Lochaber duo’s fashion spectacular
Fashion designers Lorna Gillies and Gemma Carver have spent the past few years gaining industry experience around the globe, but recently returned to Lochaber to start their respective businesses, writes Mark Entwistle.
After meeting at a showcase event in Glasgow last year, the duo formed a connection based on living in the Highlands and a mutual passion for women’s wear.
This Saturday they will stage a fashion show at the Ben Nevis distillery, starting at 7.30pm.
Born and raised in Moidart, Lorna studied theatre costume before moving to Melbourne, Australia, to gain industry experience working for boutique fashion labels.
She returned home in 2015 and started her own clothing business before going on to win Dragons’ Glen the following year.
Gemma studied at Heriot-Watt University’s world famous textiles campus at Galashiels in the Scottish Borders before working for Giles Deacon and Aimee McWilliams.
A trip to Goa in India was the catalyst for the launch of her own label, Nonchalant, before she was headhunted to become lead designer for Indian cashmere company, Janavi. This led her back to working on couture, creating one-off pieces for VIPs and Bollywood stars, after which she launched GC Couture. The company will launch its new Enchanted Garden collection at Saturday’s show.
Speaking ahead of the show, Lorna told us: ‘Since coming back to Ardnamurchan, I see this is where my creativity thrives.
‘I met Gemma in Glasgow, and I discovered she also lived in Lochaber, so the ideas started from there and we decided to make our own rules, put on a fashion show, collaborate and help one another and hopefully inspire others too.’
Tickets are available from the Eventbrite website or Lorna and Gemma’s pop-up shop at 65 High Street, Fort William.