A woman turned her passion for fashion into a high-class business, dressing celebrities, reality show regulars and social media stars - and dreams of one day seeing her fabulous creations on the catwalk.
Megan Ruiter, 24, discovered her talent for sewing when she was just seven-years-old, and her interest soon blossomed into a strong desire to break into the world of fashion design with her hand-made dresses. After completing a four-year fashion course at Liverpool John Moores University, she set up her own brand, Ruiter, and soon ended up designing unique outfits for influencers who modelled them on their Instagram accounts.
Three years on, she has amassed an impressive portfolio of notable models, including TOWIE star Jessica Wright, Love Island contestants Elma Pazar, Georgia Steele and Amy Hart, Married At First Sight UK's Thomas Hartley, and professional dancer Gabby Allen.
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She said: "I'd love to one day take Ruiter to the next level and put my whole heart into it. I'd love to see billboards across city centres, models on the catwalk."
Megan, who lives in Birkenhead, made her fashion show debut in 2021 with two shows in Liverpool, at the Camp and Furnace and the Shankley Hotel.
She said: "Since then I made Jessica Wright's hen do outfit. That got quite a lot of attention, it was a white bodysuit that actually became one of my best-sellers.
"I also worked with Georgia Steele. She came to the first fashion show that I did with her stylist, Lucas Armitage. I approached Lucas because I knew he was a celebrity stylist and he passed me over Georgia's measurements, and between us we designed a black slit ring dress, which was long-sleeved, made from black jersey.
"Recently I worked with my first ever male model, Thomas Hartley on Married at First Sight UK. I made him a long red velvet dress; it was challenging because I'd never made for a male model before, but I really enjoyed it. He absolutely loved it and wore it to the Gaydio Pride Awards this year.
"My favourite thing to make is prom dresses and bespoke orders. Though I sell a lot of my own designs online, customers often come with their own designs inspired by things they've seen on catwalks or TV shows, and we combine a few ideas together for an end result. I love doing things like that."
She now hopes to spread her love of sewing to others with a series of "Sip and Sew" teaching events at the Liverpool Arts Bar on Hope Street on May 5, 12, 16 and 26, from 7pm until 9pm.
She said: "Fashion is more accessible these days. A lot of people think you need to go to a big college in London to find a place in the fashion industry, but a lot of it is to do with social media advertising. The world is changing. Things can go viral overnight, and that can mean massive exposure for small businesses such as myself.
"I know there's a lot of people out there trying to do the same thing, but with me doing my own designs, it's a bit easier. If you're going into the industry and you've got something unique, then there should be a spot for you.
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