Fashion marketing students get brand-building masterclass from Naked Generation
10 November 2025
Creative businesswoman Lara Merrill founded slow fashion brand Naked Generation back in 2018, and what started out as a singular dress design has since grown into a powerful community brand, based in Cornwall and loved by women from all over the world.
Lara was recently invited by Fashion Marketing BA(Hons) Course Leader Emma Goff to come and share her experience and knowledge with final year students, to support their understanding of brand creation in a successful real-world context.
Sat on vintage kantha quilts and surrounded by sketchbooks, garment samples and wooden printing blocks, Lara shared the story of Naked Generation with the group, and along with it many pearls of wisdom.
With a varied background which included running a vintage business, Lara’s original mission was to create an inclusive, vintage-inspired dress crafted from Indian textiles – born from her love of the 1970s and a desire for sustainably crafted, unique garments (of the kind that are increasingly hard to find within the modern fast-fashion industry).
Lara travelled from Cornwall to Jaipur – home to India’s natural dye district and block printing tradition – to source the craftspeople and suppliers who would help bring her design to life, and who remain her suppliers to this day.
Upon opening online pre-orders for that first dress in 2018, it sold out in less than two weeks; a phenomenon that has become a regular occurrence for the brand over the years, having built a loyal fan base.
Reflecting on her journey, Lara identified authenticity, consistency and intuition as some of the factors she believes have contributed to the success of Naked Generation.
From the very first brand photoshoot at Cornwall’s Gunwalloe Cove working with local photographers and models, Lara set the visual bar very high; mastering authentic storytelling by weaving the bespoke product imagery in with old photographs of Indian fabrics, work by folk artists and other sources of inspiration – and leveraging the rise of visual platforms like Instagram.
Lara also took the students through some of the more practical aspects of running a brand, from sourcing suitable suppliers and the challenges of imports and exports, to opening a retail space in Falmouth in 2024 – creating a ‘destination’ location to bring the online community together in person.
With modules on visual communication and branding, retail and collaboration under their belts, the students had lots of questions to ask about how Naked Generation operates as a standout brand and took plenty of inspiration away with them to apply to their Final Major Projects.
On sharing her story with the students, Lara told us: “It was an honour to share my story with the students. It was lovely for me to look back and reminisce about the beginning of our journey and hopefully help inspire the next generation - we have some incredible talent here in Cornwall!”
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