To mark International Women’s Day, we sat down with BC SoftWear’s founder Barbara Cooke to talk about her journey from selling software to building one of the UK’s most respected names in luxury towels and linens…

What first drew you to textiles? Was starting your own business always part of the plan?

I came from an entrepreneurial family, so starting my own business was always encouraged. My first venture, when I was just 22, was selling accounting software to small businesses. Within two years, I’d been offered a role with a large US company; from there I spent 18 years climbing the ladder to senior management in software sales.

When my sons Sam and Oli were eight and 11, I realised how much of their childhood I’d missed out on due to being at work. It was them that motivated me to try something totally different. Shortly afterwards I was made redundant and, rather than see it as a setback, I saw it as a door opening.

A friend who had moved to Turkey mentioned there was a thriving towelling industry, specifically in the famous towel-producing city of Denizli. On the spur of the moment, I decided to give it a go and see if I could sell towels to luxury hotels.

How did you turn that idea into a real business?

I knew absolutely nothing about towels, but I started talking to luxury hotels in London and quickly established there was a genuine gap in the market for truly exceptional towelling products. My very first customer was Cliveden Hotel – it’s steeped in intrigue and glamour, so was a great place to start! They’re still our customers today.

With that order under my belt, I put together a business plan, walked into HSBC and pitched that plan, managing to secure a loan for stock and cash flow.

The hardest part wasn’t the pitch to the bank though, it was overcoming the loneliness of working from home. After years in large offices with teams around me, working alone from home was genuinely tough. What kept me going was my youngest, Sam, beaming when I was there to greet him after school every day, which I had never been home to do before.

Was there a moment that changed everything?

I wanted to create my own range; a towel that really addressed the problems a five-star hotel faced and could genuinely stand up to the commercial demands of being washed relentlessly, day after day.

Following a lot of brainstorming, thinking outside of the box, talking with textile engineers and doing competitive analysis of existing towels, I launched our Sumptuous range. It’s still our flagship product 24 years later. 

Sumptuous won us a major contract with a commercial laundry group and almost overnight my double garage was full of stock, our family room had a four-head embroidery machine in it and our Hungarian au pair had become the operator, while her boyfriend was our driver! Five years later, we moved into our first proper offices and warehouse.

How have things changed?

We’re now a team of 24 in our HQ in Maidenhead, plus we have three colleagues in Turkey who independently quality check every consignment. My son, Sam, joined the business 15 years ago and is now central to everything we do and working tirelessly to expand BC SoftWear internationally. 

We’ve moved into our third office and warehouse, the biggest yet, and while towelling remains our core business, robes and spa linens have also become a major part of what we do. We’re now recognised as a go-to brand in the UK spa market and that recognition is growing globally.

When you started out, how male-dominated was the industry?

Twenty odd years ago, five-star hotels were largely managed by men and the commercial laundry industry was almost entirely a man’s world. But honestly, being a determined, single-minded woman made me stand out and opened doors. And once people realised I knew exactly what I was talking about, that earned me respect in its own right.

 The spa industry has always been more female-oriented; hotel senior management is now catching up. The laundry sector still has a way to go though; more senior women there would genuinely improve it.

What’s your advice to women stepping into leadership?

Hone your resilience. With every setback comes an opportunity, you just have to be willing to look for it. And find the small wins every single day; they’re what keeps motivation and morale alive when the big wins feel far away.

Two quotes have stayed with me since and inspired me since I read them. Estée Lauder said: “I never dreamed of success; I worked hard for it.” And Sara Blakely, the founder of Spanx, said: “Never be hindered by your lack of knowledge; what you don’t know can be your greatest asset.”

That second one rings especially true for me. I knew not a thing about hospitality, laundry or towel production when I started out. That ignorance forced me to think differently to my competitors and it’s a big part of why our products are so successful, as they actually solve real problems for our customers.

Happy International Women's Day!
#IWD2026 #GIVETOGAIN