Pictured above: Donna Hawkes, Lynda Martin and Hannah Forward

A trio of Lincolnshire mothers have turned what was initially a daytime hobby of designing dresses for their daughters into a fledgling eco-brand that has rapidly grown into something of a local success story. 

Despite the grim economic climate and many local textile businesses closing down, the independent label has gone from strength to strength.

The clothing of  Mpenzi - tailored, sewn and packaged out of Lynda Martin's Horncastle cottage  - is being stocked in boutiques and stores across the UK. Lincoln, Birmingham, Leeds, Brighton, Bakewell, and now London are all home to Mpenzi clothing. 

Lynda Martin (32), Donna Hawkes (36) and Hannah Forward (28), the three proprietors of the business and all mothers of young children, are delighted with the success of Mpenzi. 

"It's been a fantastic turn of events and we're so happy with the expansion of the business over the past year," said Lynda. 

The brand was started in March 2010 when Lynda, former Operations Manager at LIVES, set up an eBay shop to sell off her eldest daughter's outgrown clothes. Friends Lynda and Donna then had the idea to buy fabrics and design their own bespoke dresses specifically for little girls.    

"From the beginning we knew we wanted to make dresses that were eco-friendly, all made up of end-of-line and leftover designer fabrics," said Lynda. The pair began to produce a reversible dress with unique patterns, buttons, and fabrics. 

The name Mpenzi - Swahili for sweetheart - was chosen and soon the dresses were being sold online. "Initially we had a lot of success selling over our website," says Donna. "We sold all over the world: Poland, Australia and the USA." 

Since its launch Mpenzi have seen huge demand for their product. 

Additional support came with Hannah Forward who joined the team in July and brought her seamstress skills to the company. "I was delighted to get involved and I found the dresses just lovely and I'm very proud that all of them are environmentally friendly," she said.  

"The emphasis on making the product eco-friendly has set the business apart; each dress is carefully hand-made, bespoke and made with care, attention and love," Hannah added.

Mpenzi dresses were soon stocked in reputable clothing shops locally. In Horncastle, First began stocking the brand, then other locations like Clarabellas in Louth and Mummy and Little Me in Lincoln.

Mpenzi can now be found further afield with the dresses being stocked in boutiques and stores in Birmingham, Leeds, Bakewell and Brighton. 

Recently it has just been announced that Mpenzi dresses will be stocked by Their Nibs, a high-end Notting Hill boutique regularly frequented by celebrity mums like Kate Moss, Thandie Newton and Jools Oliver. 

Lynda explained: "We're over the moon at the news we have now expanded to London, it's a real validation of our combined efforts to be stocked in such a fashionable and respected boutique in the capital."   

Fiona Bell, founder of Their Nibs, commented: "We were drawn to Mpenzi as the clothes fit extremely well with our own personal collection, they are very vintage in style and unique." 

Other stockists tell a similar story. "I'm delighted to work with Mpenzi as we like to support smaller independent labels, and we've had a very good response to the dresses that we've stocked," said Charlie of the Charlie Barley boutique in Brighton. "They're definitely selling. I will be continuing to work with them." 

With new designs being drawn up for the spring summer season - including ra-ra skirts and appliqué T-shirts - and ever an increasing demand, Mpenzi are looking ahead at the expansion of the business. 

Lynda is cautiously optimistic: "Right now it is a very exciting time for us, but we are an independent small business, we're all mothers and our children will always be our main priority, but of course we hope to grow and develop at a manageable rate."