The Scottish Mail on Sunday - You
THE LEADER IN AFFORDABLE LUXURY
Clare Hornby started ME+EM in 2009, with the aim of providing busy women with a quality working wardrobe at an accessible price.
I began my career at Harrods where I was able to invest in luxury clothes thanks to my employee discount. However, when I moved into advertising that was no longer possible – I couldn’t afford them. It made me want to find a way for women to enjoy luxury fashion at an accessible price point.
We are a direct-to-consumer brand [bypassing third-party retailers] which means you can genuinely buy luxury for less. We’re as fastidious in everything we do as a luxury brand would be and every piece we make must be flattering, functional and timeless. We fit on multiple models, test fabrics and hone designs. It takes time, but it’s worth it for the final product.
Our typical customer is very busy and wants classic styles with a modern edge and the hard work done for her because she hasn’t got the time to trawl endless websites for clothes.
We’re best known for our trousers – I’ve been called a ‘trouser whisperer’ – but, unsurprisingly, our knits and loungewear did really well this past year, in particular our palazzo pants. The appetite for our shoes is growing, too. After the successful launch of our trainers last year, we have more footwear coming.
Lots of high-profile women, among them TV stars, royalty and actresses including Saoirse Ronan, Gillian Anderson and Helen Mirren. wear ME+EM.
When it comes to ME+EM, the biggest compliment anyone could pay me is that our clothes have made them feel more confident – because that’s the goal. meandem.com