin.com

REVIVE Getting my trusty Barbour r e c o n d i t i o n e d ( I ’ v e had it since I was 18) has given me the biggest thrill.

barbour.com

12 | COUNTRYANDTOWNHOUSE.COM | March / April 2023

VISIT Don’t miss the sumptuous new exhibition of the radical Rossetti (and his generation) at Tate Britain,

from 6 April.

tate.org

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