{"id":519,"date":"2020-03-13T16:36:19","date_gmt":"2020-03-13T16:36:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland\/?p=519"},"modified":"2024-11-08T11:18:06","modified_gmt":"2024-11-08T11:18:06","slug":"clare-haggas-smooth-as-silk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/business\/clare-haggas-smooth-as-silk\/03-2020","title":{"rendered":"Clare Haggas: Smooth as Silk…"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Clare Haggas.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Visual Narrative of a countryside which unfolds throughout the year is an inspiration to all artists, but for Louth\u2019s Clare Haggas, the ever-changing view from the window of her studio is especially relevant.<\/p>\n

Keeping an eye on the bird life and the ebullient palette of greens and flecks of colour which reveal themselves in spring provides a rich source of inspiration which Clare can use in her work. She creates huge original illustrations of animals, flora and fauna which then find themselves transferred onto gicl\u00e9e prints and onto silk scarves, pocket squares and ties.\u00a0This month Clare is excited to be launching a range of products for homes, too, and finds herself in the finals of a national competition to reward rural enterprises.<\/p>\n

Clare\u2019s business was known as Clare Shaw Fine Art and Design, before she married the love of her life Will, a local farmer, and rebranded as Clare Haggas. She has been in the world of painting since 2015, a born and bred Cheltenham girl who moved to Lincolnshire in 2014 to be with her now husband.<\/p>\n

Her leap of faith invoked a period of uncertainty. Clare was unsure what to do after the move; continue working in Sales and Marketing or embark on a new adventure.\u00a0In the meantime, whilst mulling over her decision she undertook painting as a hobby but what she didn\u2019t know was that her life was about to take a very unexpected turn.<\/p>\n

Living on the outskirts of Louth, surrounded by the beauty of our much-loved Lincolnshire countryside, Clare had the perfect opportunity to paint the local wildlife that surrounded their home. The artist uploaded her images to social media and soon found herself accepting orders for commissioned artwork.\u00a0Clare became well known, very quickly. But it was when her artwork was accepted at luxury countryside retailer The House of Bruar in Scotland that orders soon exploded.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy main income by that point was private\u00a0 commission work for original artwork, which was great, but I felt like something was missing. I kept asking myself \u2018what more could I do?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

It was in December 2016 that a chance meeting changed Clare\u2019s life. The artist went to a meeting in Cheltenham where she began speaking to a gentleman in a waiting room, who had expressed an interest in her paintings.<\/p>\n

Clare was telling him how she through her work would suit silk, and later when he revealed that he owned a silk printing company in Evesham, a four-minute discussion and \u2018let\u2019s do it\u2019 leap of faith brought Clare\u2019s ideas to life.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe work together really well and what makes the association with each other so brilliant is that it all happens from home, I can create my designs in my \u2018happy place\u2019 and send them off to be printed \u2013 everything is created in this country.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnother motivation for developing my paintings to prints suitable for silk scarves and pocket squares was because as a typical country girl I couldn\u2019t find anything to wear to set off an outfit\u2026 I found the available country motifs all very boring.\u201d<\/p>\n

Clare wanted to create something vibrant to \u2018bring life\u2019 to women\u2019s outfits and soon filled a gap in the market. After her success as a designer of accessories for ladies, Clare went on to launch a men\u2019s range last year which consists of ties, pocket squares and scarves.<\/p>\n

This summer she will be launching a very exciting homeware selection.\u00a0In April she will launch a range of colourful, high end luxury velvet cushions with wallpapers, coasters, place mats, napkins and napkin rings to follow.<\/p>\n

The beauty of Clare\u2019s product ranges, especially in the respect of her accessories, is that her ideas don\u2019t need to be created in specific sizes, which would necessitate expansion and make life difficult for a\u00a0home based business.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am an artist, not a fashion designer,\u201d she says. \u201cThe joy is in creating the artwork and\u00a0I\u2019ve just expanded the number of ranges I produce with new designs like Peacock, Hare and an upcoming Flower range.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI never reprint once all of my editions have sold out, which helps to create a sense of exclusivity for my customers,\u201d says Clare.\u00a0\u201cI like them to feel special and if they have a limited-edition print, of which I have lower batches available of, it is unfair of me to continue making these for other customers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have gone from selling 10 products a week, to 500-750 a week with 43 stores now selling my stock\u2026 some of the most luxurious stores in the world. It is crazy!\u201d<\/p>\n

Clare\u2019s husband Will, her daughter Daisy and her dogs are all very supportive and help Clare to create the great work\/life balance that she maintains.<\/p>\n

\u201cDaisy is my chief stylist and at the age of 15 she does not hold back to tell me if she does not like a design! She is very business minded however.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThough I can\u2019t see her following in my footsteps as she is very sporty and wants to study child psychology. I have always been around dogs and we have now four in the house, with the newest edition being Molly, a Cocker Spaniel puppy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo day is the same with a Terrier, two Labs and a Cocker running around\u2026 I am just really lucky!\u201d<\/p>\n

Clare is very independent when it comes to her business and though she does have a colleague on hand to help with her packages, plus another to help with wholesale and someone who manages her website, she describes herself as being totally hand\u2019s on, and the main focus is to keep other local Lincolnshire businesses going.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is important I support other businesses close to me, and why I use the Post Office for example rather than a courier.\u201d Clare\u2019s skills from her university days, studying business and marketing, afforded insight into the potential of online commerce, as well we being faithful to her local audience.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to ensure my business was as user-friendly as possible and met all of my target audiences,\u201d she says. \u201cBut I also still send out brochures and accept written orders and cheques rather than just online orders and payments.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUp until a year ago Clare described her target audience as being 40-75year old females, however it\u2019s becoming increasingly diverse, and now comprises male and females from just seven years of age upwards!<\/p>\n

\u201cThat feels great,\u201d says Clare. \u201cI love the versatility in my range of customers, knowing that all ages are \u2018wearing Clare Haggas.\u2019 My ultimate dream, though, is to see the Queen or The Duchess of Cambridge\u00a0 wearing one of my scarves!\u201d<\/p>\n

Last year Clare entered herself into the Rural Business Awards into three different categories; Best Rural Start Up, Best Rural Retailer and Best Rural Arts, crafts and artisan business.<\/p>\n

She was delighted to win the Midlands\u2019 Best Rural Start Up and Best Rural Retailer category and to be awarded runner up as Best Rural Arts, crafts and artisan. The UK finals will be held, as Pride goes to press, in Manchester. \u201cIt is so nice to be recognised and even considered for these awards!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m proud of my achievements but even more proud that I can celebrate, reflect and above all enjoy the countryside which surrounds us!\u201d<\/p>\n

Clare Haggas creates is an English countryside artist based near Louth. She created limited edition silk scarves, ties and pocket squares. See her work at clarehaggas.com or call 07943 502756.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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Some of Clare’s designs.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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