She once worked with two of the most famous women in the word.
But these days expert embroiderer Chloe Savage is struggling to make ends meet due to the effects of the coronavirus.
Chloe worked on the wedding dresses of the duchess of Cambridge, Kate, and the duchess of Sussex, Meghan, as well as costumes for the Harry Potter franchise.
But she was forced to close down her workshop and let go of her interns after work dried up due to Covid-19.
The situation was made worse when she received no financial support from the British government, Dailyrecord.co.uk reports.
“Why is the government persecuting small-business owners?” Chloe says.
“They keep going on about us being the backbone of the recovery, but we won’t be there to recover in a few months.”
The 43-year-old is desperate for help.
Speaking to the
London Sunday Times about her financial woes, Chloe says because her business, Chloe
Savage Embroidery, isn’t making money she’s unable to draw a salary and can
only afford one more month of rent.
She’s struggling to feed her children after her application for Universal Credit, an income support benefit for unemployed people living in the UK, was rejected four times.
“My daughter has started avoiding eating lunch and supper because she thinks it will save me money on the food bill,” Chloe continues.
“I'm heartbroken. She’s not communicating because she’s worried. I can’t cope with any more stress.”
Chloe trained at the prestigious Ecole Lesage in Paris and the Royal School of Needlework at Hampton Court Palace in the UK.
When she was earmarked to work on the duchesses’ wedding dresses, she had to sign the Official Secrets Act before work could begin.
She was part of a team of 20 who made Kate’s Alexander McQueen gown in 2011 and, seven years later, was called in to help with Meghan’s silk Givenchy gown and 4,5-metre-long veil. Chloe helped stitch the trim that featured hand-embroidered flowers in silk threads and organza.
But things have
changed drastically for the once-successful embroiderer, who’s now working from
her mother’s garage.
“This is the reality of my lockdown. I spend half my time in tears. We have no money. There is just nothing left.”
Chloe adds that her father has even sold his car to help them financially. But she and her teenage daughter and eight-year-old are unable to move in with her parents because there isn't enough room.
According to campaign group Excluded, Chloe is one of three million people who have had no support from the UK government during the coronavirus crisis.
SOURCES: Mail Online, Dailyrecord.co.uk, Thetimes.co.uk
