Couple who built fashion empire from council house now opening shop in huge outlet
The firm started from the couple’s home and has amassed a great online customer base. They are now poised to open their first store in Meadowhill Shopping Centre, Sheffield
Image: jsmedz/Instagram)
A couple who built a fashion empire from a council house are to open a store in a major shopping centre.
Online clothing firm Sorelle UK already sends orders worldwide and has amassed thousands of fans, including Netflix and Love Island stars.
The firm, which started from the couple’s home, is now preparing to open its first store in Meadowhill Shopping Centre, Sheffield later this month.
Director Jamie Smedley, who helped his wife build the brand from “nothing”, said they are very excited for the opening.
He told YorkshireLive: “My wife’s nannan used to take her shopping to Meadowhall on a Saturday, and so did my nannan, so it is emotional for us.
“Having our first store in Meadowhall is phenomenal.
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Image:
jsmedz/Instagram)
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Image:
jsmedz/Instagram)
“We could have gone to the Trafford centre, but as a brand, if we are going to grow now nationwide, across outlets, we want Meadowhall to be our flagship store.”
Sorelle UK was born out of Manuella Mosca’s love for fashion, according to her husband, Jamie.
He said back in 2014 the entrepreneur used to visit car boot sales around South Yorkshire, where she found old stock she could modify and sell on.
And she quickly gained a cult following of fans.
After just two months, Manuella gave up her job as a nightclub promoter, and Jamie quit working as a plasterer to focus on the business full time.
With every room of their house overflowing with stock, and the company beginning to manufacture their own clothes, the couple knew they were onto a winner.
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Image:
Sorelle UK)
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Image:
Sorelle UK)
Jamie said he has not been surprised by their success: “With all of the sacrifices we made, it was only going to go one way.”
And he is proud of how far the pair have come since they first started the company.
“We came from nothing,” he explained.
Since opening in 2014, Sorelle UK moved into premises at Hillsborough, then Kelham Island, then a Sheffield trading estate, and now they are again looking for a larger home.
They are also looking to open stores, making them one of the first brands to begin online then move to the high street, according to Jamie.
He said he is excited to offer customers a traditional shopping experience and that the shop is needed because they constantly receive calls from people desperate to pick something up on the day.
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Image:
Sorelle UK)
But now, any fashionistas from South Yorkshire will be able to pop by whenever they want to.
Jamie hopes Sorelle UK will make a welcome addition to the shopping centre.
“Sheffield’s got nothing like our brand,” he said.
The director thinks the company’s authenticity is the key to their success, since they never sell anything his wife wouldn’t wear herself.
Jamie was also full of praise for his hard-working wife.
He said she never stops working, even flying to international meetings when she was 9-months pregnant with their son.
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