From Buxton with love
Fans of Tipping Point may be familiar with the scrap queen Melissa Drabble, who owns Tin Man Scrap in Buxton.
‘I love everything about Buxton from its architecture and history, I’m a big fan of the town,’ explains Melissa.
‘Throughout the town I could see “I heart Buxton” t-shirts and I thought there needed to be something better than that for tourists.’
And so, Buck Stone Country Clothing was born. Melissa got the idea for the name of the brand from the town’s original middle English name Buchestanes Bucstones, which later turned into Buxton.
The idea for the logo came from a piece of advertising scrap she happened across which featured a buck standing on a stone.
Launching properly in August 2024, Melissa worked on perfecting the brand for a year beforehand, ensuring she had the very best designs, fabrics and suppliers.
A grant from Visit Peak District & Derbyshire, along with the High Peak Borough Council’s UKSPF scheme, enabled her to have a stand at the Chatsworth Country Fair, where she made her debut, and she’s been ‘non-stop since then’.
After a social media post went viral her clothing is now in demand all over the country, but as Melissa is currently a one-woman band, doing everything from marketing to modelling and packaging to posting, it can take time to create new collections.
All the designs are Melissa’s own, with everything sustainable and made from high-quality fabrics – even the tweed is locally sourced: ‘I try to use the best quality products as I want these things to last a long time, rather than be a fast fashion brand’ she explains.
Buck Stone will be evolving over the coming year as it moves away from casual clothes and focuses on more formal dress moving forward.
buckstonecountryclothing.co.uk
My top three picks
Buck Stone Mountain Hoodie & Tweed Scrunchie Photo: Buck Stone Country Clothing Buck Stone Mountain Hoodie & Tweed Scrunchie
Described by Melissa as the most popular products so far, she designed the leaping buck emblem herself and the creation of the hoodie came to life by accident when she found some old tweed and decided to add. All the scrunchies are handmade in Derbyshire using some of the finest sourced vintage mid-century threads, re-using and not wasting already quality crafted British materials. Where she can, Melissa tries to source all the tweeds locally to Derbyshire, but if supply doesn’t allow, she ensures that she always buys them within Britain to ensure sustainability and quality.
Hoodie £74.99, Scrunchies from £32.99
This was the very first piece Melissa designed when she first had the idea for Buck Stone: ‘I created a jumper for my husband as a one off and loved it so much I started making other designs’ she explains. This thick relaxed-fit hoodie features detailed gold embroidery depicting the buck drinking water from the Buxton hills, which was inspired from an antique water seltzer by Tebb Mineral Water. It’s a fabulous piece for anyone who loves walking the hills or enjoys the countryside. It’s also an eye-catching hoodie perfect for casual days where you need to look smart.
£59.99
This is Melissa’s very first dress that she’d designed personally. The tweed shooting dress is named after Duchess Georgiana Spencer, who was the wife of the Duke of Devonshire and portrayed by Kiera Knightly in the 2008 film The Duchess. ‘I wanted the dress to emulate her style as she was such a beautiful and strong woman, which I wanted to come across in the dress’ says Melissa. A midi version will be coming out in March, as well as a skirt in the same style later this year, which will form part of the First Ladies of Country Collection.
£197.99
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