A young Dundee mum with aspirations to be a star of the fashion industry has received her first big break as she helps design clothes for one of the country’s biggest retailers.
Cerrys Duke, 21, will be a member of a team producing garments for Urban Outfitters in Edinburgh, after taking part in the successful local project Kindred Clothing.
The project, which is run by Dundee charity Front Lounge, aims to provide young mums with the skills and confidence to create clothes for themselves and their children using sewing courses online.
Kindred Clothing is soon to receive official SQA accreditation, with Cerrys one of the first students to graduate.
And she has since been offered a six-week placement working on the retail order for Urban Outfitters by Samantha Paton, who runs Dundee-based fashion label Isolated Heroes, whose key clients include celebrities Miley Cyrus, Paloma Faith and Kate Nash.
Cerrys said: “I started Kindred Clothing to master a few basic sewing skills and to fix things, with Layla at my side, but I genuinely never thought I’d get an opportunity to work on a big design order for a major retailer.
“I’ve loved soaking up the atmosphere of a real fashion business. The course and this placement have really boosted my confidence and shown I can do anything I set my mind to.
“Kindred Clothing has also led to some lifelong friendships – we’re like a family now and we’re all starting to see our potential and imagine what our futures could look like.”
Garments created by Isolated Heroes which Cerrys has been working on, including embellished motif sweatshirts, will go on sale next Friday May 28 as part of a pop-up event within the Urban Outfitters store on Edinburgh’s Princes Street.
Fashion label boss Samantha, who has been involved in the project from the outset, believes Kindred Clothing can fill a gap within the fashion industry.
“For us, Kindred Clothing ticks a number of boxes,” she said.
“We have the privilege of complimenting their skills and experience and, in return, we can tap into their talent pool – these are women who are ready to learn, to improve and to listen.
“Cerrys is extremely able but also possesses that rare skill of listening to feedback and acting on it. We’ve loved having her in the studio and she should be exceptionally proud of herself.”
Cerrys has also been involved in the creation of garments that are on sale within the V&A shop, where Isolated Heroes are the exclusive fashion collaborator for the Night Fever: Designing Club Culture exhibition.
“Selling our creations within Urban Outfitters and V&A Dundee simultaneously is just amazing and for Cerrys to be involved in that is wonderful – she could have a really bright future ahead of her,” Samantha added.