About Us
Our Roots
Knowledge Passed Through Making
House of Numbat brings together a family history in textiles and clothing.
Our experience began in Bulgaria, where we established a sportswear manufacturing business in 2003.
Years of working with fabrics, patterns, garment construction, sampling and production shaped our understanding of what makes clothing successful.
Today, from our home and creative workspace in Norfolk, we continue that work through fashion, professional consultancy and independent creative projects.
Our experience connects the practical knowledge of manufacturing with the imagination of design.
A New Chapter in Norfolk
House of Numbat is developing its next chapter with a particular focus on professional fashion services and carefully produced, limited clothing collections.
Through Numbat Studio, we aim to help clients make better-informed decisions about the development and production of clothing.
Through Numbat Fashion, we continue our own work as designers and makers.
Through our books, art and archival activities, we preserve knowledge and creative stories that deserve to remain accessible.
These different activities share a common foundation: experience, independence, craftsmanship and care.
Discover House of Numbat
NUMBAT STUDIO — Professional Fashion Development
NUMBAT STORE — Clothing & Limited Collections
NUMBAT ART — Original Art & Archive Prints
NUMBAT BOOKS — Independent Publishing
NUMBAT JOURNAL — Online Articles & Research
VERONIKA GUARDI FOUNDATION — Family Archive & Legacy
HOUSE OF NUMBAT
A Family History in Making. A Future in Design.
Numbat Ltd
Norfolk, England
ABOUT HOUSE OF NUMBAT
An Independent British Design House with a Family History in Textiles
Norfolk, England
Our Story
House of Numbat is an independent family-led design house based in Norfolk, England.
Our work brings together fashion design, garment manufacturing knowledge, professional consultancy, original art, publishing and creative research.
Behind these activities is a family whose experience in clothing began long before House of Numbat was established in its present form.
We are not a large fashion company.
We are a family business built on practical experience, creative independence and the belief that knowledge matters as much as appearance.
Where Our Experience Began
Our professional background is rooted in textile engineering and garment manufacturing.
After studying textile engineering in Sofia, Bulgaria, we developed our experience in clothing production and established a sportswear manufacturing business in 2003.
Our work included developing and manufacturing sportswear, understanding technical requirements and managing the practical processes involved in producing garments.
Working directly with fabrics, patterns, machinery, production teams and customers gave us an understanding of clothing that cannot be learned through design alone.
We came to appreciate the relationship between creativity and manufacturing: how a design must be translated into patterns, samples, construction methods and a finished garment.
That experience remains central to House of Numbat today.
A Family Connected by Fashion
Our daughter, Veronika Guardi (1989–2023), grew up surrounded by fabrics, garments and the everyday activities of a clothing business.
From childhood, she showed a strong interest in drawing and designing clothes.
She later moved to England, developed her professional career in fashion and established her own design business.
Her work included fashion consultancy, collection development and her independent womenswear brand, GUARDI.
Veronika built her own professional identity through determination, creativity and years of work.
Her career was connected to our family's background in clothing, but it was also her own achievement.
She died in April 2023, aged thirty-four.
Her loss changed our family and our lives.
Today, preserving her story is an important part of House of Numbat, but it is not the only purpose of our business.
We continue to develop our own work while remembering the daughter and designer who will always be part of our history.
Continuing in Norfolk
Our connection with Norfolk grew through Veronika and her family.
During the pandemic, we remained in Norwich to help care for our grandchildren, Hector and Francis.
Over time, Norfolk became our home.
Today, we continue working here, bringing together our manufacturing background with the creative projects we have developed over many years.
House of Numbat allows us to carry this experience forward in a new form.
It brings together what we know, what we create and what we believe is worth preserving.
Numbat Studio — Sharing Professional Experience
One of our principal areas of development is Numbat Studio, our fashion design and business development consultancy.
Through Numbat Studio, we support independent designers, fashion entrepreneurs and clothing businesses with practical guidance.
Our services cover the journey from an initial idea through brand definition, collection development, production preparation, launch planning and business review.
We also offer selected bespoke fashion design services.
Our approach is based on the understanding that a fashion business needs more than creativity.
It needs technical knowledge, clear decisions, realistic costs, manufacturing preparation and an understanding of the customer.
We offer structured professional services with agreed scopes and deliverables, helping clients approach their projects with greater clarity.
Numbat Fashion — Continuing to Make Clothes
Alongside consultancy, we continue to develop clothing under the Numbat name.
Our design direction is influenced by British style, everyday practicality, craftsmanship and clothing with lasting appeal.
We are currently developing a very limited collection intended to be made at House of Numbat in Norfolk.
Small-scale production allows us to work directly with the garments, review their construction and develop designs carefully.
Our aim is not to compete with mass-produced fashion on volume.
It is to create distinctive clothing informed by our experience as designers and makers.
Our clothing is available through Numbat Store, our independent online shop.
Art, Books and Creative Research
Our experience with textiles also inspires work beyond clothing.
Through Numbat Art, we explore texture, colour, surface and material through original creative projects.
Through Numbat Books, we develop publications on fashion, garment manufacturing, British clothing culture and the lives of creative people.
Through Numbat Journal, we share online articles, research and reflections about design, craftsmanship and the realities of independent creative work.
These activities allow us to communicate knowledge in different ways.
A garment demonstrates what can be made.
A book can explain the thinking behind it.
An archive can preserve the evidence of a creative life.
Preserving Veronika's Story
After Veronika's death, we began preserving the materials and memories available to our family.
The Veronika Guardi Archive brings together surviving sketches, photographs, personal writings and documentary records relating to her life and work.
The archive forms the central purpose of the family-led Veronika Guardi Foundation initiative.
It is not a separate charitable institution or public museum.
Our aim is to preserve Veronika's story accurately and respectfully, particularly for her two sons and future generations.
This work includes the biography Veronika Guardi Style, which documents both her personal life and her professional career through two distinct editions.
House of Numbat is independent of Veronika Guardi Ltd and the GUARDI fashion brand. Our archival activities do not claim ownership of that company or its complete professional records.
We preserve what is available to us, with care for accuracy, privacy and the rights of others.
Why the Numbat?
We chose the numbat, a small Australian marsupial, as the symbol of our family brand.
The numbat is an unusual and endangered native animal, recognised for its distinctive appearance and vulnerability.
For us, it represents individuality, resilience and the importance of protecting what is valuable.
Those ideas have remained meaningful as our family and business have changed.
We have always been interested in creating work with character rather than simply following what is fashionable.
The name Numbat reflects that independent spirit.
What We Believe
Our work is guided by a few enduring principles.
Experience matters. We value knowledge developed through years of practical work.
Craftsmanship matters. We respect the skills and attention required to make clothing well.
Independence matters. We believe small creative businesses can offer a personal and thoughtful approach.
Responsibility matters. We aim to make considered decisions about materials, production and the resources available to us.
Memory matters. We believe that creative work and personal stories deserve to be documented truthfully.
The future matters. We continue to learn, develop and adapt while remaining connected to our history.
Looking Forward
House of Numbat is entering a new chapter.
We are developing Numbat Studio as a professional service for fashion entrepreneurs and clothing businesses.
We are preparing carefully considered, limited clothing collections.
We are continuing our books, online journal, art and archival projects.
We know from experience that building an independent business is rarely straightforward.
But we believe there is still a place for practical knowledge, individual creativity and work developed with care.
Our future is not about recreating the past.
It is about carrying forward what we have learned and using that experience to make something worthwhile.
House of Numbat
A Family History in Making. A Future in Design.
An independent British design house bringing together fashion, professional consultancy, art, publishing and creative heritage.
Numbat Ltd
Norfolk, England
Website: www.houseofnumbat.com
Email: info@houseofnumbat.com
