Meet Debbie O’Brien: The Woman Behind Appletons’ Colour and Creativity

At Appletons, there’s a small but passionate team behind the wool, colours and kits that stitchers around the world love. We caught up with Debbie O’Brien, Head of Buying, to chat about her journey into the industry, what her role involves, and why no two days are ever quite the same.  

Q: Debbie, how did you first get into purchasing and merchandising in the wool industry?

It actually started quite a long way from wool! I began my career as a graduate trainee at Harrods in the 1990s. I knew I wanted to work in buying, and after various placements I landed a role in the toy buying office as an Assistant Buyer. 

A few years later I moved to The Great Little Trading Company as Head of Buying. The product range there was really broad, including toys, children’s equipment, clothing, furniture, and some textiles as well, so it was a fantastic learning experience. 

When I had my third child, I took a career break to focus on raising the kids. Once he started school at five, I began looking for a part-time role locally. By then we had moved out of London and I wasn’tkeen to commute. 

That’s when Appletons came along. The business had just moved from Chiswick to Buckinghamshire under new ownership, and Di and Julia were looking for people to help get things up and running again. A friend of mine, Caroline, and I joined, not entirely sure what we’d be doing. 

Because of my background, I quickly got stuck into creating an ordering system, digging through historic purchase orders, which were all recorded in old red ledgers, and taking over the buying, merchandising and supply chain side of things. That was 13 years ago now. 

Q: What does your role as Head of Buying involve day-to-day at Appletons?

A bit of everything, honestly. 

I monitor stock levels, work closely with our spinners and dyers, and quality check the wool when it arrives. I’m also always looking at potential designers for new tapestry kits and discussing ideas for colour ranges. 

On top of that I place orders with the dyers and sometimes put my sales hat on to speak to new customers. 

Because we’re a small team, we all pitch in wherever needed. That might mean picking orders, invoicing, helping with customer queries, or getting involved with the website and social media. There’salways something going on. 

Q: What part of your job do you enjoy the most?

I really thrive on the variety. No two days are the same, which I love. 

If I’m honest though, I can tell you the bit I enjoy the least, colour matching. It’s incredibly tricky. Colours change depending on the light, so two samples of wool can look identical in daylight but completely different under artificial lighting. 

Because we’re dyeing a natural fibre, the base yarn can vary slightly from batch to batch. You can use the exact same dye recipe but end up with a slightly different result because the wool itself might be a little yellower. That can depend on things like the environment and even the weather when the sheep were grazing. 

Q: Appletons has such a strong heritage. How do you balance that with introducing fresh ideas?

That part is actually quite easy. We work with some wonderful designers who all use colour in really distinctive ways, and that naturally brings new ideas into the range. 

We’re also quite progressive when it comes to colour. You’ll find traditional William Morris-inspired shades sitting happily alongside something bright and playful like bubblegum pink. There really is something for everyone – check out our colour range.

Q: What influences your decisions when selecting new wool colours and ranges?

Our customers are a big influence. We often ask them directly what they’d like to see or what they feel might be missing. 

We also keep an eye on broader trends, particularly in homewares, because colour trends there often influence what people want to stitch as well. 

Q: How does customer feedback shape what you buy and develop?

It plays a huge role. We speak regularly with our designers, and trade fairs are a great opportunity to ask people what they think. 

Ultimately though, sales tell you a lot. If something is selling well, that’s a strong signal that we’re heading in the right direction. Social media is also really useful for getting a sense of what people are excited about. 

Q: You’re also a board member. What does that mean for you in shaping the business?

From a board perspective, it’s about helping decide where we focus investment and how we develop the business. 

The reality is that we’re a small team and everyone’s voice matters. Our weekly team meetings include all staff, and those conversations are often just as important, if not more so, when it comes to making decisions. 

Q: What are you most excited about for Appletons in the next year?

Our new skein machine. 

We’ve been incredibly busy and keeping up with demand with our current manufacturing capacity has been a challenge. A new machine is arriving from Italy in about four weeks, and it’s going to make a big difference. We’re all very excited about that.