Online store is launched by designer
ADESIGNER who mingled in the fashion world before honing her skills in Macclesfield’s silk industry has launched a new business.
Alison Sharpe has a background in fashion and design and started work in fashion retail.
She designed the T-shirt label Trip Fontaine, which was stocked by the Yasmin Cho boutique in London and worn by famous names like Kate Moss, Jude Law and Sadie Frost.
She enjoyed getting to know people in the fashion industry in her time in London but when she returned home to Macclesfield, Alison began work as a textile designer at Adamley Textiles, one of the last remaining silk mills in Langley, where she developed her passion for fabrics, patterns and interiors.
Now she has launched her new online home and lifestyle store, named Cup + Cloth.
It provides an online platform for talented designers and makers to sell their creations and is divided into three categories – Made, Sourced and Found.
Alison said: “At Adamley we design and print for a wonderfully varied customer base, from Margaret Howell to Savile Row London, and it started me thinking about setting up my own business where I could indulge my passion for design and interiors.
“Everything I stock is carefully chosen for its quality and aesthetics.
“There’s nothing on the site that I wouldn’t have in my own home.
“I also sell pre-loved pieces I’ve found in secondhand shops or on auction sites, like vintage china, glassware and ceramics.
“I have a regular stall at Treacle Market in Macclesfield and popups in Manchester which are great for meeting people and finding out what they’re interested in.”
A master craftsman in the Ukraine has also been commissioned to create exclusive handmade leather accessories for the Cup + Cloth collection.
Similar collaborations are being developed with local and UK artists and a series of limited edition prints are also in the pipeline.
Alison said: “I like to think of the website as a gallery I can curate, bringing together special pieces that will look great in any home.
“From hand printed cushions to macramé plant hangers, hand thrown ceramics to retro glassware, there’s something for every interior at Cup + Cloth.”
For more information visit cupandcloth.com.