Local going Global

Even more reason to come and visit Stoneygate...

Business is booming for a fashion designer thanks to a host of celebrities clamouring to be seen in her luxury beach-ware cover-ups.
Items from Lindsey Brown's MyaBlue Luxe line of silk beach dresses, tops, tunics and kaftans have been seen on a host of famous faces since she launched the range last year.

Most recently, choreographer and former Strictly Come Dancing judge Arlene Philips tweeted a picture of herself wearing a piece from the collection at a party for Andrew Lloyd Webber's wife in Barbados.
Atomic Kitten singer Natasha Hamilton, The Only Way is Essex (Towie) star Lucy Mecklenburgh and TV presenter Lizzie Cundy are also fans of the brand.

 
Lindsey, whose business is based in Bushby, said: "It's really taken off in just a year, and we've now got celebrity clients and a fanbase. Arlene Phillips is one of our clients, she was going to a glamorous poolside party and needed to find pieces to wear. We advised on certain items and she tweeted a picture of her and Cilla Black.
"It's great to see people wearing the pieces and liking them.
"We do style celebrities as well, helping them pick out pieces suitable for their bodies.
"When they are going on holiday and they know they might be photographed, they want to look their best at all times."
Lindsey said there had been "an amazing response" after Towie star Lucy Mecklenburgh was seen in one of the brand's tops.
"She was going on holiday to Mexico and tweeted a picture of herself. She's got about a million followers on Twitter so it went around the world and was on the OK magazine website.
"For us, it's not just about getting celebrity status but it does help build the brand. We're getting a lot of enquiries from shops wanting to stock it.
"I'd say sales are up by about 85 per cent this January, compared with last."
Lindsey started her business in 2000 and launched her first range, MyaBlue Beach, in 2006. The Luxe collection was launched last year and sales have soared ever since.
The brand is stocked in Leicestershire boutiques Browns, in Stoneygate, and Brief Encounter, in Loughborough, and at boutiques across the country.
"I launched MyaBlue Beach after seeing a gap in the market for cover-ups," she said. "In 2012, we saw a gap in the market for high-end luxury goods.
"The range is 100 per cent silk and it's a cover-up collection of things that can be worn on the beach or in resorts.
"I've been in the industry for years and I understand body shapes. The range goes from XS to XXXXL, so all sizes.
"We use lots of Leicestershire companies as well, we like to keep it local. Keeping it local but going global – that's what we're doing."

article By Gemma Peplow for the Leicester Mercury