Meet the marketing manager from Southsea who has swapped her office job to become a fashion designer

Louise Lea, from Southsea was inspired during lockdown to to create a quirky, mindful and sustainable fashion brand called Tabby Firefly.

Louise started working on her collection as an antidote to the stress of her day job as a marketing manager.

She said: ‘There was no social life or going out so, to relax, I turned my hand to designing wall-art for my own home using inspirational quotes.’

The end result is a collection of 50 women’s T-shirts and vests, 22 men’s T-shirts plus hoodies, sweatshirts and 45 sharp graphic art prints; from the Good Vibes cassette with a hint of 80s retro, to the instructional: You are exactly where you need to be.

Louise hit on the company name as a way of expressing the two sides to her work.

She said: ‘The Tabby suggests something simple and wholesome, the Firefly more crazy and brash.’

Her designs are printed to order on organic cotton or recycled paper – meaning no waste or energy is consumed by storage or excessive transport – by Isle of Wight company, Teemill.

Clothing can be returned to Tabby Firefly for recycling at the end of its life, cutting down on waste and working towards a more circular economy.

Louise said: ‘Sustainability was vital to me but what I also liked was the idea of the printer being based on the Isle of Wight, just across the Solent.

‘I felt that working with them would be a nice affinity for a business located on the south coast.’

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Louise said the inspiration for her designs comes from her time spent beside the sea and 90s music as well as ‘sunshine, wildlife and plants’.

She has also produced a niche ‘Chronic Collection’ inspired by ‘physical and mental health warriors’. These T-shirts include the slogans Nap More, Not Today and Overthinker, and are borne out of her own experiences.

After suffering from chronic migraine for 26 years and having had Guillain-Barré syndrome - a serious nerve condition that affects the hands, feet and limbs - Louise said she understands the struggle of those with hidden disabilities.

In addition, she also raises money for Alzheimer’s research through her funky Roller Girl clothing range - a collaboration with a graphic designer who is skating every day to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Society charity.

During lockdown it wasn’t easy to arrange in-person photo shoots, so Louise soft-launched on Instagram earlier this year in a bid to find real women and men as natural models, promoting positive body images.

She said: ‘Among others, I reached out to an over-50s fashion blogger, an Instagrammer empowering body confidence with a disability, a local musician and a size 18 body-positivity influencer – I really want my collection to represent people with positive stories.’

For more go tabbyfirefly.com

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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