Season 4 Episode 8 To fit and flatter: The Founder of Fairlie Curved, Jayne Lasley, is an incredibly inspiring CEO, creating a business that empowers women by providing a solution to a fit size that is missing in the market

To celebrate International women's day we are so excited to be joined by Jayne Lasley founder of clothing brand Fairlie Curved. Fairlie Curved is a brand that is dedicated to helping curvy women, particularly those with fuller busts, feel and look fabulous in stylish garments that fit and flatter their unique shapes. 

Jayne is an ex New Look and Internacionale Buyer with a very commercial eye. It was vey clear from day 1 that she was going to excel in a fashion retail career - who wants to make a tea towel in home economics? Not Jayne, hot pants are much more fabulous! She joins to tell us her story about how she started this incredible brand using all her skills and knowledge from her fashion buying days. 

Jayne originally created the idea for Fairlie Curved at university however it wasn't until later during her retail buying career that she made the idea a reality. Jayne found she was often complimented on the way that she dressed, and she set up an account to help other women with small band, big cup figures to dress well for their shapes. She shared tips and advice, such as wearing a chunky necklace to take the focus off the larger bust and balance the shape. It was so well received, and as Jaynes following grew, she knew she wanted to do more for the community she had built. After pulling out her university designs from the loft during the pandemic Jayne decided now was the time to launch her brand. It so clearly filled a gap in the market. A brand for curvy women looking for help to dress for their shape and most importantly, feel good in what they are wearing.  Collaboration and feedback is integral to Fairlie Curved, and it is part of the brand ethos to always interact with the community to ensure that the brand remains focused on designing and stocking products that answer to the customers needs.

We talk all about Jaynes buying career from the experience she gained at some of the UK’s top high street brands to the contacts she made by supporting suppliers with constructive feedback. Jayne lets us into a few funny stories on her travels around the world and how her buying career has given her the skills and confidence to launch this inspiring brand.

Fairlie Curved is a brand that that is already on its way to achieving great recognition. Tops featured on Lorraine and Loose Women, pop ups in Bravissimo the brand has also won awards in particular the business growth award at the Icon business awards. 

Our take aways:

1. Brands that start with a community have a clear target audience and a clear customer base. Building a community, finding like minded individuals and creating a space where people feel seen, will make it much easier to see the opportunity to create products that solve a problem for people. 
2. Communicating with your community, sharing ideas and welcoming feedback will enable you to create products that your customers actually want. It will help your brand to stay relevant and to survive in the retail landscape. 
3. Set clear boundaries for you and your business in order to allow you to have quality time for work and your personal life, as these are equally important. Work/life balance can be achieved even in successful business that can still maintain growth. Being efficient by making quick decisions and not over analysing will free up time. 

You can check out the fairlie curved range at www.fairliecurved.com and follow the brand on instagram @fairliecurved

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