Meet the artist: Chloe Dougan

Chloe Dougan is the resident fashion designer here at the Duncairn. 

She has been welcoming clients and building her career in fashion design for the past four years. You probably met her already as she has been teaching sewing classes to the local community here at the Duncairn for the past two years, something she loves doing.

Chloe graduated in fashion and textile from Ulster University and went on mentoring final year students, giving them guidance on their projects. She moved on from UU when the Duncairn offered her a place within its walls: “It was a great opportunity for me to have my own studio, a clean and professional environment to welcome clients surrounded by a creative environment.”

Since she moved in, her career has taken off. Chloe started creating women’s wear under her name establishing herself as a local fashion designer. Recognition came in 2018, when Chloe got invited to Buckingham Palace to celebrate the Commonwealth Fashion Exchange during the London fashion week: “that is definitely a highlight in my career!”. 

Following the event, Chloe was contacted by a local Drag Queen commissioning a costume. “This opened up a whole new niche market for me. I would have never imagined to work with queens. But I love it! It’s so much fun and it gives me the chance to design really outrageous and colourful creations.” 

Chloe has now founded her own brand: Call me Sophia. You can check out her wonderful creations on her Instagram account.

Her clothes were seen on TV as she made costumes for one of the Drag Race contestants on ‘RuPauls DragRace UK’ on BBC. One of the creations was inspired by the iconic Belfast landmark: the yellow cranes.

Recently she also designed costumes for the Queer History Tour at Hillsborough Castle. This past weekend Chloe was at Drag Con in London where she had the occasion to bring her work under the eyes of the wider drag community. So far, she is one of very few in Northern Ireland creating performance dresses for drag shows and she is really proud to be able to offer a service to this unique clientele.

Chloe revealed how much she loves to work with Drag Queens: “Their positive energy rubs on you. And their body confidence is great, so inspiring. There’s a lot of work behind each of these costumes, some take up to 40 hours of work, but making my clients happy motivates me to deliver the perfect dress.” 

What’s next?

“I want to continue establish and grow my brand, I have an intern starting to work with me soon. I have also an exhibit planned.”