I recently wrote an article about my fabulous fashion designer friend based in the concreted grid that is Milton Keynes. What sets her aside from other young designers – apart from her marginalized location – is the unique and economical process of digitally printing her designs onto nylon. It’s quick, cheaper and there’s less mess!
You can read the entire article below, or follow this link to IN:MK’s site:
http:/www.inmk.net/article_details.php?id=19
‘If nobody wants to hire me, I’ll hire myself’
Nov 20, 2012
‘Claire Maley is the designer and owner behind the explosive brand CM, based in the not so bustling town of Bletchley.’
Miuccia Prada, the harbinger of couture handbags, worked briefly as a mime. Gianna Versace originally trained as an architect, and Ralph Lauren started out as a road salesman before his garments adorned the cast of the Great Gatsby, cementing his name among the fashion glitterati forever. These designers did not merely spin straw into gold. They grafted hard.
Claire Maley is the designer and owner behind the explosive brand CM, based in the not so bustling town of Bletchley. Not wanting to settle for the steady suburban lifestyle, this young entrepreneur appears to be making a big bang in the universe. As I gaze star-struck at her Rainbow Galaxy print tee, I sense that this girl wants to push her brand to regions beyond.
Like most graduates, Claire found it hard to bag a job after university; however, this resilient Coventry graduate has taken a D.I.Y approach, and thankfully, the CM brand was born. Nearly a year after this determined young lady technically hired herself, business is booming, and Claire has become somewhat of local celebrity. Fresh from a BBC Three Counties Radio appearance with Nick Coffer, her Facebook page is hurtling towards the 500 likes mark and she is soon to be releasing her second collection. Oh, and did I mention that she painstakingly sews and manages the business single-handedly?
Founded in January 2012, the young designer creates unique, digitally printed apparel, bringing together the worlds of art, fashion and social media. Unique being the operative word, you can genuinely see this fusion of the arts and the digital age within her first collection available on her website. The son of man swim, obviously a number for warmer times, uses a Magritte classic, deliberately cropped for the wearer to allow fashion to do what it has always done: allure, transform and differentiate. This is fearless fashion: you will not find this in size order merchandised by a poster girl.
Claire tells me that she already has an international clientele: Texans and Tasmanians to name a few. But I’m not surprised. After my sneaky peek at the new collection – which mixes uncompromising design with grungier styling, I’m sensing an insurgence of fans from all over. Fear not, Claire has not forgotten her loyal U.K following. Pop the Fashion Store in the quaint town of Olney, just outside of Milton Keynes, is now the stockist of the brand.
