By Alex Feechan, Founder of FINDRA
Finding Inspiration in the Changing Season
Autumn is my favourite time of year. Living and working in the Tweed Valley, I’m reminded daily of just how special this season is. The light softens, the air turns crisp, and the hills shift into a rich mix of rusty orange, gold, and deep green that’s so distinctive to this part of the world. Each year it feels both familiar and new — a reminder of the quiet beauty in nature’s changing rhythm.
Whether I’m out walking with my dog Horace, biking the local trails, or driving between Innerleithen and Selkirk, I relish every chance to take in this beautiful season and landscape. Autumn feels like the last opportunity to soak up the golden light before winter arrives — when the days shorten, the temperatures drop, and we retreat indoors to coorie up beside the fire.
As a designer, I find endless creativity in nature, and I’m fortunate to have it in abundance on my doorstep. The Scottish Borders is the backdrop to FINDRA; its textures, tones, and shifting light constantly feed into my creative process. When I look out across the Tweed Valley, I don’t just see colour — I see combinations and contrasts that find their way into our collections. The warmth of bracken, the cool slate of river stones, the rich green of moss on tree trunks — these are the hues that define the FINDRA aesthetic: subtle, layered, and timeless.
At our core, FINDRA is about creating clothing that feels connected to the outdoors. It’s about making pieces that last, that work hard, and that reflect the natural world in both form and function. The colours we use aren’t about trends; they’re about timeless tones that come straight from the landscape around us.
Autumn light in the Tweed Valley — the landscape that inspires FINDRA’s distinctive colour palette.
The Power of Place in Design
Living and working in the Borders, I’m constantly reminded of how much this region has given to the world of textiles and design. The area has a deep creative heritage, through generations of mills, weavers, knitters, and artists who have all drawn inspiration from the same rivers, hills, and seasons.
This connection between landscape and design isn’t new. One of the great inspirations for me — and for so many artists and designers in the region — is the late Bernat Klein, a true visionary in textile art and colour theory. Born in Serbia, Klein made the Scottish Borders his home, establishing his studio near Selkirk.
Klein had an incredible ability to capture the colour and texture of the landscape and translate it into woven fabric and paint. His work in the 1960s and 70s brought the Borders’ textile story to an international stage, but his inspiration remained local, rooted in the natural beauty of the Scottish countryside.
Klein once said that he didn’t invent colours — he discovered them. That idea really resonates with me. Design, at its best, isn’t about forcing ideas; it’s about paying attention, observing what’s already there, and finding ways to express it.
Bernat Klein’s textile swatches — bold yet rooted in the Scottish Borders landscape.
Architecture, Creativity, and Collaboration
Klein’s creative partnership with the architect Peter Womersley is another part of what makes his story so fascinating. Together, they designed and built two incredible modernist buildings: Klein’s family home, High Sunderland, and the Bernat Klein Studio, set in woodland nearby.
Womersley’s architecture was clean, modern, and minimalist, yet it sat perfectly within the natural landscape. Inside those buildings, Klein’s textiles brought warmth, colour, and movement. The contrast between structure and texture — manmade and organic — feels like a perfect balance. It’s a concept that really speaks to me as a designer, where function meets creativity and nature informs every decision.
Recently, I had the chance to explore that creative legacy more deeply through a new Vlog collaboration with Stewart Wilson, the Tweed Valley Blogger. Stewart and I visited the Bernat Klein Studio, now part of a wonderful restoration project by the Bernat Klein Foundation, the National Trust for Scotland, and the Scottish Historic Buildings Trust.
We spent the day filming and reflecting on the enduring influence of Klein and Womersley — not just as individuals, but as part of a creative lineage rooted here in the Borders, a region that continues to nurture imagination and craft.
Standing in Klein’s studio, surrounded by trees and shifting autumn light, I felt a deep sense of connection — to the place, to the history, and to that ongoing dialogue between art, design, and landscape. It reminded me that creativity doesn’t exist in isolation; it grows out of a relationship with our surroundings, our materials, and our sense of place.
At FINDRA, that belief is woven into everything we do. Our colours, our fabrics, our designs — they all begin with what we see and feel outdoors. Just like Bernat Klein, I find that the beauty of the Borders isn’t only something to admire; it’s something to translate, to interpret, and to share through design.
Filming with Stewart Wilson, Tweed Valley Blogger, at the Bernat Klein Studio — exploring the creative legacy of the Borders.
A Landscape That Continues to Inspire
As the leaves turn and the light fades earlier each day, I’m reminded once again why I started FINDRA — to create clothing that connects women to nature, to adventure, and to themselves.
Autumn always brings me back to that starting point: grounded, inspired, and grateful for this incredible landscape that continues to colour my world.
Autumn palette inspiration — colours drawn directly from the Tweed Valley.
Watch the Vlog
If you’d like to see more about Bernat Klein, Peter Womersley, and the creative heritage of the Borders, head over to our FINDRA YouTube channel to watch our new FINDRA x Tweed Valley Blogger Vlog, filmed at the Bernat Klein Studio.
It’s a celebration of two brilliant minds, a stunning part of Scotland, and the enduring link between landscape and design.
Sunday Inspiration
Favourite Book
The See Through House - Shelley Klein
The See-Through House by Shelley Klein is a beautifully written memoir exploring creativity, family, and place. Growing up in a modernist glass house designed by architect Peter Womersley for her father, textile artist Bernat Klein, Shelley reflects on how art, architecture, and the Scottish landscape intertwine — themes that deeply resonate with my own approach to design and inspiration here at FINDRA.
Favourite Quote
Favourite Song
I'll be Your Mirror - The Velvet Underground
A gentle nudge to see yourself as others do. Honest, real, and a little reflective.
