Royal seal of approval for fashion with a conscience
Designer beat eating disorder to make a name for herself
Ayrshire College.
“The first year in HNC was lot of hard work, staying late, making sure I was keeping up with my peers,” said Nicole, who sailed through the HNC and HND, receiving an outstanding achievement award in two consecutive years.
“I never shy away from hard work. I’m a determined person, and that comes from my past with my illness. I strive for what I want.”
She went on to gain a first class BA Honours degree in Fashion Design and Production from Manchester Metropolitan in a course delivered by Glasgow Kelvin College.
“I always had the idea that I wanted to pursue my own business, but I thought I’d get a job and do a business as a sideline,” explained Nicole, who said career opportunities in the fashion industry in Scotland are notoriously hard to find.
“Then, one my of my lecturers contacted me and said: ‘Have you seen this? I think you should apply’.”
Her lecturer had highlighted the Modern Artisan Project – a collaboration of the Prince’s Foundation, which realises the Prince of Wales’ vision of creating a community for a more sustainable world, and Italian online fashion retailer, Yoox Net-a-Porter.
She was selected as one of the four British and six Italian students and graduates who were united by the Modern Artisan Project to create a collection of men’s and women’s wear that debuted in 2020.
“The experience bridged the gap between education and industry, strengthening skills to design and manufacture garments to high-end, luxury standard,” explained Nicole, who was to attend Milan Fashion Week in her privileged capacity as a Modern Artisan.
“Sustainability was at the core of the partnership, educating the importance of sustainability within the fashion industry.”
The Modern Artisan Project gave her new impetus to make a name for her label, Ellipsis, and introduced her to invaluable contacts who have a like-minded commitment to sustainability – including Johnstons of Elgin, who supplied fabric to the project and whose blended cashmere and minerva wool roll-ends are given a new lease of life through Nicole’s luxury scarf designs.
“The skills I learned are priceless,” said Nicole, who has been featured with fellow Artisans in high-end magazines, including Vogue.”
Resourceful as ever, Nicole refused to see the challenges of 2020 as a hindrance to the launch of Ellipsis. Rather, she grasped the opportunities they presented, designing face masks bearing the iconic Ellipsis label, and responding to the changing demands of a nation in lockdown through the launch of a collection of affordable loungewear.
Entrepreneurial Nicole sees sales from signature loungewear by Ellipsis as a funding source and launchpad for her luxury collection of timeless, elegant, silk women’s wear, whose garments carry price tags of between £120 and £380.
Like the high quality loungwear, they are designed and made by her own hand in her studio in Stewartfield, East Kilbride, underpinning artisanal skills that the young designer says have been lost in a mass-produced industry.
“We want our customers to feel confident in what they wear and to be able to cherish our pieces for years to come,” said Nicole, whose garments are manufactured in small batches to reduce over-stock – and the risk that they may eventually end up in landfill.
“As a brand we believe it is important to be as transparent as possible for our customers, letting them see the process behind their garments.
“Ellipsis uses and recycles unwanted clothing using fastenings and material from the clothing for the toiling process. We see this as a very small step, but nevertheless a step in the right direction.”
Nicole – who plans to fuel the growth of her enterprise by attracting talented young freelance designers – is a young woman with a strong belief that everything in life has a meaning and purpose.
That’s why she derived the name of her agile fashion label from her lucky number, three.
And the meaning of Ellipsis? The set of three dots at the end of a sentence, which promise that more is yet to come...