<p>Nadine Merabi is a British-Lebanese clothes designer. She is the founder of the brand which shares her name and is based in Manchester. She is mother to two little girls aged 4 and 5.</p><br><p>Nadine says at the heart of the brand is a desire to instil confidence in young women and make them feel great about themselves.&nbsp;</p><br><p>Nadine played hockey for England for 10 years and always felt she struggled to fit in.&nbsp;She says it took until the age of 29 to stop worrying about what everyone thought about her.</p><br><p>Post-hockey, Nadine explored other career options and I loved her story about how she reframed a lowly bar job as a glass collector, as being a chance to network.&nbsp;</p><br><p>She taught herself how to sew by watching YouTube tutorial videos, and built the Merabi clothes business because she couldn’t find anything to wear.&nbsp;Her brand is now over 10 years old, and in 2025 she won the Entrepreneur of the Year award at the World Retail Congress.</p><br><p>She loves it when her daughters see ‘one of mummy’s dresses’ on Strictly. They are certainly part of my go-to touring wardrobe too. They are fun, they make me feel supported, and often - the icing on the cake! - they have pockets!!&nbsp;</p><br><p>Spinning Plates is presented by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, produced by Claire Jones and post-production by Richard Jones.</p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>