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Maggie’s Column
I would imagine that there are three kinds of readers of this message: those who know me very well, those who know aspects of who I am, and those who are still figuring me out. For the last six weeks I have been hosting exclusive evening events in my atelier built in 1692 in Covent...
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People often tell me that I am understated and when I was younger this felt like a criticism. However, over the years I have come to like being understated as it appeals to my sense of curiosity and playfulness. I spoke recently at the Festival of Marketing conference in London and at the end of...
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Our blog archive reminds me of all of the posts that I have written since 2010 – the year that MSL was founded. So much has happened in 5 years. I thought you would enjoy reading a few extracts and by the way, there is a prize for the first person who can put a...
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Recently my work has led me to travel widely, meeting many groups and individuals in a corporate context. As I travel I have been considering an important part of the Semple Dress Collection project, ‘the uniform’. We would all probably like to think that we left uniform behind in school; the uncomfortable wool fabrics, the...
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I like creating and participating in teams. From the start of MSL five years ago, many significant individuals have contributed to the ebb and flow of ideas and I sometimes pause to reflect on how alike, and yet how different, those people are. The skills shared and developed, the bonds formed, the ways of thinking...
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I formed MSL 5 years ago. On 30 July 2010 I decided to set up a company specifically about women. Why? Stimulated by a year of research in to the weft and weave of dress fabric including finding out more about my iconic dress from giant retailer M&S, I knew that there was an exciting...
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A few years ago I talked to John Bird the founder of The Big Issue magazine about business luck. He was adamant at that time that luck didn’t just happen. For him it was a combination of planning and insight. I mention luck as during this last month I have had nothing but a series...
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I had three amazing coincidences last week and they all occurred within three hours of each other. The first was when I attended an event at the House of Commons. It was the HSBC and MOBO 20 year anniversary, attended by Parliamentarians, artists from the creative industries and business people. As I looked around the...
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Many of you know that my personal clothes are designed and made in Italy by my Italian designer. I have known Hilla for 15 years and during that time she has made, from exquisite Italian fabrics, my work and evening dresses, ball gowns, trousers, skirts and jackets to fit my body and style. I asked...
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There are six people in the Semple team: Sophie, Jenna, Jess, Sophia, Dulcie and me. We are all different yet we have some traits that we all share. We are values driven, we appreciate elegance and intellect and have a genuine interest in finding out what people think. During 2014 we met on average 50...
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