Interview: Chloe Lonsdale, fashion entrepreneur

It all sounds so quintessentially swinging London, doesn't it? Mary Quant, Vidal Sassoon, free love and glamour?

"I don't remember it ever being glamorous," says Lonsdale, now 30. "My parents were both very down-to-earth people and it was much more of a barefoot upbringing than a glamorous one. But it was definitely very idyllic and unique.

"When I tell people my mum was a model they think I might have a wardrobe of Chanel and Dior but it was patched jeans and T-shirts with fun graphics."

And though famous people dropped by for tea, it never seemed anything other than normal.

"I must have been seven or eight and Dad's friend brought Joan Collins for lunch. I was hiding under the table thinking it was all really embarrassing. They mixed with everyone and at the time it seemed normal," she adds.

"My dad was great friends with Marianne Faithfull among others and they all still stay in touch, although everyone went their separate ways."

Tony Lonsdale was, first and foremost, a businessman and an entrepreneur. "Fashion was nothing to do with what he did," says his daughter. "He knew what was a great product and I think some of his genes rubbed off on me in terms of how to run a business. He sat on the periphery of fashion, much as I do. I'm proud to be considered part of that industry, but nothing very much to do with it at all, if that makes sense."

Her father also taught her to be tough, and not to suffer fools gladly. "He's a tough businessman, but they all were. In those days it was the Philip Greens of the world. They were all jostling around, rag traders doing the same thing. My dad walked away from the industry in the early 1980s. He sold off most of Jean Machine to Philip Green to live his dream. He wanted to sail round the world so bought a boat and we did that on and off throughout our childhood."

Lonsdale did a fashion degree at Central Saint Martins and worked with Nicole Farhi for two and a half years after graduating. "But I don't think I ever really expected to work for anyone other than myself. I rang my godfather and said, 'What are you doing with Made In Heaven?'. He said, 'Chloe, I haven't been a very present godfather, I'm not doing anything with it, you're welcome to have it.'"

Her father's response was typical – he thought she was mad to give up a promising job for what he saw as an early mid-life crisis – "but now it's all worked out for the best".

Rebranded MiH, the jeans are to be seen on some of the world's most stylish bottoms, from Sarah Jessica Parker (who was recently spotted wearing the Road Trip) and Rhianna (who's partial to the Oslo skinnies) to Claudia Schiffer (Marrakesh kick-flare) and Keira Knightley (the high-waist Berlin). "I think it's fantastic that celebrities wear my jeans but, at the same time, I want to see real women in them," says Lonsdale.

Talking of real women, most of them will be delighted to hear there is a trend away from super-low-rise jeans and a move towards a more flattering leg width. "Jeans got so low at one point, they conflicted with a woman's figure. We're not designed to have a garment cut half-way down our midriff. Rises are going up, but to a gentle balance on the curve of the hip; nothing dramatic like under your armpits.

"And while skinny jeans have become worthy of a dictionary definition and are a wardrobe staple, there's the move towards a straighter leg with a subtle boot cut. It is the most flattering cut for the largest proportion of women; it balances out the hip, elongates the leg and doesn't exaggerate any muscular calves."

Rhinestones, embellishment and biker-style stitching are also becoming a thing of the past as we invest in our clothing rather than waste our hard-earned cash on throwaway fashion. "Denim is a timeless thing," says Lonsdale. "If you find a fit that suits you, it's the cornerstone of a great outfit and an everyday fallback look."

www.mih-jeans.com

This article was first published in The Scotland On Sunday, May 30, 2010