‘I started experimenting with my sewing machine’ - how a fashion graduate dressed a Grammy Award winner just two months after launching clothing brand

Like many young women her age, 25-year-old Faye Evie Joynes enjoys following celebrities online. But, unlike most, she also has experience of dressing them.

She may have only launched her own brand – Evie Joynes (formerly Evie Label) – in September but she has already had the privilege of seeing one of the outfits she created worn by Grammy Award winning artist Kacey Musgraves.

Faye, who lives in Manchester and has a degree in fashion, founded her brand in 2020 after being made redundant from her previous role as a designer for a well-known brand due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Rather than wallowing in misery, she used this as a catalyst to take a bold step in her career.

"I'd been feeling unfulfilled in my job, designing clothes which were only intended to be worn a few times. I wanted to create pieces which had sentimental value, and which people would want to hold-on to! So I decided to start Evie Joynes. 'I’d had it in the back of my mind for a long time and just decided to go for it.

“I started experimenting with my domestic sewing machine in my living room, and posting my creations on instagram.”

Within a matter of weeks, Faye’s following on the platform had grown – and she had gained herself some big worldwide names as clients.

"It started slow, all of my followers were friends and family at first! It took a lot of trial and error to figure out how to reach my ideal audience and I'm still learning now.

"I ran a competition for exposure, collaborated with influencers and bloggers, tried instagram ads, and was really active on instagram. I've learned that there's no 'golden ticket' to gaining lots of followers or making lots of sales – it's an accumulation of small things.

"Within a couple of months I'd gained New York City boutique, Here Nor There, as a stockist. I now regularly supply them with new stock as well as selling on my website.

"The first stockist actually came to me via an instagram direct message. I still don't know how she found me but the lovely shop owner had seen my designs and wanted to sell them in her store.”

It was at Here Nor There that Faye believes musician Kacey found one of her designs, a top called ‘Anne’ – which she says will be revamped and brought back soon.

“This was an older style of mine which then became part of an exclusive set I created for Here Nor There NYC, in collaboration with them. I believe Kacey stopped by the store and got it there! I was so excited that she wore it and it really validated that I was doing something right. The updated version of the Anne top is available to buy now.”

It is Faye’s passion for sustainable and special clothing that drives her business – which she named after her own middle moniker to give herself an imaginary muse to design for.

“I think when you look past the surface level of wearing clothes to 'look good' there's so much more value to be found in clothing. A good piece of clothing could be worn by your grandmother, then your mother and then passed down to you- that makes it really special and sentimental.

"It goes without saying that we want our clothes to look good, but if we sacrifice quality and ethics for a trendy piece which will be out of fashion in a few months, it becomes soulless.”

All of Faye’s collection is made by hand, by her in her room. Incredibly, although she ships her clothing worldwide, she still makes each piece herself.

She said: “I would love to have a studio and team one day, but for now I'm happy where I am. It means I can take risks without big consequences which I think is important in the early days.”

This also enables her to offer custom options, such as leg length and cup sizes, and means that none of the natural fabrics she uses are wasted.

When designing new pieces, Faye takes inspiration from what is happening in the world.

She said: “Right now I'm excited at the prospect of going out again, so my designs are becoming a bit 'dressier'.”

Her Spring/Summer 2021 collection is available to buy online now at eviejoynes.com.