Our Story
WELCOME TO THE FASHION BRAND CREATED FOR WOMEN, BY WOMEN.
Our female founder, Leigh Unwin, set up her business in the attic of her home after her daughter, Edie, was born just 25 weeks into her pregnancy.
Her early arrival flipped Leigh's life around and she was unable to continue her full-time job in the fashion industry. Fast forward 10-years and now she’s leading her own fashion brand that celebrates body positivity and size inclusivity with her family alongside her. Here’s Leigh’s story...
How It All Began
“In August 2014, Edie entered the world much earlier than expected, weighing just 710g. After six challenging months in hospital, she finally came home, and it quickly became clear that our journey as a family was going to be anything but ordinary.
In October 2015, after a short stint back in the fashion industry, I realised that the glamorous, full-time fashion life just didn’t work for me anymore. But giving up my passion wasn’t an option either. That’s when the idea for The Style Attic was born.
With years of experience as a fashion buyer, I wanted to create something that fit around Edie’s packed diary of appointments (she’s always been a social butterfly) and also represent who I was as an industry expert too. Within just a few days, my dream became reality and The Style Attic opened its doors - albeit from the loft of our family home at the time. Back then, customers would come to my home, walk through the house, and climb up to the attic - a quirky setup that some found a little unusual at first! But word got around, people kept coming back (often with friends), and before long I was even offering a postal service for our customers further afield who’d seen our latest pieces on social media.”
A Decade Later
“A few years, lots of wonderful customers and another baby later, it was time for the next chapter for the brand. We opened our first retail shop in Swillington, Leeds - with not an attic in sight - and as the saying goes, we’ve never looked back. We’ve relocated once more - this time to an even larger store a few doors away from the original and offer size inclusivity to women not just in Yorkshire, but around the world online, every-single-day.”
Keeping It In The Family
“And the best part? We're lucky enough to do this with family. Alongside my mum, Lisa, and sister, Jade, we’ve built a business that feels like one big family, and truth be told, 90% of the staff working with us quite literally are members of my family.
Together, we’ve made it our mission to have a space within fashion that feels inviting and warm, and thanks to our friendly northern roots we ensure every single one of our customers feel every bit a part of the family too.”
Our Motto
“Our main objective isn’t just to make women look good, we want them to feel good too! We embrace fashion for everyone and will continue to champion our #SizeDoesNotDefineUs and #FreeSizeFashion campaigns to allow women the freedom and confidence to shop with us for every occasion, seven days a week.”
To everyone who has been a part of the story so far, thank you for your support, the best is yet to come.
Team The Style Attic x