ODD MUSE BY AIMEE SMALE

From a lockdown idea to a fashion empire, Aimee Smale has built Odd Muse on a foundation of quality, confidence, and timeless design. With viral success and a strong brand identity, she’s redefining mid-luxury fashion for young women who seek style beyond fleeting trends.

Stepping into the vibrant workspace of Odd Muse in Essex, the energy is electric. The air hums with laughter and the rhythmic tapping of keyboards as a team of dynamic women, draped in impeccably tailored Odd Muse get-ups, bring the brand’s vision to life. At the helm of it all is Aimee Smale, the 27-year-old founder and force behind the label, who has just returned from a whirlwind business trip to Dubai.

Founded in 2020, Odd Muse has carved out a name as the disruptor of mid-luxury fashion – where timeless meets aspirational. Its razor-sharp blazers and effortlessly elegant dresses have amassed a cult following, turning viral moments into sell-out collections. In the last few years, the brand has taken its signature power dressing global, while catching the eye of influencers, celebrities, and fashion insiders alike. The formula? Uncompromising quality, a fierce dedication to seasonless style, and an instinct for what modern women actually want to wear.

“One of the reasons Odd Muse has been so successful is that we have focused on this from day one, and our products support that philosophy,” says Aimee on the brand’s commitment to its values, which has quickly translated into blockbuster success. “The blazer we launched with is still selling today. Our dresses are seasonless. You can wear them year-round, and they don’t feel outdated the next season.”

The genesis of Odd Muse is a tale of solitude, introspection, and an audacious leap of faith. The time alone during the pandemic forced her to confront a long-held idea she had been carrying. “I had the idea of Odd Muse for a long time before that, and I often wonder – if lockdown didn’t happen, would I have ever made the jump?” she muses. The moment of hesitation, the what-if, fades into insignificance as she leans into the memory of what came next: a brand born out of an unwavering belief that women deserve better clothing in their wardrobes.

Odd Muse was not just about filling a market gap; it was personal. Fresh out of university and working as a buyer’s assistant, Aimee quickly realised that there weren’t a lot of brands set up for young women like her – driven, stylish, but limited by financial constraints. She saw an opportunity. “There needs to be more mid-luxury brands,” she says. “I saw that a lot in the Australian market, and I kind of wanted to bring it over to the UK.”

It was a challenge that demanded resourcefulness and grit. “When we first launched, I remember using a tiny label printer in my boyfriend’s kitchen. We didn’t fully grasp the volume of orders until we started printing labels and saw the stacks piling up,” she laughs, reminiscing on making over £100,000 worth of sales in the first two weeks. But that moment wasn’t just a logistical revelation – it was a turning point. “Seeing different addresses from all over the world made me realise that Odd Muse was going to be something big. From that moment, I knew I would never let this be just a fleeting moment – I kept chasing the next big opportunity.”

Lucky for her, plenty came shortly after. Although Aimee always envisioned Odd Muse as a workwear-focused brand, Christmas 2022 marked a pivotal moment. The brand experimented with a pearl dress – not for everyday wear, but as a special piece to be worn each holiday season. “The success was unprecedented; it completely changed the direction of the brand. Odd Muse became known as a dress brand,” Aimee recalls in disbelief. That launch shaped everything that followed, and most importantly, taught her a crucial lesson: adaptability is essential. Letting go of core beliefs about what Odd Muse should or could be – and even pivoting away from collections she’s spent months developing if the consumer prefers something else – must always take priority.

Transparency has also been a core pillar of Odd Muse, and Aimee is determined to pay it forward. “I don’t feel like I gatekeep anything about Odd Muse,” she says. “I’ll always use my platforms to share how someone right now can launch a brand, what I’ve learned in bricks and mortar, what I’ve learned scaling the brand across the last five years.” She knows firsthand how hard it is to find that kind of honesty. “When I was starting out, there weren’t many people answering the detailed, behind-the-scenes questions that founders often grapple with,” she reflects. “So, for me, paving the way is about just not keeping anything back, being really specific with how I want to help people, and just being really open with the fact that there is space for everyone.”

If there’s one lesson Aimee hopes to pass on, it’s that confidence isn’t something you’re born with – it’s something you build. “Starting a business requires confidence in your vision,” she says. “Before Odd Muse, I was extremely shy. I never spoke up in meetings, was too scared to push for promotions, and lacked confidence. But building this brand changed me. I became confident because I believed in my work.”

She knows there are countless women sitting at home, afraid to take that first step. To them, she offers a simple truth: “If you’re proud of your work, confidence will come.” But she’s also honest about the fear that never fully disappears. “Putting yourself out there takes practice,” she admits. “My first podcast? I rehearsed it like a school play for a week. Now, I can do a podcast with little to no prep. It’s all about repetition. I still get nervous, but you just have to do it.”

As Odd Muse continues to evolve, Aimee is focused on what’s next – not just in fashion but in the way women relate to their wardrobes. She envisions a world where dressing well isn’t about fleeting trends or exclusivity but about investing in pieces that empower. She’s not interested in chasing hype; she’s building something that lasts. And for every woman looking to carve her own path, she has just one piece of advice: start now, refine as you go, and trust that every bold decision leads to something greater.