Marie Lockwood, co creator of fashion brand Nevontaii

Marie Lockwood is a mum to two boys and a trained Primary School teacher from the small village of Glenluce in South West Scotland. 

Having a life-long love for all things creative, Marie had once considered a career in fashion design, however, she also had a burning desire to own her own business and build a life for her family.

In 2020, Marie decided to take the leap into business and follow her dreams. At the same time, her brother Kriss Kyle, was also considering setting up his own t-shirt business, and together they worked out a joint business plan and their fashion business; Nevontaii was born.

Marie says “Neither Kriss or I have any business training so we began a lengthy (and costly process!) of learning everything from scratch. After much deliberation, we chose the brand name, which was inspired by an ancient local tribe from our area, the Novantae. We wanted to create a brand that was bold and had some significance to us, hence why we drew our inspiration from the tribe. Included in our designs is the grid reference from where we grew up as well as logo designs that were drawn up by my children (these were then given to a graphic designer). All in all, we wanted our family and history to be at the centre of all we do.”

They trademarked the brand name, and set about finding an experienced designer to work with to bring their designs to life. As a result, they have now built a brand that they’re proud of and have attracted high profile customers; James McVey from the Vamps who has been spotted wearing a Nevontaii oversized hoodie and they have a pro free runner from Germany who represents the brand particularly well, with his impressive photography.

Marie continues: “I’m proud of the brand and what we have achieved in a short period of time. My brother Kriss, is used to being in the spotlight (being a pro bmx and mountain bike rider for Redbull and Endura), however I am not as used to the attention, so I’m really proud of what I’ve created.”

Marie and Kriss have demonstrated that vision, passion and determination can lead to success and Marie is keen to pass on her passion to her two boys in the hope that they see that nothing is impossible with hard work and determination.