![]() ![]() ‘Young British designers are the best in the world, they’re so brave and risk-taking and we thought someone must be looking after them,' said Debra (pictured: The Young British Designers headquarters)Īfter studying English at university, Debra began working in marketing, at times creating campaigns for high-street retailers but never working in the realm of her beloved designer fashion.ĭebra and Julian had long talked about launching their own online fashion business, and had been kicking ideas around for a while when, in 2010, Debra had her lightbulb moment: a one-stop shop for the best fledgling British fashion. Until she reached middle-age, however, fashion would remain a hobby rather than a career. ‘I realised there was fashion beyond what I saw in Chelsea Girl and Miss Selfridge, that there were exquisite pieces out there that I wanted to touch, to hang outside my wardrobe and look at.’ I’d always gone looking for the new and unique and would get a buzz out of people asking, “Where did you get that from?”’ she says, as we sit in the middle of a cosy studio lined with rails of designer clothes, while Julian pours the tea. ‘I was the girl buying weird things from thrift shops. Growing up in Birmingham, she adored fashion, inspired by a neighbour who worked for Mary Quant and would give her the brand’s tights and lipsticks. One successful business would be enough for most people. They manage a very small team, including Debra’s brother and his wife, who package up the orders.ĭebra also has a ‘real’ job, also located in the barn – thriving communications agency RBH, which she co-founded 21 years ago and which employs 48 people. He took early retirement from the car industry in 2010 and, instead of heading for the golf course, launched YBD with Debra that same year. Inside the barn, I meet Julian Whitehead, 59, Debra’s friendly, softly spoken husband, formerly global brand communications director at Land Rover. You can just imagine.ĭebra wears a Teija shirt, J Won trousers and Kirsty Ward earrings ‘In the early days, there was a lot of, “Who the hell are you?” when we turned up at London Fashion Week,’ she smiles. I meet this unlikely fashion maven at her equally unlikely fashion hub – a converted barn just off the M42, near the West Midlands town of Meriden. She’s kindly, chatty and laughs easily, with a gentle Brummie lilt emerging when she’s animated. The 54-year-old mother of two who is, in her own words, ‘a curvy size 12 and not very tall’, is stylish in a low-key way. NECKLACE, Lily Kamperĭebra Hepburn may be a fashion industry power-player, but Anna Wintour she most definitely is not.įor a start, she greets me with a sunny smile, a pot of a tea (she’d texted to say the kettle was on) and a plate groaning with cakes and biscuits.Īs co-founder of online retailer Young British Designers, Debra is a respected patron of cutting-edge fashion, yet it’s impossible to imagine her sporting sunglasses and a glacial glare on the front row at fashion shows. ![]()
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