WHEN renowned retail consultant and TV presenter Mary Portas approached Jo Simpson to ask whether she'd like to appear in her acclaimed BBC2 television series Mary Queen of Shops the answer was an easy one: no. For the 30-year-old business consultant from Bonnington knew exactly what she needed to do. And how.
Now, less than one year on, her Morningside boutique Curvy Girl is up for a Draper's Award – the Oscars of the retail and fashion world.
"They approached us to be on the show – hounded us in fact, but I just didn't want to," explains Jo, who bough
t Curvy Girl in May last year. "I'm a business consultant and I can't go on national television and be seen as not knowing what I'm doing. Plus I had friends who'd been on Dragon's Den and saw how it can be edited badly. It just wasn't an option.
"I knew what I wanted to do anyway, and it was just a case of doing it."
Jo seized the opportunity to buy the once-failing boutique from its previous owner last year, and in true Mary Portas style immediately set about transforming it.
"I was actually the previous owner's book keeper and I could identify that there were some problems," she explains. "But I was really passionate about the business and finally bought it. I
Business consultant puts once-failing boutique back in the big league
loved the name, I loved the overall concept but I just didn't like the brands that were stocked. So I changed the whole concept of the shop."
Out were the old brands, labels and ranges. Old stock was thrown out too. Window displays were revamped and new brands, not to mention a brand concept for the boutique itself, were developed.
"I went out and found new suppliers and personally sourced ranges that would fit in with what we're about – celebrating people's curves instead of hiding them in sacks," adds Jo. "I wanted it to be trendy, and make sure that every single item was hand-picked."
For long the fashion industry has been dominated by the slight. Sizes in many of the high street retailers have got smaller – indeed Gap recently launched a size zero zero, and a flick through many leading glossies reveals svelte models . . . and feature upon feature on how to shed pounds. But, as Jo points out, this just wasn't representative of real Britain.
"The stats show more than 60 per cent of UK females are over a size 14," she says. "There is a very fine line, however, between being bigger and curvier and being unhealthy, which is why I dropped our dresses from a size 30 to a 26. I don't want to be seen as celebrating those who are overweight. But there definitely is a market in fashion for curvy women.
"I have seen changes in the industry, however. Before, it was almost expected that if you were bigger you should cover every lump and bump, rather than accentuate. And for a long time there weren't a lot of ranges that were made for people's curves. It was as if curvier women were supposed to be covered in sacks.
"And all the magazines showed size eights too. There was so much focus on being slim.
The likes of Gok Wan and Trinny and Susannah have helped change that a bit, but it will take time. If you go into a high street store, for example, Marks and Spencer, and you pick up a size eight skirt – you'll probably get it in a size 22. But it doesn't look good in a size 22."
Jo has a point. It's not about upping the quantity of material, but creating new designs for curvier women. Fitting and styling is crucial, rather than using a standard fit model. Which is why Jo has changed this in the Capital. "I was just so shocked about the perceptions some people have of curvy women and how they think they should dress," she adds.
"The problem is there are not enough people who want to make clothes for bigger people. I've always had a passion for this."
Now Curvy Girl stocks designers such as Anna Scholz, Frank Lyman, Libra and Cut Loose, resulting in sophisticated and trend-led collections in luxurious fabrics such as silks, cashmere, velvets and jersey. Then there are the best-selling Tummy Tuck jeans which gives the mainstream jeans labels a run for their money.
"We start our ranges in a size 14 and go up to a size 26, and prices start at £20 and go right up to £329. There is something for everyone."
Does she ever regret not appearing in Mary Queen of Shops? "Not at all," she smiles. "I love the programme but I did it all myself. They actually did feature a shop for curvy women and after it came out, I was inundated with requests and sales. And we're nominated for a Draper's Award too."
With the awards taking place next month in London, Jo has everything crossed, but even if she does not win she has another three shops to open on the back of demand – even in the midst of a credit crunch.
• Curvy Girl, 384 Morningside Road, 0131-447 2288, www.curvy-girl.co.uk
