For four decades model-turned-stylist Gene Sutcliffe has dressed thousands of fashionistas across the country. We meet the woman who put Accrington on the style map.
DRESSED in leggings for the third time around, Gene Sutcliffe has seen more fashions come and go than she has had seasons on the catwalk.
As a teenage model of the Twiggy era – she was a starlet of the 1960s fashion industry and among the first to wear Mary Quant’s mini skirt – Gene soon developed a passion for beautiful clothes.
And as her eponymous shop celebrates its 40th year she remains at the cutting edge of haute couture, travelling Europe to bring the latest looks back home to East Lancashire.
At 63, you can still see the former model in the glamorous grandma, who worked as a secretary by day and a model by night, before opening the Accrington shop.
Today Gene retains every inch of elegance from the catwalk.
But she’s far more than a pretty face. With a firm handshake and a charming demeanour, Gene is every inch the business woman.
Now Gene Sutcliffe’s, in Abbey Street, is a large double-fronted boutique packed with rails upon rails of designer labels including James Lakeland, Oui and Betty Barclay.
It has 12 stylists, two tailoresses and a handful of office staff as well as a database of more than 7,000 regular customers.
But 40 years ago, when she set up in business with her late husband Alan, it was a very different enterprise.
“I remember the first day quite distinctly,” recalled Gene, whose top fashion item, the leggings, are back in vogue for the third time.
“It was February when we opened and we only had one tiny shop.
"I had planned it all, sending out invitations to friends and local businesses.
"I was quite nervous, and I got up in the morning to open up on my first day, and looked outside to find several feet of snow.
“I had to walk into Accrington to open up, it was so quiet.
“Then suddenly all these people came in at about 11am, and they all bought.
"So it was a really lovely start,” said Gene, who was born and brought up in Accrington.
To celebrate the shop’s ruby anniversary, Gene held a red carpet evening on Thursday night with music, entertainment and models showcasing the new Autumn collection.
The shop’s very first customer, Glenys Pickering, 65, of Clayton-le-Dale made a return visit to mark the occasion.
She said: “I remember that day 40 years ago. I was only in my twenties and I bought a lovely red trouser suit.
"I haven’t got it anymore sadly. But I’ve been coming in ever since.”
Now, four decades on, Gene said the same fashions were still in demand, they had just been updated.
She names the mini-skirt as one of the best fashion items of all time — and she says it is about to make another comeback.
She added: “These days layering is the key to getting the look right.
“We used to wear leather jackets years ago, but it’s the way we wear them that is different now.
“The secret to looking good starts with the hair and makeup.
"Then you add the clothes and the accessories and it all starts to fall in place.
“People are more hungry for fashion throughout their lives these days, they don’t give up at 50.
"And everyone can wear black, they just have to add some red lipstick or a scarf to brighten it up.”
While Gene Sutcliffe’s is best known for its mother-of-the-bride formal wear, the shop now caters for all ages and occasions, with fashion items available from £30 up to in excess of £400 for designer items.
Gene’s daughter, Caroline Warner, 35, does the company’s marketing and assists her mum in selecting new ranges for the store.
She said: “We have lots of fashion for the younger customer now. Oui is all I wear.
“We have more than a third of the shop devoted to designer ranges aimed exclusively at the younger woman and we are the largest Betty Barclay outlet in the north of England.
Caroline and her mum travel to Paris, Dusseldorf, London and Milan to source the latest fashions, and Gene insists she has no intention of hanging up her high heels any time soon.
“It’s my life,” Gene said. “It always has been.
“There’s many years of fashion left in me yet,” she added with a wink.
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