ASCENO Founders,
Poppy Sexton-Wainwright & Lauren Leask
ASCENO MEETS
It is important to stimulate the brain and get creative which is very important to your overall health. Get back into painting, drawing, or any other hobbies suited for home whilst staying indoors.
It is important to stimulate the brain and get creative which is very important to your overall health. Get back into painting, drawing, or any other hobbies suited for home whilst staying indoors.
ASCENO Founders,
Poppy Sexton-Wainwright & Lauren Leask
ASCENO founders Poppy Sexton-Wainwright and Lauren Leask on the biggest mistake they ever made, clean living, reminiscing about childless holidays with girlfriends and the clothes in their wardrobes which hold happy memories.
Photography Trisha Ward
I NEVER REALLY HAD A FIXED PLAN.
POPPY: I always knew I wanted to do something creative but I would have probably done something more along the lines of interiors. I never really had a chance to think about a career, I met Lauren at university (both attended Newcastle University) and we immediately got on so well and worked brilliantly as a team. So when it came to leave Newcastle, we were already running the business and ASCENO had begun, so I never really thought about what else I might want to do. I think if I hadn't met Lauren, it would have been a different story...
THE BIGGEST MISTAKE I EVER MADE.
POPPY: At 18 I failed my school exams and as a result didn't get a place at university. I took the year off and reapplied to the same school - which I got into but not on the same course. It was during my first month I bumped into a friend of a friend who was on the Marketing & Management course and said I should join. In an impulse move I quit Psychology and joined the class, the following week I met Lauren. Best mistake I ever made was failing those exams!
"Best mistake I ever made was failing those exams!" - Poppy
LAUREN: I was meant to study this niche Fashion Marketing course at Leeds but at the penultimate hour the course was cancelled so I decided to go to Newcastle. We were both meant to be on completely different paths but somewhere out fate was sealed and the universe brought us together.
ALWAYS LISTEN TO ADVICE.
POPPY: You don't necessarily have to take it, but always listen.
LAUREN: My late step-father, Paul, told me when we started the business over 10 years ago to always do what makes you happy or you'll never do very well at it.
"Always do what makes you happy or
you'll never do very well at it." - Lauren
MEDITATION AND CLEAN LIVING IS HOW I LOOK AFTER MYSELF.
LAUREN: I am by nature a sensitive being having spent years battling a chronic illness. When I don't look after myself, I am useless to everyone around me. I like to get ten-minutes on my own every morning stretching and doing quite intense breathing (although this is on pause at the minute as I am 9 months pregnant!), followed by a perfected smoothie recipe and a cup of hot water, turmeric, lemon and black pepper.
POPPY: I could lie and say I do the same - but our morning routine's are totally opposite! The first thing I do is make a coffee, and ideally take it back to bed before my son wakes, the day begins. My coffee is the first thing I think of when I wake up, during lockdown I did invest in a milk frother and I am pretty much barista level now!
"During lockdown I invested in a milk frother
and I am pretty much barista level now!" - Poppy
MY HAPPIEST PLACE IS BEING IN THE WILD WITH NATURE.
LAUREN: My home from home is South Africa. We travel there every year between Christmas and new year as most of my family now live there and it is the only time when I truly switch off and relax. There is something so special about waking up in the bush and being in the wild with animals. Taking my two-year old son last year is a cherished memory. Seeing him discover the animals and the place I love, it was incredibly sweet.
I COVET ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING IN AMBER VALETTA'S WARDROBE.
LAUREN: I love someone who looks laid-back in their style, like Amber Valetta. She has an effortless energy and always looks comfortable in her clothes. I like wearing a monochrome palette with a little flash of colour.
"I covet anything and everything in Amber Valetta's wardrobe." - Lauren
I AM A BIT TOO EMOTIONALLY TIED TO MY CLOTHES.
POPPY: I keep things which remind me of specific events regardless of whether I will wear them again. One of my favourite pieces is the Bordeaux Silk Slip - I wore it for my son's first birthday and everytime I see it in my wardrobe it reminds me of this beautiful happy, sunny day in the park, watching him totter around eating cake.
LAUREN: I don't have a treasure trove of clothes but far prefer having a minimalist wardrobe. I keep timeless pieces and then create looks that I can regurgitate from season to season - while adding some new ASCENO each year. My favourite item of clothing is my Norfolk jumper which was my late step-father's. It is this massive grey cashmere knit filled with moth-holes and I love it!
"I keep timeless pieces and then create looks that
I can regurgitate from season to season." - Lauren
I LOVE SELF-HELP PODCASTS.
LAUREN: I listen to a range of different podcasts from How To Fail with Elizabeth Day, Ferne Cotton Happy Place, and all the Oprah with Eckhart Tolle: A New Earth which tried to teach us how to be present, which none of us are, ever. I'm certainly not!
CHILDLESS HOLIDAYS WITH GIRLFRIENDS.
POPPY: Since becoming a mother (and lockdown!) holidays with friends are near impossible. I will always remember a trip I took with six closest girlfriends to Ibiza four years ago. At the time we were scattered around the globe - London, Dubai, New York...but diaries aligned and we managed to escape together for four blissful days. We didn't particularly do anything while we were there but memory of just sitting in each other's company doing absolutely nothing, bar drinking wine and laughing - it always make me smile.
I LOVE THE IDEA OF BEING QUIET.
LAUREN: I want to go on a trip on my own somewhere beautiful and spiritual to soak up the surroundings. I love the idea of being quiet and still.
IN BED, I WEAR.
POPPY: Silk.
LAUREN: Linen, always linen.
POPPY: There you go.
"I love the idea of being quiet
and still." - Lauren
It is important to stimulate the brain and get creative which is very important to your overall health. Get back into painting, drawing, or any other hobbies suited for home whilst staying indoors.
It is important to stimulate the brain and get creative which is very important to your overall health. Get back into painting, drawing, or any other hobbies suited for home whilst staying indoors.
Our silks, linens and swimwear are created to live as an essential
in your wardrobe for many years to come. Discover our top tips of
how to care for your ASCENO pieces so they are made to last.
CURATED BY
Fran Hickman
ASCENO founders Poppy Sexton-Wainwright and Lauren Leask on the biggest mistake they ever made, clean living, reminiscing about childless holidays with girlfriends and the clothes in their wardrobes which hold happy memories.
Photography Trisha Ward
I NEVER REALLY HAD A FIXED PLAN.
POPPY: I always knew I wanted to do something creative but I would have probably done something more along the lines of interiors. I never really had a chance to think about a career, I met Lauren at university (both attended Newcastle University) and we immediately got on so well and worked brilliantly as a team. So when it came to leave Newcastle, we were already running the business and ASCENO had begun, so I never really thought about what else I might want to do. I think if I hadn't met Lauren, it would have been a different story...
THE BIGGEST MISTAKE I EVER MADE.
POPPY: At 18 I failed my school exams and as a result didn't get a place at university. I took the year off and reapplied to the same school - which I got into but not on the same course. It was during my first month I bumped into a friend of a friend who was on the Marketing & Management course and said I should join. In an impulse move I quit Psychology and joined the class, the following week I met Lauren. Best mistake I ever made was failing those exams!
"Best mistake I ever made was failing those exams." - Poppy
LAUREN: I was meant to study this niche Fashion Marketing course at Leeds but at the penultimate hour the course was cancelled so I decided to go to Newcastle. We were both meant to be on completely different paths but somewhere out fate was sealed and the universe brought us together.
ALWAYS LISTEN TO ADVICE.
POPPY: You don't necessarily have to take it, but always listen.
LAUREN: My late stepfather, Paul, told me when we started the business over 10-years ago to always do what makes you happy or you'll never do very well at it.
"Always do what makes you happy or you'll never do very well at it." - Lauren
MEDITATION AND CLEAN LIVING IS HOW I LOOK AFTER MYSELF.
LAUREN: I am by nature a sensitive being having spent years battling a chronic illness. When I don't look after myself, I am useless to everyone around me. I like to get ten-minutes on my own every morning stretching and doing quite intense breathing (although this is on pause at the minute as I am 9 months pregnant!), followed by a perfected smoothie recipe and a cup of hot water, turmeric, lemon and black pepper.
POPPY: I could lie and say I do the same - but our morning routine's are totally opposite! The first thing I do is make a coffee, and ideally take it back to bed before my son wakes, the day begins. My coffee is the first thing I think of when I wake up, during lockdown I did invest in a milk frother and I am pretty much barista level now!
"During lockdown I invested in a milk frother and I am pretty much barista level now!" - Poppy
MY HAPPIEST PLACE IS BEING IN THE WILD WITH NATURE.
LAUREN: My home from home is South Africa. We travel there every year between Christmas and new year as most of my family now live there and it is the only time when I truly switch off and relax. There is something so special about waking up in the bush and being in the wild with animals. Taking my two-year old son last year is a cherished memory. Seeing him discover the animals and the place I love, it was incredibly sweet.
I COVET ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING IN AMBER VALETTA'S WARDROBE.
LAUREN: I love someone who looks laid-back in their style, like Amber Valetta. She has an effortless energy and always looks comfortable in her clothes. I like wearing a monochrome palette with a little flash of colour.
"I covet anything and everything in Amber Valetta's wardrobe." - Lauren
Lauren wears our ANTWERP BLACK LINEN BOILERSUIT
I AM A BIT TOO EMOTIONALLY TIED TO MY CLOTHES.
POPPY: I keep things which remind me of specific events regardless of whether I will wear them again. One of my favourite pieces is the Bordeaux Silk Slip - I wore it for my son's first birthday and everytime I see it in my wardrobe it reminds me of this beautiful happy, sunny day in the park, watching him totter around eating cake.
LAUREN: I don't have a treasure trove of clothes but far prefer having a minimalist wardrobe. I keep timeless pieces and then create looks that I can regurgitate from season to season - while adding some new ASCENO each year. My favourite item of clothing is my Norfolk jumper which was my late step-father's. It is this massive grey cashmere knit filled with moth-holes and I love it!
"I keep timeless pieces and then create looks that I can regurgitate from season to season." - Lauren
I LOVE SELF-HELP PODCASTS.
LAUREN: I listen to a range of different podcasts from How To Fail with Elizabeth Day, Ferne Cotton Happy Place, and all the Oprah with Eckhart Tolle: A New Earth which tried to teach us how to be present, which none of us are, ever. I'm certainly not!
CHILDLESS HOLIDAYS WITH GIRLFRIENDS.
POPPY: Since becoming a mother (and lockdown!) holidays with friends are near impossible. I will always remember a trip I took with six closest girlfriends to Ibiza four years ago. At the time we were scattered around the globe - London, Dubai, New York...but diaries aligned and we managed to escape together for four blissful days. We didn't particularly do anything while we were there but memory of just sitting in each other's company doing absolutely nothing, bar drinking wine and laughing - it always make me smile.
I LOVE THE IDEA OF BEING QUIET.
LAUREN: I want to go on a trip on my own somewhere beautiful and spiritual to soak up the surroundings. I love the idea of being quiet and still.
"I love the idea of being quiet and still." - Lauren
IN BED, I WEAR.
POPPY: Silk.
LAUREN: Linen, always linen.
POPPY: There you go.
ASCENO FOUNDERS,
POPPY SEXTON-WAINWRIGHT
& LAUREN LEASK
It is important to stimulate the brain and get creative which is very important to your overall health. Get back into painting, drawing, or any other hobbies suited for home whilst staying indoors.
It is important to stimulate the brain and get creative which is very important to your overall health. Get back into painting, drawing, or any other hobbies suited for home whilst staying indoors.
ASCENO MEETS
ASCENO Founders,
Poppy Sexton-Wainwright
& Lauren Leask
ASCENO founders Poppy Sexton-Wainwright and Lauren Leask on the biggest mistake they ever made, clean living, reminiscing about childless holidays with girlfriends and the clothes in their wardrobes which hold happy memories.
Photography Trisha Ward
I NEVER REALLY HAD A FIXED PLAN.
POPPY: I always knew I wanted to do something creative but I would have probably done something more along the lines of interiors. I never really had a chance to think about a career, I met Lauren at university (both attended Newcastle University) and we immediately got on so well and worked brilliantly as a team. So when it came to leave Newcastle, we were already running the business and ASCENO had begun, so I never really thought about what else I might want to do. I think if I hadn't met Lauren, it would have been a different story...
THE BIGGEST MISTAKE I EVER MADE.
POPPY: At 18 I failed my school exams and as a result didn't get a place at university. I took the year off and reapplied to the same school - which I got into but not on the same course. It was during my first month I bumped into a friend of a friend who was on the Marketing & Management course and said I should join. In an impulse move I quit Psychology and joined the class, the following week I met Lauren. Best mistake I ever made was failing those exams!
"Best mistake I ever made was failing those exams." - Poppy
LAUREN: I was meant to study this niche Fashion Marketing course at Leeds but at the penultimate hour the course was cancelled so I decided to go to Newcastle. We were both meant to be on completely different paths but somewhere out fate was sealed and the universe brought us together.
ALWAYS LISTEN TO ADVICE.
POPPY: You don't necessarily have to take it, but always listen.
LAUREN: My late step-father, Paul, told me when we started the business over 10-years ago to always do what makes you happy or you'll never do very well at it.
"Always do what makes you happy or you'll never do very well at it." - Lauren
MEDITATION AND CLEAN LIVING IS HOW I LOOK AFTER MYSELF
LAUREN: I am by nature a sensitive being having spent years battling a chronic illness. When I don't look after myself, I am useless to everyone around me. I like to get ten-minutes on my own every morning stretching and doing quite intense breathing (although this is on pause at the minute as I am 9 months pregnant!), followed by a perfected smoothie recipe and a cup of hot water, turmeric, lemon and black pepper.
POPPY: I could lie and say I do the same - but our morning routine's are totally opposite! The first thing I do is make a coffee, and ideally take it back to bed before my son wakes, the day begins. My coffee is the first thing I think of when I wake up, during lockdown I did invest in a milk frother and I am pretty much barista level now!
"During lockdown I did invest in a milk frother and I am pretty much barista level now!" - Poppy
Lauren wears our MILAN PETROL BLUE BAMBOO SATIN OVERSIZED SHIRT
MY HAPPIEST PLACE IS BEING IN THE WILD WITH NATURE.
LAUREN: My home from home is South Africa. We travel there every year between Christmas and new year as most of my family now live there and it is the only time when I truly switch off and relax. There is something so special about waking up in the bush and being in the wild with animals. Taking my two-year old son last year is a cherished memory. Seeing him discover the animals and the place I love, it was incredibly sweet.
I COVET ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING IN AMBER VALETTA'S WARDROBE.
LAUREN: I love someone who looks laid-back in their style, like Amber Valetta. She has an effortless energy and always looks comfortable in her clothes. I like wearing a monochrome palette with a little flash of colour.
"I covet anything and everything in Amber Valetta's wardrobe." - Lauren
Lauren (left) wears our ANTWERP BLACK LINEN BOILERSUIT,
I AM A BIT TOO EMOTIONALLY TIED TO MY CLOTHES.
POPPY: I keep things which remind me of specific events regardless of whether I will wear them again. One of my favourite pieces is the Bordeaux Silk Slip - I wore it for my son's first birthday and everytime I see it in my wardrobe it reminds me of this beautiful happy, sunny day in the park, watching him totter around eating cake.
LAUREN: I don't have a treasure trove of clothes but far prefer having a minimalist wardrobe. I keep timeless pieces and then create looks that I can regurgitate from season to season - while adding some new ASCENO each year. My favourite item of clothing is my Norfolk jumper which was my late step-father's. It is this massive grey cashmere knit filled with moth-holes and I love it!
"I keep timeless pieces and then create looks that I can regurgitate from season to season." - Lauren
I LOVE SELF-HELP PODCASTS.
LAUREN: I listen to a range of different podcasts from How To Fail with Elizabeth Day, Ferne Cotton Happy Place, and all the Oprah with Eckhart Tolle: A New Earth which tried to teach us how to be present, which none of us are, ever. I'm certainly not!
CHILDLESS HOLIDAYS WITH GIRLFRIENDS.
POPPY: Since becoming a mother (and lockdown!) holidays with friends are near impossible. I will always remember a trip I took with six closest girlfriends to Ibiza four years ago. At the time we were scattered around the globe - London, Dubai, New York...but diaries aligned and we managed to escape together for four blissful days. We didn't particularly do anything while we were there but memory of just sitting in each other's company doing absolutely nothing, bar drinking wine and laughing - it always make me smile.
I LOVE THE IDEA OF BEING QUIET.
LAUREN: I want to go on a trip on my own somewhere beautiful and spiritual to soak up the surroundings. I love the idea of being quiet and still.
"I love the idea of being quiet and still." - Lauren
IN BED, I WEAR.
POPPY: Silk.
LAUREN: Linen, always linen.
POPPY: There you go.