Our Story

 

The idea for CAREAUX began in 2010. Inspired by Laura’s disability, Cystic Fibrosis (CF), and the changes it caused to her body with none of her clothes fitting after a period of illness. 

Rachel was fourteen and saw what Laura was going through. She was driven to do something, as she did not see her big sister represented in the fashion industry or the wider world. This was only reinforced when shopping with her friends, hearing them try on clothes and wish they could change something about themselves - wishing they were taller, slimmer, or different in some way.

We never wanted Laura, or any young girl, woman, or anyone, to feel they had to change themselves to fit into clothes - clothes should instead change to fit us. 

This was the beginning of CAREAUX. In that moment, it became our sole dream and focus to bring CAREAUX to life - to create the brand we felt was missing as young girls growing up. A brand that didn’t focus on how women looked, but celebrated the incredible women wearing the dresses.

Alongside this, our Nana was a constant inspiration. Rachel brought together her love of fashion and art when, for one of her school projects, she designed and created a dress from start to finish with our Nana. Rachel still associates that dress with those precious moments spent with our Nana and fondly remembers her old Singer sewing machine and tin of buttons. 

In 2012, we trademarked CAREAUX in memory of her.

From the moment we had the idea, we spent the next few years saving every penny we could through working, determined to bring the dress to life. Step by step, with each small milestone and every bit of money saved, we moved the concept forward - a process that took years.

We immersed ourselves in every aspect of building a fashion brand - from fabrics to production - while researching, attending business courses, and forging relationships to grow our network. Throughout this time, many people told us it could not be done. But we kept going and in 2016, we finally had our first sample - it was the most incredible feeling after being told ‘no’ so many times. For the first time, it felt like we could truly create the business we had always dreamed of and even better, we were doing it together.

CAREAUX officially launched in 2017 with the support of the King’s Trust Enterprise programme, as a made-to-measure atelier inspired by memories of creating dresses with our grandmother who had a deep understanding of tailoring and garment construction. This instilled in us the importance of meticulous quality, work ethic, and the love poured into bringing a garment to life which has transcended into CAREAUX’s now ready-to-wear collections. All CAREAUX pieces are made by hand with love and care in England.

Thank you for taking the time to read our story and for your support. We cannot wait for you to be a part of Careaux. 

Laura & Rachel.