Meet the Designers
Paula Daly
Inspired by a lifetime’s love of fashion and film and a habit for collecting vintage treasures, Paula Daly, the creator of the Mouse to Minx brand, has served up an original recipe of corsets and cardigans, tea and knickers.
The Mouse to Minx brand is a unique fusion of 20th century inspirations. It adopts a demure yet seductive vintage styling and adds a cheeky genteel subversion: wittily narrating its fashion exploits in the style of a post-war girls’ adventure story.
With the sharpest eye for detail Paula has successfully employed the quaint and theatrical rituals of English afternoon tea whilst poking affectionate fun with her modern lifestyle statement on old-fashioned English social manners: prim with the hint of naughty twist.
The Mystery of the Management Team
With an early childhood enthusiasm for film, fashion and design of the mid-20th century, Paula was desiging and making clothes when still at school, eventually getting a place at art school hoping to study fashion and textiles. But being seduced by painting in her foundation year, she ended up graduating in Fine Art. Coming from a lively and large Irish family, the exchange of wit and wisdom, song, dance and story-telling come as standard. It is this natural imagination with language which gives the fashion brand's marketing approach and web presence its unique flavour.
Humour is never far from the surface at Mouse to Minx, as can been seen in the dialogue between the brand’s three ‘managing directors', Daphne, Dulcie and Doris, each with a distinct personality, style and role within the business at 'Minx HQ.'
Going full circle from her early sewing years, Paula has brought the full force of her knowledge of fashion history, her inspiring collection of vintage dresses and her innate creativity, to launch a concept which has now captured the attention of a club of signed up members on five continents.
A Brief History of the World
Mouse to Minx first came into being in 2004. A year later, with the opening of its first tiny concession store, the “Minx Club” was formed to engage customers through regular news bulletins about the brand’s activities, ultimately including developing a user group of fans to inform the creation of the ecommerce site in 2007.
Paula opened her first Mouse to Minx shop in 2005 in a historic 16th century conservation area of Bristol, UK. This closed in 2008 and Paula is welcoming approaches to discuss franchise or licencing partnerships for any business interested in running a Mouse to Minx branded store in the UK.
As a theatrical retail concept, right down to Paula's extensive soundtrack of popular songs from the 1930s to the 1950s, and staff dressed as "Nippy" waitresses, the Mouse to Minx boutique, in a grade two listed shop, captivated the attention of film-makers, theatre designers, fashion designers and of course, customers. The Mouse to Minx website has been listed on numerous ‘best of’ lists amongst some significant multinational brands including Tiffany, Prada, Nine West and Myla, and can take credit for inspiring the raft of 'vintage' boutiques which have emerged in its home city of Bristol since its arrival, including - as Daphne would say waspishly "some very pale imitations.".
The Adventure of the Crystal Ball
Now focused on its online activities and brand development, Mouse to Minx is still a single-handed enterprise, any enquiries about the business, interviews or photo opportunities should first be directed by email to the press desk at Daphne@mousetominx.co.uk