FEATURE
Business Leaders: Take 5
Jade Robertson of Little Lies Clothing
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ounded by Jade Robertson and husband Stuart, Little Lies, the independent, online fashion and lifestyle boutique, has been building into one of Perthshire’s most creative success stories since its launch in 2015. The Perthshire-based company may have appeared as a ready-to-rock, perfectly formed idea but the groundwork had been a decade in the making. Inspired by her love of ‘70s fashion and music icons, and shaped by her student years at the Royal Conservatoire in Glasgow and her experiences working in the event, theatre and music industry, Jade’s singular vision of a rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle platform provided a clear, bold and vibrant brand message from the outset. In the eight years since, the brand has become synonymous with quality fashion and lifestyle pieces and boasts a customer base that spans the UK, America, and until recently, Europe. In 2021 Stuart joined the business full time as Managing Director, allowing Jade the time and energy required to execute the launch of their first own-label clothing collection in her capacity as Creative
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Director. The company now boasts an annual turnover of circa £2 million but Jade and Stuart’s ambitious plans are only just beginning. Little Lies is targeted to reach £10 million turnover and 100% own-brand stock by 2025, and in doing so will become one of Scotland’s largest, independently owned, fashion labels. Q1. How did Little Lies start? As a teenager I was obsessed with ‘70s style and the rock stars from that time and as far back as 14 I was making and altering my own clothes. I staged my first fashion and music event, Rock The Catwalk, when I was 17 and over the four years that followed we raised £50,000 for charity – so although the company officially launched in 2015, the creative direction of the business, its heart and soul, has been around for years. My studies at the Royal Conservatoire and work in backstage production fuelled this rock and roll passion but when it came to my wardrobe, I struggled to find what I was looking for. I wanted quality, well-made clothing that I could wear for years to come – we call it future vintage at Little Lies – but all the High Street offered was fast-fashion, festival clothing
We ask local industry leaders the questions that matter most. that was designed to be worn once and thrown away and I didn’t have time to trawl charity shops regularly. I knew there was an opportunity and I’d thought through various business models before telling Stuart my idea – in the car on the way home from a gig, of course! Once I had it in my sights, I knew exactly how the brand would look and feel, and with Stuart’s business background we were confident we had the combined skills to make it work. We invested a few thousand of savings each, a friend helped build the website and I studied YouTube tutorials day and night to hone my e-commerce skills! Q2. How quickly did it grow, and what were your major milestones? Well, we outgrew the spare bedroom pretty quickly! We went from £12,700 in year one to £50,000 in year two and then from there we doubled and tripled year on year; by the end of year four we were at £500,000 and in year five we broke the million-pound turnover mark. Our first move was to a bigger house, and we started doing pop-ups in farmers’ markets, at large company headquarters,
