If you’re reading this, you may have noticed the Department of International Trade’s  ‘Made in the UK, Sold to the World’ billboards which have popped up across the UK in the past two weeks. Our very own Julie Deane CBE, founder and CEO of The Cambridge Satchel Co., features in them, and what a pleasure it has been to participate in this campaign! In October 2021, I joined Julie at Holborn Studios in London for her shoot day. 

A short car journey took us from from Cambridge to London, and before we knew it, we'd arrived at Holborn Studios. After introductions and Covid tests, it was time for hair, makeup and styling!

After the wonderful MUAs and stylists got Julie ready, it was time to wheel in the props - bags at the ready! DIT had a plan to feature as many of our lovely bags as possible, in all their colours, from classic to bright.

Lights, camera, action! It was time for a morning of shooting - both stills and videos. The shoot consisted of fun music, drinks and snacks, and of course, posing.

Striking that perfect pose!  It was so exciting to see The Department of International Trade's, photographic agency Germaine Walker's and photographer Charlie Clift's visions come to life.

After a couple of hours, it was time for lunch in the very hip Holborn Studios cafe. We went for a classic burger and chips - can’t beat it. The delicious slushie was appreciated too!

And here it is…the finished product!

Spotted in Cambridge in February 2022. Have you spotted one near you yet?

Thank you to The Department of International Trade, the team at Germaine Walker, photographer Charlie Clift and everyone involved both on the shoot day and in the following creative process for having us and for creating such a wonderful campaign!

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Find out more about The Department of International Trade on their Instagram, Facebook,  Twitter and LinkedIn, or visit https://www.great.gov.uk/.