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Tell me about you and your family/where you live…

My family are my support and my inspiration. I have two boys, aged 12 and nine, who are really bright creative children. My husband works in theatre so he does long hours, but it’s a fun and imaginative environment for the boys to grow up around. We live in Ascot in an old house that backs on to the racecourse, so we have lovely views all around us.

 

Tell me about your fashion school…

I have a long history of running creative sessions for people of all ages and of teaching including traditional art classes, so this experience really helped shape a curriculum that gives a broad understanding of how the fashion industry works, while making the lessons really fun and interactive. The classes are designed to be appropriate for different age groups, and as well as teaching basic skills, are very sociable and accessible.

 

Have you always been interested in doing this? What do you like about it the most?

I have always been fascinated by fashion, and the difference it makes in our lives. I also believe in nurturing young people, so bringing these two elements together just made absolute sense to me. The minute the idea came to me I thought it was the perfect way to share my passions, and to make them something I do every day. I love the amazing work the students produce when their imaginations are fired up.

 

What prompted you to decide to take it that bit further and start your own business?

My children are getting older and more independent, and I wanted to return to work, but I was not keen to go back to the kind of high-pressure deadlines, long hours and sudden trips to New York and Hong Kong that I used to enjoy. I was looking for something I could grow over time, and this seemed the perfect way to utilise my unusual skillset and put it together with the new challenge of running my own school.

 

What did you do before? Tell me about your career as a fashion designer.

It can sound very glamorous, and sometimes it was, but mostly it was very hard work. Fashion is a massive, high-turnover industry, and the UK is known across the globe for
being at the forefront. Holding down a job at the top of that industry was a real challenge,
as there is always the latest new thing coming along, and you have to be ahead of the curve. But I enjoyed earning the trust of top high-street buyers, who would spend millions on ranges I designed, literally launching my ranges with massive marketing campaigns. I would love seeing billboards across the country and TV adverts featuring the garments I had conceived a few months ago – it gave me a real sense of achievement.

 

Did you have to do any business courses or training for your business?

I have done the odd short course, and part of my degree at art school was around how you set yourself up as a business. But I am lucky to have friends and family around me who I can turn to for advice, when needed. Part of the enjoyment to me is learning the new skills to run a school, I have always been a very driven person who likes a challenge.

 

What's your claim to fame? Have you met any celebs?

I hope my claim to fame will be setting up my fashion school! I have met many famous people over the years, including some of the world's top models. I have to admit that I struggle with the concept of celebrity as it seems to be these days, as people seem to achieve fame without necessarily doing very much, and fame is so fleeting. I think talent, technical skills and a good attitude is much more important than fame, which is the underlying ethos of the school.

 

What's your most favourite outfit ever? Who would you most like to dress?

I have many favourites depending on what area of fashion and the context. For example, I am running a summer fashion camp in the school holidays based on designing and creating paper clothing. There have been some amazing garments designed and modelled on the catwalks using paper. It is a great way of recycling and producing fun fashion.

 

Who is your idol?

There are many people I respect for many reasons, but I wouldn’t say I have an idol.

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lindseymiles.co.uk

https://www.facebook.com/LindseyMilesFashion/

Lindsey Miles School of Fashion Design

I caught up with Lindsey Miles to hear about her career as a fashion designer and her new school where she runs fun fashion classes to inspire the designers of the future…  
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