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So far, sew good

Marie Burchill
10/ 4/2008

IT’S not just her striking good looks that are taking student Charlotte Kearney to the top – the blonde with model looks is proving she’s got business acumen too.

As well as taking on the challenge to be crowned beauty queen in one of the regions most popular competitions, Miss Manchester 2008, the 21-year-old student is also heading up her own underwear business, called Undressed.

Charlotte, who is studying fashion buying at Manchester Metropolitan University, is managing director of the company – which produces slinky underwear sets, adorned with sewn-on black ribbons and statement slogans.

And Charlotte is now celebrating her double success after reaching the final 40 in Miss Manchester, as well as the final heat of the Miss Student 2008 competition – in which competitors have to prove they have a high academic achievement record – and are then voted into the top spot by their fellow students.

Charlotte’s underwear sets – which cost £25 each – have already hit the shops and are flying off the rails from a number of city centre establishments, including Zuzu Couture boutique in the trendy Northern Quarter.

As well as building on her business acumen, Charlotte – whose collection of underwear displays slogans such as ‘Venus favours the bold’ – is also using her designed underwear to raise money for the domestic violence charity, Refuge.

Charlotte, who lives on Kingswood Road in Fallowfield and is originally from Belfast, said: "I want to prove that the beauty queens of today are no longer just pretty faces, but intelligent, determined women.

"Women can be beautiful and have brains too. I hope that by showing young girls in south Manchester what I have achieved, I will inspire them to push themselves to reach their full potential.

"I’m putting in a lot of hard work at the moment, taking part in the two competitions, continuing with my studies and running the underwear business. But I work better under pressure and prefer to keep busy, so it suits me well.

"I really want a career in business when I graduate, working in PR or marketing, and I feel that running Undressed has taken me a step closer to reaching that goal."

Charlotte’s team at Undressed include fellow students, Matthew Moxham, Anna Temple and Sarah Martin. The Undressed sets are currently manufactured by Nottingham-based company, October, and are then sent to Charlotte’s Fallowfield home where she customizes them. Charlotte said: "It’s been so much fun, from the marketing campaigns to the production, I'm just really proud of what has been achieved."

Charlotte is now within reaching distance of £10,000 and a European holiday for two as she battles it out against 60 other female students from all over the UK to be named Miss Student 2008.

She will take part in the live final of Miss Manchester on May 1 at the Palace Hotel.