Lizzie Doyle, Managing Director


I decided to set up this business because as a size 18 (on a good day!) woman, I'm very tired of not being able to wear nice, stylish clothes in great fabrics and colours. As any of you who are a size 16 or over will know, it's soul-destroying to walk down any high street and see all the fabulous, colourful clothes on offer and know that if you walk into any of those stores, you'll get the "Oh no, Madame. We don't stock your size!" answer. Always charming!

So, I decided the answer was to start a business that makes just what I want to wear. Not being that unique, I realised that I am far from being alone. So many of my friends (even the ones I class as the skinny ones!) talk about how difficult it is to find clothes that actually fit. You know the thing I mean - the t-shirt that rides halfway up your tummy when you bend over or reach up; the trousers that are actually verging on indecent, they're so low cut; the other trousers that come with a silly tiny button on the top that pops off the minute you put them on; or the skirt that cuts off your circulation, the waist band's so tight.

There's also my personal favourite - I call them the "how ugly can we make the fat people look" shops! We all know the ones I mean, they ideally want you to wear a black all-encompassing shroud, but failing that, they think you should be in black man-made fibres, only available in deeply unflattering cuts, which you're expected to pay large amounts of money for. Just what you've always wanted!

So we have an alternative. Our aim is to bring you great staples and basics that are a great fit, in lovely colours and fabrics, and that you can wear time after time. We're also aiming to bring you a few of what we call 'fashion items'. They will change every few weeks and will be in the latest colours and trends.

All our fabrics, with the exception of the silk (and even that's imported by a lovely Yorkshire company) are sourced in the UK. All our factories are based within the London area, with the exception of our knitwear which is made in Scotland and Wales.

We hope that you love our clothes as we do. If you have any comments, or feedback, or ideas or things you would love us to make please email me at , or you could try my direct number on 05601 157 394 (our VoIP number which you can use whether you're skyped up or not!)

If you want to read Mike's ("the geek") bit, read on. Otherwise, please continue shopping!

Mike Morrison, IT Director


I'd already had a background in e-commerce when I received The Call from my friend Liz, asking me if I wanted to join her online clothing venture, something she's been keen on starting for some time. I'd started I Want One Of Those.com, an online gadget shop website, with some friends back in 1999, which sailed through the whole dotcom boom and bust period, seemingly oblivious to all the excitement, so I felt I had something valuable to bring to Liz's business. I myself have also experienced shopping sadness when looking for larger shoes (I'm a size 13!) so I fully understand the frustration people feel when faced with meagre high street offerings.

The idea behind the website is simple. We aim to offer a simple to use, nice to look at website which anyone can use without needing an instruction manual, and without hiding who we are or how to speak to us (even exposing our ugly mugs with these pics...) If we're trying to sell clothing via the web, it needs to be as clearly laid out as possible, with lots of product info and pictures since you don't, of course, get to try anything on before you buy it. (Website technology is a long way off being able to offer anything THAT clever...)

You can create an online account with us to make future shopping even easier, or you can buy without doing so - whichever you prefer. We won't bombard you with marketing, we'll keep things simple, and honest. And we'll also keep fine-tuning our website, and responding to your questions, suggestions and requests, as you're the shoppers, and you know what you want far better than we do.

Lunia Oliver, Production Manager


I started as Liz’s tutor!

I was teaching a Quality Assurance and Production Management Course for Fashion Businesses when this girl with a winning concept and product came in the door. I had a particular interest in larger sizes for women as I too had embarked on a venture is this market a few years ago. One of the things I learnt from my business (I was doing the more traditional wholesale route i.e. selling to shops and boutiques) was that many customers actually prefer to buy directly from the Fashion House, and in the privacy of their own home try the clothes on. Also, invariably the price is keener, as you are cutting out the middle man.

I liked the concept from the start, as great emphasis is being put on the cut and fit of the patterns, as well as the make up of the clothing. Not only are the clothes fitted to our in-house model (Liz) and then graded up and down two sizes for our size range. The clothes are also designed to be worn and fit into everyday life. Plus Liz insists on lots of wearer trials (i.e. she takes the stuff, wears and it and then tries to wash it to death). Our fabrics are UK sourced and we have tried, where possible, to use fabrics with some stretch element in them, for additional comfort. We have also tried to use fabrics that are machine washable. (Apart from the luxury goat suede!)

While my previous experience was with designers as a production manager, including Amanda Wakeley and Maria Grachvogel, I particular enjoy the additional creative element to the Lizzie Doyle label in that our offering is not going to be just seasonal i.e. spring/summer and autumn/winter. We are going to be offering you classic, well-made clothing, in great fabrics, that is appropriate to the weather and time of year, as well as mid-seasonal and fashion styles (i.e. no bikinis in February for us!). It's no coincidence that our clothing is all made in carefully selected UK factories. Allowing for quick response and great quality. Watch this space!