Designer Jayne Lapsley, who set up online boutique Fairlie Curved four years ago, spoke to the Tele after her statement leopard print coat featured on top ITV morning programme’s styling segment.
The 45-year-old was inspired to set up Fairlie Curved by her own experiences, seeking to meet the demand of females with fuller busts desperate to find stylish and cutting edge prints with flattering fits.
She told the Tele that as presenter Lorraine Kelly cooed over her best selling coat there were hundreds of hits on her website.
Based in the former Playtex factory, Jayne has customers all over the world wearing the Fairlie Curved label.
Fashion design graduate Jayne, who lives in Langbank, said: “It was incredible to see our coat on the TV on a segment for fuller busted women and to hear Lorraine say amazing things about it. It is one of our best sellers.
“We moved to Port Glasgow two years ago, it is so important that a boutique for women with fuller busts is here in Port Glasgow, where Playtex used to be.”
Fairlie Curved owner Jayne used all her experience and her contacts to build the boutique from scratch.
She sources materials and prints, makes alterations so they compliment they fit the right shapes and has a UK manufacturer to produce her lines.
She added: “I am a 30HH bust, I have had problems my whole life trying to find clothes that fit and I wanted to change that for women.
“We have really grown our business in the last four years, and Inverclyde is such a supportive business community.”
After leaving university Jayne worked for many years as a fashion buyer for top high street companies before deciding to go it alone after losing her job during lockdown.
Her brand Fairlie Curved has went from strength to strength and now she uses her space to invited her customers to come along and enjoy a shopping experience.
Jayne added: “We open and let people come in and try on, we had customers coming all the way from Whitley Bay.
“We have really loyal customers. We are about quality, selling pieces that you can keep. I would say times are hard right now.
“I think we are increasing our customer base but people are definitely not spending as much as they were.”
Jayne is married to former footballer Keith Lapsley, who is now the St Mirren Chief Executive, and has two teenage children Carrie, 16, and Alfie, 13.
She said: “It is so important for me to create a family friendly environment here, we are flexible and we work schools hours.
“That is really important to me, especially in the fashion industry.”
Fairlie Curved has a team of drawing on all talents, including her mum Lesley Fairlie.
Jayne has always loved clothes and fashion, refusing to make a tea towel in home economics and instead talked her teachers in to letting her customise a pair of red hot pants.
She added: “One of my old schools friends said they always knew I would be in fashion!”
After leaving school Jayne headed from Langbank to the Heriot Watt University to study fashion, textiles and management.
Jayne and Fairlie Curved have won a clutch of awards both locally and nationally and also work closely with Tweetie Pie Media in Inverclyde to keep on top of their website.
