Meet Coral, of Emiko Studios. Emiko Studios is a unisex sustainable clothing brand for adults and children.
I fell in love with Coral’s work after seeing her beautiful pieces through instagram. I adore the silhouettes of her pieces and the use of natural and organic fibres.
Emiko doesn't follow trends and they make clothes to order, creating no waste.
For those that don't know you, please can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your business?
I’m Coral the founder of Emiko, a sustainable unisex clothing brand for adults and kids. I have a little girl who Emiko is named after, and she is who inspired me to start making again and build a brand.
What is the Emiko Studios ethos?
We have a transparent supply chain, making clothes from start to finish in our studio in Manchester. We only make clothes from natural biodegradable fibres or recycled fabrics. Our designs are influenced by vintage workwear and Japanese culture and our styles are oversized and versatile.
What attracted you to fashion design?
I’ve always loved clothes, how you can express who you are with what you wear. I taught myself how to use a sewing machine when I was 14 so I could alter my own clothes and finally got the courage to give it a go.
It is great that you have chosen to offer 'made to order only', what motivated you to take these steps towards sustainability in design?
I’ve had first-hand experience with fast fashion in Bangladesh, I worked there as a garment technologist and it woke me up to the negative impact it has on our environment, along with the working conditions and financial devastation. I wanted to steer away as much as possible from that manufacturing process especially when there are tonnes of waste involved. This also gives us the chance to alter garments for the taller or shorter person, or any other adjustments that wouldn’t be possible without made to order.
What is a normal day like at Emiko studios?
Myself and Katie cut and sew orders from online sales through the week, I also like to communicate with our customers when they have queries about sizes etc. I like to show our audience the process of how we make our clothes, so through our stories we have lots of footage of the design and making process. While watching Ru Paul in the background!
What and who inspires you in your work/ what are you influenced by?
I’ve always been influenced by vintage workwear and different cultures within their workwear designs. I love the unisex element, as I like to wear men’s clothing myself, I think it should become a bit more normal to shop unisex. I’ve worked in vintage shops ever since I was out of school, clothing now just isn’t the same.
What are you most excited about this year?
This year we have our biggest collection to date, I’m really proud of how it has all come together. We have lots of pop ups planned around the U.K. to showcase our designs, so customers can see and feel the quality of our garments. We would love to have a bricks and mortar store one day, with our studio in the background so our customers can see how much love goes into each garment.
What is your biggest piece of advice for female business owners and those wanting to start their own business?
When starting out Emiko I was too scared to even make a jacket and didn’t think I could achieve a final garment. But if you’re passionate about what you do and put the practice in, it absolutely pays off. Having supportive friends and family around you massively helps and most importantly believing in yourself. Women are absolutely smashing it lately especially through social media platforms its so inspiring and great for our kids to look up to.
Discover Emiko Studios below:
Instagram - emikostudios
Website - emikostudios.com