the history of ragamuffin


lesley robertson originally founded ragamuffin whilst she was still at school - making jewellery and clothes and selling them to friends.

whilst at university, lesley began designing costumes for theatre productions and updated and sold 1920's clothes.

after graduating from university, she went to Skye on holiday, fell in love with a dog and never left!
inspired by the landscapes & seascapes around skye and with a passion for fabric colour & texture, lesley started to knit and design clothes that were comfortable, functional & fun.
slowly she became known in the area for her quirky designs and opened her first ragamuffin shop in a dilapidated studio —

with the help of friends the business grew and moved to the pier at Armadale where ragamuffin still is today.


as her reputation grew beyond The Highlands, lesley exhibited her collection at trade shows and began to sell her designs all over the world - from Anchorage, Alaska to The Wearable Art Gallery in New York.

 

  
ragamuffin opened on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh 15 years ago.

we are now known worldwide for our collection of designer knitwear & original clothes.
lesley likes to think that she was helped along the way by a group of guardian angels, all of whom have a great sense of humour! she ontinues to design her own collection under the angels don't trudge label (well they don't - do they?)