emily harbottle
Designer & Founder of DEFIED
Fashion has always been my life. Dreaming of inspiration and needing to make note of ideas as I think of them. Noticing the touch and the feel of something, that nobody else had noticed, because they were too busy watching the show. The crispness of the cold air on the top of the Alps and debating how that can be portrayed in a design. Noticing the little things, is everything and perfection is never perfect enough.
At the ripe age of 43 I have finally found the strength to pursue my fashion design career further than just ideas and designs but into a business that others can be empowered by. A career that I was always told was not a proper job and would never get me through life… But what the hell do they know?! I believe that if you believe in yourself completely then you can achieve ANYTHING you want. The more someone tells me I can’t do something, the more determined I am to defy them.
STYLE IS A WAY TO SAY WHO YOU ARE WITHOUT HAVING TO SPEAK.
- Rachel Zoe
In the year 2000 I graduated in Fashion & Textiles, I showed my final collections at Birmingham Clothes Show Live (2nd year running) and Graduate Fashion Week, Shoreditch, London, where I was spotted and headhunted to work for an A lister Fashion House in New York. The ultimate dream job! But this was not my time unfortunately. At a time when I needed my family and my family needed me more than ever, I couldn’t go. Some things are not meant to be, and I believe everything happens for a reason.
Fashion design became a self-taught progression hobby of mine, inspired by emotions and everything around me. After spending most my adult life being controlled and moulded by jealousy and not being allowed to be myself, it does something inside of you. Bubbling determination to be great and diminish the narcissistic ghosts that took my self-esteem and confidence with the controlling behaviour. When that moment comes that the caged bird is freed… you best step aside and let her fly!
Every day building confidence and strength to stand up for being who you want to be. Even more so, because you were told you couldn’t. Brick by brick, building strength and power to be YOU. This is what inspires me… this is what I want people to feel, when they wear my designs… FREE… STRONG… PROUD… But whatever you do, make sure you are not afraid to be YOU… NO RULES.
In every glorious beautiful shining star that you are, NEVER let anyone dampen your light!
"Fashion has to reflect who you are, what you feel at the moment and where you’re going."
Pharell Williams
DEFIED Ethos
Every garment is designed to turn heads in the room. Make you feel empowered and confident. Hand-made in London by the finest and most experienced seamstresses in the UK.
Every technical and design detail has gone into creating each luxury design with the finest fabrics and best design technology. Made to last to reduce the fashion carbon footprint and teach people to do away with “throwaway fashion”.
We are environmentally conscious of reducing our carbon footprint and promoting sustainability in the Fashion industry. We have thought about where fabrics are coming from and all DEFIED garments are made in the UK. All our packaging is 100% recyclable and reusable. Garments are designed and made to last. Throwaway fashion creates 10% of the world’s carbon emissions. We would like to defy this trend, and create a new trend of longer lasting fashion, reducing environmental damage where possible.
