Meet the Liverpool woman who created her own plus-size fashion empire - Ruched & Ready

Meet Lucy, the 30-year-old Scouser whose life changed after attending a design meeting for a big fashion brand, and realising she could do it better.

Originally from Allerton, South Liverpool, Lucy Bramley launched inclusive fashion brand Ruched & Ready four years ago, aiming to help women and teenagers embrace their natural curves and feel confident. 

We spoke to the successful designer and marketing graduate, who said: “The Liverpool girl is at the heart of everything I do.”

Lucy created her online fashion band in 2019 after years of struggling to find clothes that made her feel confident. She told LiverpoolWorld: “Growing up, all my friends were a size eight and I was always trying to find the outfit I felt nice in.

“I would see companies using models that were either a size eight or a size 22, and I felt like there wasn’t a brand that represented my body type. I’d buy two dresses and get a seamstress to change it for me, because plus-size dresses would be too short.”

Ruched and Ready clothes are designed with curves in mind and the fashion brand aims to provides dresses and ‘going out’ wear for women, with sizes ranging from eight-20. Every piece is designed by Lucy to ensure every aspect is perfect for a woman with curves.

Eye-opening meeting

Lucy said she ‘always knew’ she wanted to be in fashion, but recognised she ‘needed’ to create clothes for curvy girls after an eye-opening meeting with a big fashion brand. She explained: “I had a following on Instagram and a big brand approached me and asked me to attend a design meeting for their plus sized collection. The office was amazing, it was in Manchester, but once I was there I realised all the girls in charge of designing the collection were size eight. I looked at the samples and thought, ‘I wouldn’t wear that’.”

She added: “I’d taken my own clothes in too and as soon as I left, I rang my mum and said ‘I’m starting my own business’. I was like I NEED to do it, I had more knowledge than they did. Plus-size options were being offered because there was a market for them but they had no idea who that girl was, it was a tick box exercise for big companies.”

Inclusive brand and range of models

Lucy set out to create a brand that was inclusive of all sizes, rather than just plus-size, after her sister, who is a size 10, said she would love to wear all of Lucy’s designs.

She added: “You don’t want to feel like you’re wearing plus-size clothes either, you want to feel like you’re wearing savvy, cool clothes that other people would wear. I know the customer, and she could be 16/17, and want to wear something that she loves and compliments her curves rather than just a plus-size range.”

Lucy, who loves to go get dressed up and go for a meal with her husband, said the the industry is still so new to plus-size fashion, and it’s something ‘you only truly understand if you’re bigger.”

She said when she was around 18 years old, the options available to her were brands like Simply Be, and she felt let down by the industry, and wants to make sure other young women feel good. She explained: “I am true to the brand and everything is made with curves in mind, not showing your lumps and bumps.”

Ruched and Ready are planning to launch further size options, including size six, 22 and 24, so that a wider range of girls can wear their clothing.

The company’s website features a range of different sized models, meaning it is easier to see how the outfit would actually look on you. Lucy said: “It’s important to see the dress on different sizes - I’ve ordered dresses before and when they come they just don’t hang right. It’s nice to see clothes on a range of different girls so it’s more relatable.”

New launch

In September, Ruched & Ready will launch their new basics collection after customers wanted the brand to provide clothes suitable for everyday wear.

“Basics is a big launch for us, we’re very dress and going out focused,” Lucy said. “I wanted to make sure the collection was perfect and it features 30 pieces. I am so so excited, the fabrics are amazing and designed to suck you in and make you feel confident.”

Future goals

Although the main focus right now is the basics collection and then the Christmas collection, Lucy would love to open a pop-up shop in Liverpool or London. She said, ‘the Liverpool girl is at the heart of everything I do’ and these are the two ‘best cities for a fashion brand’.

But, Lucy’s main goal remains the same as when she launched four years ago - sharing the brand’s positive message and making women and girls feel good.

She said: “The sales are amazing but the messages about how someone feels is the number one goal. My biggest motivation is my younger self and making sure other young women feel confident. My brand is trusted - one customer has placed 52 orders, once they find us, they fall in love with how the clothes fit.”

Ruched & Ready’s ‘Basics’ range will launch in September 2023 and the future for Lucy’s inclusive brand looks bright.