Herdy in Kendal turns the Herdwick sheep into a Lakeland icon

Anyone who has walked the high fells of the Lake District will know the Herdwick sheep: hardy, grey-fleeced and with a face that always seems to be smiling. Herdy, the Kendal-based brand, took that face and turned it into one of the region's best-loved designs.

The brand was created in 2007 by designers Spencer and Diane Hannah. According to Farmers Weekly, the couple moved to the Lakes in 2003 and spotted a gap in the market for products that celebrated the area in a fresh, contemporary way.

They found their muse on the hillsides. Herdy's character is inspired by the Herdwick sheep that roam free on the region's high fells, a breed so closely tied to the Lake District that it has become part of the landscape's identity.

The launch itself was suitably local. Herdy made its debut at the Westmorland County Show, one of the big dates in the Cumbrian farming calendar, and the design quickly found an audience among visitors and residents alike.

From the start, the business has tried to give something back to the farmers who keep the breed going. In 2010 Herdy established a co-operative of small, family-owned Herdwick fell farms. Its charitable Herdy Fund supports the breed, and it sponsored the Herdwick Heritage Gene Bank project, which helps safeguard the sheep's genetic future.

That link between a design brand and the working farms behind it is a big part of Herdy's appeal. Buying a mug, a jumper or a scarf with that familiar face on it becomes a small way of supporting the fell farming communities that shaped the Lake District.

Today Herdy has five Lake District stores, in Kendal, Ambleside, Bowness, Grasmere and Keswick, as well as selling online. Its Kendal shop is described by Visit Kendal as the brand's flagship store, and it is a natural stop for anyone exploring the town's independent shopping streets.

To browse the range, visit one of the Lakeland shops or explore the collection on the Herdy website, where the brand also shares more about its work with Herdwick farmers.