LONDON — Like many sisters, Lady Lola Bute and her sister, Jazzy De Lisser have always swapped, borrowed and stolen each other’s clothes.
Now they’re putting their longtime love of fashion into a joint brand called Debute.
“We’ve always been stealing each other’s clothes. It’s been our biggest feud as sisters and now it’s going to be our biggest success,” Bute said in an interview with De Lisser.
The sisters may have different styles, and the brand is a fusion of both. It combines Bute’s glitz with De Lisser’s preference for more laid-back looks.
There are little black evening dresses that can be worn for day with a cropped cardigan; baby T-shirts; tank tops featuring playful graphics, and flared-leg trousers that come with lace-up detailing.
The collection includes a maxi-length tartan kilt.
Courtesy of Debute
At the heart of the fun and flirty brand is a sense of family, right down to the mini- and maxi-length kilts featuring the Bute family tartan.
Bute’s and De Lisser’s love of fashion has been instilled in them by their fashion designer mother, Serena Bute, Marchioness of Bute.
“We want women…to be part of our community. That’s what it’s about, sisterhood and friendship and community,” Bute said. “Creating those pieces that sisters can both have — so that they’re not fighting over them like me and Jazzy once were.”
Made entirely in London, the brand places emphasis on sustainability. Packing is plastic-free and clothing is made from deadstock fabric sourced from British textile manufacturers, including Bute Fabrics, a mill founded by an ancestor in 1947.
Bute models a sheer dress from the brand.
Courtesy of Debute
“I think that [Johnny Crichton-Stuart, seventh Marquess of Bute] so believed in craftsmanship and community. That’s actually why Bute Fabrics was started, to bring that into the community in Scotland,” De Lisser said.
“It’s paying respects to what has come before, and bringing it into our new journey,” she added.
Rather than operating on the seasonal fashion calendar, Bute and De Lisser said Debute will aim for five collection drops throughout the year, with everything priced 300 pounds or below.
The sisters are also focused on building their direct-to-consumer business, and planning to do a series of events and pop-ups across London, New York and Los Angeles.