MissFit Creations

My name is Debbie not Deborah but my house was very small with woodchip on the walls and I grew up in small town surburbia in the late 70s. The backdrop for my teens was a lot like a Shane Meadows film and the soundrack a mix of punk and ska with a finale of new romantic and 80s pop. I was a punk, a mod, a rude girl and a new romantic, in fact I’d pretty much wear clothes inspired by the music I liked at the time. Not able to buy most of the things I wanted I’d make them or alter and customise my jumble sale finds.

The two things I am most qualified in are music and photography, as far as fashion and design go I am largely self taught. Having made my own clothes from a teenager my interest grew and I attended dressmaking and tailoring classes for a couple of years. I then continued with designing and making clothes for myself and my children and of course taking photos of same – much to their disapproval

I started to develop a niche business in costume making and took on commissions for entertainers, tribute artists and drag queens. As demand for these outfits grew I began getting requests for similar music and pop themed creations for individuals. Missfit Costumes was born in 2002 and shortly after I purchased a fancy dress shop and put it in our house (I have a very supportive and understanding family...).

For two years our front door became akin to the Mr Benn changing room with people coming in off the street and leaving as pirates, superheroes and all manner of weird and wonderful disguises! Along with the fancy dress I continued with my bespoke designs believing that one complimented the other. However, both grew into full time businesses and something had to go – Say Hello Missfit Creations – Wave Goodbye Missfit Costumes.

With music and fashion being my passion (I promise the clichés are about to end) I continued working with a variety of individuals from the entertainment industry, dancers, bands and general show-offs. With my business tag line ‘Make A Statement in What You Wear’ I specialised in extraordinary outfits and one-off creations inspired by music. I built a loyal customer base that returned again and again for the designs they were unable to find off the peg and that would stand them apart from the fashion crowd.

As an advocate of sustainable living I hated to throw away the bits of leftover fabric when I completed a garment and so began a Recreate range of clothing. These recycled and reworked designs were sold on my website alongside the already popular Tribute2 collection of pop inspired clothing.