SIC’s Career Spotlights: Emma McClelland
Emma McClelland is the Founder of Kintsugi Clothing, an adaptive and inclusive fashion brand which is pioneering pieces which cater to all body types. As well as this, she is a Senior Communications Officer at the Work Rights Centre, and an experienced writer for a plethora of publications.
What motivated you to set up your company?
I’d wanted to try my hand at business for a while but I wanted it to be purpose-driven; something that tackled inequality at some level. I was watching TED Talks and came across one by Stephanie Thomas, who is a ‘disability fashion stylist’. In it, she explained some of the ways fashion brands exclude disabled customers in their design processes, as well as some of the ways this might be remedied. I love fashion and when I looked at ‘adaptive’ clothing that was currently on offer, it felt a bit drab and aimed at the elderly market, rather than younger customers. I’d also heard about the ethos of kintsugi through a friend and, as someone with a history of self-harm and mental health challenges, it really resonated with me - your experiences make you who you are, even if they have physical or mental ‘scars’ - but nobody should ever be seen as ‘broken’. That’s how it all started.
How do you think the disabled community has inspired your approach to business?
Massively! I’ve sought the opinions of people across the community since I started building the business, and I have learnt so much and been prompted to go and do my own learning as well. Now, I think of accessibility as a vital part of design - whether it’s a product or a service - and think when things are disability-friendly, they’re better for everyone.
What is your career advice for those who aspire to do a similar role?
Don’t rush. If you’re anything like me, once you get a bit of fire in your belly, the sense of urgency to make things happen IMMEDIATELY can mean you rush things. Take your time doing your reading, groundwork, research and product trials with customers. You don’t need things to be absolutely perfect (there’s no such thing) but if you rush, you make mistakes. You don’t need to be first - or early - to the market to make a difference.
Did you experience any setbacks when you started working? How did you overcome them?
I experienced plenty. I remember when the first samples came back from the manufacturer and some of them were alright but some of them proved the design wouldn’t actually work and that was frustrating. I suppose I reminded myself that this was a part of the process and that I was learning as I was going along. I cut myself some slack and refocused.
What do you envision for your company in five years time?
It’s so difficult to imagine where fashion will have gone in five years time - I think the mainstream retailers need to catch up to be honest. I think a platform like ASOS needs to take on an ‘adaptive’ or ‘inclusive’ fashion brand and promote it - or a bigger company like John Lewis could maybe co-design something with one of us. There are so many brilliant disability-conscious clothing companies popping up now, so whether it’s us or one of them, I hope to see them elevated by bigger players, who have the power to take this approach to design mainstream.
How would you improve the current state of your industry?
The fashion industry in general? I’d make it more representative, more diverse and more inclusive. I don’t think it is at the moment, although it’s making some positive changes. Body diversity is a big deal and, for the most part, fashion seems to be clinging to past beauty ‘norms’, which weren’t all that varied and excluded way too many people.