When Megan Laing told her mother Liz she wanted to study fashion at university, Liz told her not to.
Having been a seamstress for over 50 years, Liz knew finding a full-time job in fashion is hard.
However, Megan finished her fashion degree two years ago and has worked freelance in the industry since.
While applying for jobs this summer she couldn’t find anything she really wanted, so she turned to Liz for advice.
She suggested “maybe we should start our own company?”, and the Dalgety Bay duo came up with Dilly Dream.
Working around chronic illness
The idea originally came to Megan after she went to university, while browsing children’s clothes at a supermarket.
She spotted a strawberry raincoat she wanted, but even the largest size was too small.
It got her thinking that maybe other people also wish they could get clothes from the children’s section.
She recalls: “We went to a fabric shop not that long after and we found these CareBear fabric samples.
“And I thought ‘wouldn’t it be cute to start my own range of this?’
“I’d even done the illustrations, but then I started my fourth year, so I forgot about it.”
Having the advantage of deciding her own working hours was also a huge benefit to Megan.
Halfway through university she was diagnosed with endometriosis, a painful condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows in other places.
She says: “It always worried me that I wouldn’t be able to work because of it, I didn’t know how I would tell employers.
“Chronic fatigue is an aspect of it that I struggle with daily.
“So this was part of the reason we decided to do this, I could build a company where I can work when I’m healthy enough to do it.”
Dilly Dream is ready for the world
Since August, Megan and Liz have worked non-stop to get Dilly Dream off the ground.
Megan has taken on the roles of designer and head of social media, while Liz has developed their patterns and sewn the clothes.
On October 1, the 14-piece collection of dungarees, trousers, sweatshirts, T-shirts and hats was ready for the world.
The collection caters to all young adults interested in cute and comfortable clothing.
Megan says: “It was really important to me to make it inclusive.
“It fits different skin tones and genders.
“If someone wants to wear my clothes, I want them to be able to wear it.”
While they describe their collection as cute and child-like, Liz is quick to point out that one of their clients is 10 years older than her.
Megan also hopes their collection can shine a light on what it is like to live with a chronic condition.
Her sweatshirt designs “Endo is not my friendo”, “BRB, just napping” and “Don’t mind me I’m just in pain” are all influenced by her experiences of living with endometriosis.
Sustainable and inclusive
Just as important as the Dilly Dream aesthetic is the brand’s commitment to sustainability.
Megan spent a whole week sourcing their organic cotton from Poland and a small printer in Glasgow.
On top of that, seamstress Liz keeps all the scraps from Dilly Dream clothing and her own alteration business Liz in Stitches.
Liz says: “I’m developing things we can do with the scraps.
“For example, the hats are something we can make from the scraps of the larger items.
“We make masks and scrunchies from the smaller scraps and I’m now looking at things for Christmas, so I’m making little baskets.”
The Dilly Dream team are also working on a plus-size range and smaller sizes.
Within a year, they hope to have their own studio and another member of staff.
Until then, they will just have to keep putting up with each other.
“We argue just as much as anyone else, don’t we Megan,” laughs Liz.
Megan says: “Sometimes it’s perfect, she’s in her stride and I’m in my stride.
“We create this amazing synergy, then some days I walk out of the room because I’m not speaking to her.
“But generally, we get on like a house on fire.”