Matilda & Quinn fashion boutique is coming to Islington’s Upper Street in pop-up form. Charlotte Veryard looks at why you can expect something very different for this particular designer
Sitting at the office in a tight and ill-fitting suit, or arriving to an important event wearing the same dress as half the women there, is never ideal. Matilda & Quinn, a London-based clothing company, creates sophisticated, comfortable and limited-edition pieces for every occasion – and now has a pop-up shop in Islington, delivering a piece of unique elegance to every woman’s wardrobe.
Sally Hartfield, the designer and brains behind Matilda & Quinn started off her career as a lawyer where she was inspired to create work clothing for women that was comfortable. ‘When I was working I found so many things that I hated about the smart clothes, some just didn’t fit quite right,’ says Sally as we sit over a cup of tea in Euphorium Bakery on Upper Street. The brand has caught the eye of many working women in London: Louise Minchin, Lorraine Kelly and Kate Garraway are all fans.
Sally has not just focused on creating comfortable work clothes, but has extended the collection to create occasion ware, semi-bespoke pieces and now a range of knitwear. The collection, which Sally describes as ‘quirky stylish but wearable’, is based on 1940s and 1950s silhouettes, with added modern textures and bright colours. The clothes are sophisticated yet modern and extremely unique from anything else on the market. ‘I try to create something that is limited edition and there won’t be the risk that you go to an event and everyone is wearing the same dress as you.’ Sally explains. ‘You pay a bit more for it, but not astronomically.’
All the clothes for Matilda & Quinn are created in London to ensure that the garments are made ethically and to the highest standard. ‘I really like being directly involved in the making process and I wanted the clothes to be made ethically too, which is why I chose for the clothes to be made locally,’ Sally explains.
Sally takes inspiration from a range of places to help design the clothes for Matilda & Quinn. ‘I go to fabric shows around Europe where they have lots of mood boards up and different fabrics and you get a feel for textures, colour, motifs and print.’ Saying that, she also takes inspiration from the people of North London too. ‘The general residents around here are quite stylish which helps form the aesthetic of how I want my clothes to look,’ she smiles.
The pop-up shop on Upper Street, open now until December, is not the first that Matilda & Quinn have done. They have had two pop-up shops in the past in London – one in South Molton Street and the other in St Christopher’s Place – which were both very successful. Sally hopes that the pop up in Islington will be just as successful and feels she has chosen the perfect area for it. ‘The local residents like independent brands and there are a lot of professional women in Islington. Our target customer is very much someone who lives here, shops here and works here.’ We are unique, after all.
Find out more about the Upper Street pop-up at matildaandquinn.com
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