A fashion designer has revealed that she was the style brains behind the snug-looking winter jumper that Kate Middleton chose to wear for her CBeebies debut, which airs tonight.
Natasha Rose Griggs, a Birmingham-based designer who now runs luxury swimwear line Topaz Swim, said she came up with the £179 Fair Isle jumper design – from upmarket brand Holland Cooper, that the Duchess of Cambridge, 40, picked for her Bedtime Stories appearance.
Mother-of-three Kate paired the cosy cream patterned knitwear with blue jeans for her much-anticipated TV appearance, which will air tonight at 6:50pm, and see her reading The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark, by Jill Tomlinson.
Swimwear designer Natasha Rose Griggs says she came up with the design for the Fair Isle jumper Kate Middleton, 40, (pictured) picked for Sunday’s CBeebies debut while she worked at Holland Cooper
The snug-looking knitwear, with red grey and navy yarns, and gold buttons on the shoulders and sleeves, retails at £179
Birmingham-based Griggs, pictured, now owns the Topaz Swim brand, but worked for Holland Cooper, maker of the knit the Duchess of Cambridge will wear on CBeebies, from 2018 to 2021
The tale tells the story of Plop, the Baby Barn Owl, who learns to overcome his fear of the dark through encounters with a host of friendly characters, and the Duchess’ recital will mark the start of Children’s Mental Health Week in the UK.
The cream knit the Duchess plumped for caught the eye of royal fans when Kate debuted it in promotional clips released ahead of her CBeebies debut.
The cosy turtle neck jumper is adorned with gold buttons on the sleeves and shoulders, and carries a traditional Fair Isle pattern in grey, red and navy.
Designer Natasha, who launched Topaz Swim in 2020, worked for Holland Copper as a womenswear designer from 2018 to 2021. Founded by Jade Holland Cooper in 2008, the brand started as a stall selling tweed miniskirts at the Badminton Horse Trials.
During her time at the fashion brand, she says she designed the Fair Isle jumper from start to finish, deciding on its style, pattern and yarn.
She adds that she even sourced the Pak Tak Kwong Tai Knitting Factory in Hong Kong, where the jumper was made for the brand, which has become a favourite of the Duchess of Cambridge.
However, the designer has since turned her attention to lighter garments, and has become a rising name in the world of swimwear fashion since leaving Holland Cooper.
No knits needed! The designer’s swimwear line launched in 2020 and has already received awards. Its ethos is to champion sustainable and luxurious materials and craftsmanship, she says
On Sunday, the Duchess of Cambridge will read The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark, which tells the story of Plop, the Baby Barn Owl, who learns to overcome his fear of the dark through encounters with friendly characters
Topaz Swim was awarded Best New Swimwear Brand of the Year by Central Prestige Awards 2021. The brand has also recently been nominated by the Women’s Business Awards for Business Women of the Year.
The Duchess was filmed in January at Kensington Palace to mark Children’s Mental Health Week, which runs until next Sunday.
Kate is following in the footsteps of A-listers like Tom Hardy, Suranne Jones, Dolly Parton and Captain America’s Chris Evans, who have all brought their star power to Bedtime Stories, much to the delight of parents watching with their children.
A picture shows Kate sitting cross-legged on a blanket in stonewashed jeans and the cream knit jumper.
Behind her is a wooden den in which the familiar smiling CBeebies toy is hiding.
A starry backdrop has been put up behind her, as well as a cosily smoking fire pit.
There are also three stuffed owls, representative of her chosen bedtime story.
Kate is not the only royal to show an interest in children’s literature – in 1984 her father-in-law Prince Charles appeared on Jackanory to read his tale, The Old Man of Lochnagar.
The theme for this year’s Children’s Mental Health Week is ‘growing together’, encouraging children and adults to consider how they have grown emotionally and recognising that trying new things can help people move beyond their comfort zones, while challenges and setbacks can help them to mature and adapt.
Kate, 40, chose her story to reflect the theme.
The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark tells of Plop, a baby barn owl who, although he has a large appetite and adventurous spirit, is afraid of the dark – unfortunate for a nocturnal creature – and refuses to go hunting with his parents.
Mrs Barn Owl sends him down from the nest to learn about the dark and he comes across a series of characters who show him how joyful the night can be, like a black cat who takes him exploring and a little boy waiting for fireworks to begin.
At the end of the book he realises that the dark is not so bad after all.
The original 112-page book was loved by the duchess when she was a child and she now reads it to her children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, an aide said.
Kate will read a shorter ‘storyboard’ version of the book, with illustrations by Paul Howard, on Sunday at 6.50pm.
Patricia Hidalgo, director of BBC children’s and education programmes, said: ‘I couldn’t be more proud to have the duchess read a CBeebies bedtime story as we mark the 20th anniversary of our CBeebies and CBBC channels.
‘It’s such a special and relevant tale and perfectly represents this year’s Children’s Mental Health Week theme. I can’t wait to see her deliver her own take on such a classic story and I’m sure our audience can’t either.’
Author Miss Tomlinson trained as an opera singer but turned to writing children’s books when she fell ill with multiple sclerosis. She died in 1976, aged 45.
The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark read by the Duchess on CBeebies Bedtime Stories will be screened at 6.50pm on Sunday
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