DVR meets HRH The Princess Royal and more exciting updates

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2020 is GOING to be our year. I am going to make sure of it!

The end of the decade saw the wrap of DVR's second year in business. 2019 was a great year for building new relationships, getting the brand out to more of you, and an exciting year for new product too.

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We saw the launch of our competition-wear range, new Stretch and Breathe fly veil colours, the Sunday collection, and right at the end and moving into 2020, our exciting signature sport breeches. 2019 also saw us take home our very exciting Environmental Business Award.

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However, it was a tough year personally, with firstly the loss of my share horse, at the ripe old age of 27, Darcy was a special horse I will never forget. The care and then loss of my grandad from motor neurone disease earlier in the year, the only thing I am grateful for through that experience is the fact that I spent a lot more time with him, it is sad but true that ill health does bring us all closer together, and then the loss of our beloved family dog very unexpectedly in November.

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This did slow some movement in the business down for 2019, as expected, but it also meant I haven't felt as though my head was in the place it should be in terms of ambition and confidence in moving forward. I managed and we still made exciting moves, but I am now feeling ready to bring it up a gear again.

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After receiving some exciting news back in December of things to come in the New Year, I felt set up for feeling positive, fully motivated and ready to face whatever 2020 brings, with a clear head and clear goals for the year.

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January saw our first ever feature in Horse and Hound, where I was ecstatic to see a DVR image had been given a full page, and where we discussed sustainability alongside other brands doing their bit to minimise their impact on the environment.

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The following week saw us attend our first ever trade show, BETA International. I had decided to use the inheritance from my grandad to pay to attend BETA as I thought he would have felt that was a positive thing to be putting the money towards. Whether we would take orders or not wasn't too much of a worry to me, it was more about getting a feel for this side of the industry, spreading the word and making new connections. 

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Little did I know at the time of booking that I would then be informed that I had been selected with 4 others to be introduced to HRH, The Princess Royal. Not only did I feel honoured to be chosen and excited to meet her, but I also knew that it was something my grandad would have loved too. 

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BETA was a great experience. Taking only a selected edit from the DVR collection meant we could keep the stand very sleek and minimal. It was lovely to be able to present the designs in this way, as at consumer shows we have to work hard to display everything and hold stock on the stand at the same time. 

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We met wonderful people at BETA, made great new connections and even took some orders. I am thrilled to say we have a select few very exciting retailers that will be sharing the brand with their customers this summer. (Another post will come for this). 

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Meeting Princess Anne was a highlight for me. She was incredibly warm and friendly, and eager to find out about what we all did. We talked about how the recycled products are made, the technical benefits of the fabrics and manufacturing processes. I met her alongside four others from various businesses, including the team from FOMO, a brand new body protector design.

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2020 is looking bright. I am forever grateful to have a customer base and supporters that see my vision and like what I am trying to achieve through the brand. There is so much more to come from DVR and I can't wait to share more with you this year. Thank you as always for your support, whether you buy the products, share or like our social media posts. Everything is helping to grow the brand and I have so much more to give.

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Wishing you all a happy, healthy and prosperous 2020.