Coronation Street fans best know Kimberly Hart-Simpson as Daniel’s former flame Nicky Wheatley, who has been causing a stir on the cobbles as she went head-to-head with Daisy to compete for his affections.
But away from the ITV soap, Kimberly has a very different career altogether, as she actually makes dresses for brands including Asos and Urban Outfitters.
Kimberly is an advocate for sustainable fashion on her social media, and volunteers at her local British Heart Foundation charity shop as well as showing off the clothing bargains she picks up from thrift shops across the country.
And that passion grew into upcycling her own wardrobe, making sustainable pieces for various fashion brands as well as hosting her own online store, HartWork.
It all began when she invested in her first sewing machine – purchased on store credit because she couldn’t afford it outright.
Speaking to Daily Star and other press, Kimberly explained: “I got a sewing machine a couple of years ago, and that saved my mental health massively, because I had this thing where I could turn something that’s destined for landfill into something beautiful again.
(Image: Kimberly Hart-Simpson/Instagram)
“That just resonates with me in life! You’re saving the planet and working on yourself and then you see something beautiful – what’s not to love about that whole thing?”
She continued: “It started off making a couple of pencil cases on the cheapest sewing machine I could find. I put it on an Argos card because I couldn’t afford to buy it outright, so for starters I decided to make a couple of things…
“Then my friend Jessica Ellis from Hollyoaks was going to the Soap Awards, and she said, ‘Can you make me a dress?’ and I was like, ‘Yeah… I can but I’ve never made one before!'”
Kimberly experimented with dressmaking, and eventually made the LGBTQ+ flag-style dress Jessica rocked to the awards ceremony – which then turned into a request from Hollyoaks producer Hannah Sowden for Kimberly to make the bridesmaid dresses for her wedding.
(Image: kimberly_h_s/Instagram)
“Then it snowballed,” she admitted. “I had a conversation with Asos and they signed me as a boutique brand for reworking stuff, and I’ve been trading online.
“Most recently I’ve signed to go into Urban Outfitters, so I launched there on the 20th May. I’ll be going into there as a sustainability brand [in visiting capacity]. I’ll go to the Manchester one and then tour around the UK with them, fingers crossed, doing pop-up shops – what a privilege to be part of something like that!”
Kimberly added that she is “sick to death” of seeing influencers touting designer brands, and is desperate for a shift in narrative to sustainable clothing.
The star regularly shops in charity shops, and explained: “I’m from a working class family that went to charity shops, it’s in my bones.
“So I’ve not changed and I’m not going to change – whether I’m on a high wage or a low wage, it doesn’t matter. A bargain is a bargain at the end of the day!”
(Image: INstagram)
She added: “Also, I’m sick to death of seeing influencers push a narrative of Louis Vuitton and Gucci and all of these other things that actually have a direct impact on young people’s mental health.
“People are looking up to them, thinking that’s who they need to be like, and that’s not sustainable on so many levels. You are going to get somebody who doesn’t feel worthy just because you post a picture!
“I’m not saying be like me, I’m saying please don’t be like everyone else. There are other routes you can go down.”
She elaborated: “Good for [influencers] if they want to put their achievements on there, I’m all for that, but I’m just trying to offer an alternative.”
Kimberly also gushed that where some celebs get saucy messages in their Instagram DMs, she’s more likely to get snaps from younger girls showing off a bargain.
(Image: kimberly_h_s/Instagram)
She giggled: “Most people probably get cheeky little DMs sliding in there trying it on, I don’t! I get people sending me their bargains and I quite like that life .
“There are younger girls that message me as well, in particular, saying thank you, because one: they didn’t know they could get brand new things from charity shops, and two: they’re on a budget.
“It’s a safe space to talk about it and comment on it. There are other people doing this as well which is great – the more the better, the stronger the vibe. I was doing this way before I started on Corrie, I’ve been doing this for years talking about it.”
Kimberly concluded: “British Heart Foundation was a place I went to because it was local to me, and it ended up saving my sister’s life – so the fact that at the time I was investing money unknowingly into something we’ve all probably been affected by in our families, it just makes me feel good.
“So why stop?”
Coronation Street airs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 8pm on ITV.
For more of the latest showbiz news from Daily Star, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
