For the first 20 years of my career I worked in Financial Services, first as an accountant, then in customer services for a major insurance company.

During that career I always struggled to find business clothes that fit properly.  Women are all shapes and sizes and rarely do bust, waist, hip and torso length consistently match the size of any one top or skirt.  Most clothes are made for women who are a B/C cup.  Anyone larger than that has become used to buying clothes a size or so up which are baggy pretty much everywhere else, those smaller than that have got used to looking a little empty in places.  If, like me, you don’t have much of a waist you find clothes that fit around the hip and dig in at the waist, or that fit around the waist and are baggy around the hips.

The alternative to poorly fitting clothes from the high street has been custom tailoring.  This is very expensive and time consuming for both the tailor and the client.  Measurements need to be taken, fittings are scheduled and adjustments need to be made to get that perfect fit.  Luckily, I started sewing when I was nine years old on a hand operated Singer sewing machine.  When I had the time to do so, I made my own clothes to wear to work.  As my career progressed, my available time reduced and I returned to wearing clothes that cut me in half at the waist because unfortunately my income did not rise to a level where I could afford to hire a tailor.

I felt there must be a middle ground, where particular common poor fit challenges, like a bigger (or smaller) bust, a non-standard hip/waist ratio or a long/short torso can be addressed.  The idea for bakuba was born and after a sojourn at fashion school to hone my skills I hope to meet that need for women from now on from my studio on the Berkshire / Oxfordshire border.

The picture above is of my current designs.  When ordering you let me know your bra size and waist for a top or a few different measurements for a skirt.  You can choose from a palette of seven colours and I then make your garment to your specifications.

My most recent client has a long torso and is enjoying having tops that are long enough for her.  Isn’t it time you had business clothes that fit you well?

Thank you.

Natasha Higman
W – www.bakuba.co.uk
F – Facebook.com/bakubadesign
T – @bakuba_design