50 years ago Martha Hill invented her range of skin products. Her philosophy was always based on feeding and nourishing the skin with natural, herbal products that originated from old country recipes. In her early 30’s Martha ran her own dairy herd of Guernsey cattle and found that the outdoor life was beginning to ruin her skin. Concerned also with the lack of regard for use of chemical pesticides sweeping the country, she started to experiment with country ways of looking after and protecting her skin, with a mixture of hand collected fruits and seaweed off the local beach. Over the years Martha perfected a range of her own skin and beauty products.
It wasn’t until she reached her sixties however, that she launched Martha Hill, her own range of natural herbal beauty care products containing no artificial fragrance, colour, or animal by- products. Researched and formulated with a renowned chemist, and in keeping with her philosophy, the products were tried and tested on volunteers and not animals.
These original products were the foundation to the Martha Hill range.
Martha Hill was an extraordinary woman pioneering not just in skin care but also liberating fashions. In the 1930’s she designed and introduced knitted silk jersey, which could be included into underwear, hosiery and dresses, to the market place. Her factory was one of the first to provide her female work force with Crèches, grocery stores and hairdressing. During World War 2 she was an ambulance driver and worked for the Red Cross and was also the first women to join the war effort committee for industry in Leicester.
After the war she dreamed of sellling her own clothing through fashionable boutiques in London. Martha achieved her dream by opening two boutiques, one on King’s Road and the other on Marylebone High Street. During the 70’s the shops attracted many the top models use to hang out at the shops. If you take a look at our Gallery you will find photographs of Martha’s clothing range in fashions magazines from the 1970’s such as Vogue, Honey and also press cuttings about her fashion and skin care ranges.
Martha Hill lived her life fully into her 90’s and was always her skin care’s best advert, and although her fashion boutiques have long since disappeared she has bequeathed a wonderful legacy of clothing designs and natural skincare.
Vintage Martha Hill is run by her daughter Sally and granddaughter Amy. Through Vintage Martha Hill they want to ensure that the story behind Martha’s clothing range and skin care are not lost or forgotten, and are available to the younger generation.
Sally was a fashion model in the 70s and modelled for many fashion houses including Martha Hill. Amy is presently studying Sports Science at Bath University.
October 1st 2014
