A Liverpool woman who once interned at Vera Wang now runs her own clothing company.
Leigh Taylor, 32, who is half Indian, has always been surrounded by "colours and stunning embroidered saris" from her nan. Leigh used to cut up old saris that her nan gave her and then turned them into dresses and tops which prompted her to start selling her own clothes as Leigh Taylor Designs.
She told the ECHO: “Leigh Taylor was built from my Indian heritage, where I can share my culture through art and gorgeous designs. I have travelled to India since I was a child, it's where I get my inspiration from.
READ MORE: Claim your FREE National Trust and RSPB family day pass - we've got 50,000 to give away!
“Fabrics are hand sourced by myself and I work closely with family owned factories to ensure workers are not being exploited and are in a safe environment. Mirror work is what we are known for which is an old type of Indian handcraft that used to be hand embroidered by women. I also up-cycle vintage fabrics from villages in Rajasthan to give new life to create gorgeous pieces.
“I have worked with the same people for years, so we have built a great relationship together and I get to meet the talented artisans who create our fabric. But when working with embroidery factories, we digitally design the fabric on a computer together, select the colour threads and begin to create the sample.”
Leigh studied fashion at the University of Salford and in her second year was offered an internship with Vera Wang in New York, where she lived for three months, working closely with the designers and Vera herself. After graduating, she went straight into a fast fashion company but only lasted a few weeks as it wasn’t for her.
She added that: “I learned the structure of how they had different areas for designing, buying and marketing and it just inspired me to put 100% focus into building my own brand.”
A few months after graduating, Leigh designed a collection and approached Topshop. She travelled to meet their buyers in London where they offered her a six week pop-up in Liverpool’s Topshop but due to popularity, it turned into five years. Leigh Taylor Designs was also sold in Topshop stores across the UK at the same time.
As of today, Monday, June 12, Leigh Taylor Designs was the first independent brand to launch in John Lewis. She will be based in the style studio where she will have an exclusive range for John Lewis. Leigh said: “I used to work in John Lewis while I was in college and studying at university, they supported me when I took time off for three months to intern in NYC so we have a great relationship so it will be exciting to be back in store but with my own brand.
“There will be gorgeous pieces for any last minute Glasto goers, holiday bits and summer looks that customers can shop and try on.” Leigh added that she can’t wait to meet customers old and new as she will be there each day herself.
As Leigh currently runs the brand completely on her own, her next step is to look at building a small team. She also said that she would love to see Leigh Taylor Designs back in stores permanently.
You can find Leigh Taylor Designs in the style studio on the 1st floor from 10am to 8pm at John Lewis, 70 S John St, Liverpool L1 8BJ.
Discover, learn, grow. We are Curiously. Follow us on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
READ NEXT:
