A fashion entrepreneur has named her new business after her Clifton grandma to reflect the “beauty” found in council estate communities. FREDA, launched in late 2024, currently offers sweatshirts and tote bags in its range of products that aim to capture the “council estate aesthetic”.
Becky Whitfield, 34, says her brand aims to reflect urban life with a nod to the strong sense of community often found in areas like Clifton. The company owner said: “It’s been in the pipeline for quite a few years and I bit the bullet this year and just went for it”.
The company is named after Becky’s grandma, Freda Bryan. Freda passed away in July 2020 at the age of 90 and lived in Clifton for most of her life on Rivergreen.
Becky, who grew up in the Barton Green area, described Freda as the “matriarch” of her family and said: “I was really close to my grandma, my dad was in the Royal Navy so he was away a lot and my grandma really helped to bring us up with my mum.
“She was a very strong but very kind woman and when she passed away, it was quite a big hole in the family. She was the glue that kept everyone together. She was really involved in the local community and gave a lot back through working in the community library”.
Frank Bryan with his wife Freda, who lived in Clifton most of her life
(Image: Family Handout)
Having seen strong demand for the sweatshirts and tote bags, Becky is now thinking about the best way to expand the product range. The initial focus will be on producing T-shirts celebrating the history of Nottingham’s lace industry, in which Becky’s great-grandfather Arthur Bryan worked.
Arthur’s original prints and sketches remain in the family and these will be incorporated into the designs. The sense of family and community is reflected across the FREDA website, with the top of it featuring the saying “best bit of putty I’ve had in my hand all day”, something her grandfather Frank Bryan would always say when shaking hands.
Becky left Nottingham to move to London around 10 years ago after studying fashion in Manchester and currently works in the archive film industry, but says her work with FREDA could become full-time depending on how the company progresses. The fashion designer said she wanted to reflect the “beauty” often found in council estate areas, adding: “There is this stigma around growing up on a council estate, but my grandad and grandma definitely weren’t that.
“It was was all about the community behind it and I have such fond memories of it being a really tight knit environment. This is a nod to that community.”