A MUM who struggled to find clothes to suit her 30HH bust solved the problem by creating her own fashion line - and now it's made £250,000.
Jayne Lasley, from Langbank, Renfrewshire, launched Fairlie Curved for bigger-busted women from her spare bedroom.
The mum of two, a fashion graduate of Heriot Watt, spent more than 20 years in the industry working as a buyer for several high-street brands including New Look and Internationale.
But it was only after being made redundant during the pandemic that she decided to give her own clothing range a proper shot.
Jayne told the Scottish Sun Online: "I’ve always struggled to find fashionable, stylish, affordable clothing to fit my 30HH shape.
"So during my final year at fashion university I took the opportunity to design and manufacture a collection of on trend items that could be worn with a bra and would flatter the small band, big cup size figure.
"The range received a fantastic reaction, but I was offered a job in fashion buying the same week that I graduated and never took the concept further, something I have always regretted."
She added: "When I found my old university designs during lockdown, I realised there was still a gap in the market for well fitting, affordable clothing for the fuller busted lady.
"But, being in my forties, working full time and being a mum of two, I felt I was too busy to launch a clothing line.
"Instead I decided to start the @fairliecurved styling page on Instagram, helping other women like myself by giving bra recommendations and outfit ideas.
"Very quickly, those women started asking if I had a clothing line, and after losing my job, I thought, why not?
"It was a now or never situation, and after 20 years, Fairlie Curved clothing was finally born."
Fairlie Curved now boasts 18,000 dedicated Instagram followers and is taking orders from across the globe.
The range offers women with a D-cup and above the chance to find perfectly fitting clothes, with everything from T-shirts and sweats to dresses and shirts.
But Jayne is all about inclusion and is aiming to extend the size range for her "Fairlie Flat" fans too.
She said: "We now ship all over the world and have many regular and repeat customers.
"Once our ladies find clothing that is designed especially for them, with their body shape in mind, they no longer want to make do with il-fitting or unflattering clothes.
"All our styles are bra friendly and have been developed with the fuller bust figure at the forefront of our minds, however we are now getting requests for a Fairlie Flat range as some of our not so busty blessed followers love our designs too.
"The brand started as a small band, big cup clothing line, but we are now looking at developing and extending our size ranges further due to demand.
"The average bra size has increased from a 34B to a 36DD in the last 11 years, so ladies are getting curvier and hopefully our range will continue to grow too."
The savvy fashion boss was supported by Business Gateway, Scotland’s national business advisory service, as she grew her company.
Business Gateway helped the entrepreneur secure her first HQ office premises in Paisley in early 2021, and and even introduced her to the supplier of her best-selling leather jacket.
Within just two years of trading, with support from Business Gateway, Fairlie Curved is successfully turning over £250,000 and is now based at bigger premises in Port Glasgow.
Jayne was also recently awarded Business Women Scotland’s Start-up Business of the Year and is a finalist for the Federation of Small Business Awards in the start-up business category.
She said: “Although I had lots of experience in the fashion industry, I’d never run a business, and didn’t have any plans to when I launched the Instagram page.
"My vision was to offer fashionable but classic options that would stand the test of time while empowering women.
“Business Gateway played a huge part in helping me to take the plunge to transform Fairlie Curved into an established business.
"It was incredibly daunting, but I always knew that my adviser would be at the other end of the phone. Support from Business Gateway has been invaluable.”
Mario Alonzi, Business Gateway adviser, said: “Jayne has identified a real gap in the market with Fairlie Curved, and it has been fantastic to watch her business go from strength to strength.
"The global growth and financial success are a testament to her business savvy but also her dedicated passion to what she wants to achieve and help other women feel.”
