MY LIGHT BULB MOMENT
NaNcy ZeffmaN, 51, met eileen Willett, 53, at the school gates 17 years ago. Last September they launched cucumber clothing for hormonal women. They have six children between them and live with their husbands in North London. THE idea that grew into Cucumber Clothing popped into our minds two years ago. We were travelling back from a holiday with a group of friends, all of us 40-plus, discussing how awful hot sweats were.
We realised there was nothing on the market specifically designed to help ‘hot’ women — nothing that we could wear without feeling depressed.
So, as you do, we thought, let’s do something about this! My background [Eileen] is in fashion and Nancy’s is in advertising, but this was new for both of us.
At first, it seemed a bit of fun, hunting for appropriate materials and working up designs.
Then once we found our first fabric, everything became a lot more serious. It was a real eureka moment. It’s man-made and feels like soft cotton jersey. It’s light- weight and easy to wear. It just wicks moisture up and away, so when you sweat, the fabric doesn’t feel heavy and damp.
We kept our range small: a camisole and a camisole dress; a V-neck top and a V-neck dress; shorts and pyjamas. The designs are simple, but they have flattering details; a pleat here or a flare there that flatters women from size 8-20.
Some have cap sleeves because few women want to show off their arms. The V-neck dress has little ‘hanger appeal’ but it has been our best seller because the fit is fantastic. These are pieces we love to wear ourselves.
We realised we were on to something when customers began repeat-ordering the clothes. We now have a second material — another wicking form of polyester that feels like heavy silk and washes and dries in a flash.
It’s been a hectic first year and we’ve been astonished by the support we’ve had, particularly from our original group of friends. What’s next? Watch this space for moisture-wicking cashmere and silk.
cucumberclothing.com