Best friends who set out to revive British manufacturing open store in Market Harborough

Best friends who set out on a mission to create the perfect black leggings have opened their first store in Harborough.

Shirley Yanez and Holly Hollingworth built their fashion label, Venus Cow, from a £300 government grant in 2012.

The brand was founded when the women – who are also sister in laws – returned to the UK from Los Angeles after divorcing their husbands, two brothers.

Shirley was a self-made millionaire, but lost millions when the stock market crashed. The pair were then forced to sign on for government financial support and instead of designer stores brought their clothes from charity shops.

But that is when the inspiration for their brand came about.

Shirley, age 66, said: “I lost millions, we divorced the brothers and in 2005 came back to the UK homeless, penniless and I was dying.

“We signed on the dole in my home town of Leicester and the NHS saved my life. I had an 8lb fibroid which had been left untreated in the US because of no medical insurance.

“During this period charity shopping produced a pair of perfect black leggings which cost me £5 but the original retail was around £300.

“I wore the leggings until they fell off but when I tried to replace them I discovered a gaping hole in the market for an affordable perfect black legging.”

It was then the duo found many clothes were now made abroad, and developed a plan to create British made black leggings.

Shirley added: “After a lifetime of loving quality clothes I couldn’t bear to watch the demise of British fashion manufacturing.

“With our passion and the help of one of two remaining cotton mills in Nottingham and an ethical factory in Leicester, we pitched the Job Centre a business idea and received a £300 business development grant from government.

“This was used to seek out one of my old banking clients and raise the necessary investment for our idea.

“The client believed in me and invested enough money to take the old legging to the cotton mill. It took two years to reproduce the fabric and create our now globally trademarked PBL perfect black leggings, made in Britain.”

Venus Cow was first launched online ten years ago, and since then the pair have added extra pieces to their collection.

They have now opened a store on Adam and Eve Street, which includes luxury, designer clothes at discounted prices being sold alongside their collection.

The shop is the first fabric-knitted, made in the UK, brand on the high street for 25 years.

Shirley – who lives with 57-year-old Holly at ‘Black Legging Cottage’ in Peatling Magna said: “In our store you’ll find the Venus Cow collection, an eight-piece all black styling collection, coupled with other luxury pieces purchased for other uses and repurposed for the shop, making them available to the public at more affordable prices.

“Upstairs is in the process of transformation to an experiential ‘members only’ styling offering where the best of luxury recycled designer runway pieces like Chanel, Balmain and Dior, are available with free styling support and advice.

“Anybody who supports the brand receives membership to the room upstairs. It is my way of rewarding those helping to revive British manufacturing.”