European women are renowned for their effortlessly elegant styling, and it’s a look that can be difficult to emulate from the rails of high street retailers. Not so for shoppers at Cuckoo Clothing, which stocks a wealth of labels from the continent.
Cuckoo was the brainchild of Michelle Veenman, who having sold vintage clothes on Portobello Market, was disappointed at the lack of diverse fashion in Cambridge.
Opening her first boutique 12 years ago at indie enclave Burwash Manor, Barton, Michelle was joined by business partner Kate Bols two years later, and their city centre store in bustling St Mary’s Passage launched a couple of years after that.
Today, Cuckoo offers an eclectic range of clothes, bags, footwear, jewellery and fragrance. Bestsellers include Scandinavian label Two Danes, quirky Italian brand Ottod’Ame, Parisian line Stella Forest, Ilse Jacobsen’s versatile rainwear, Lofina’s grunge-style boots and pretty Dutch Pom and French Inouitoosh scarves.
There is plenty of affordable attire, and Cuckoo’s staff are a cheerful bunch, offering award-winning service, and regularly raising money for charity through various events.
Michelle and Kate are currently collaborating with store managers – fashion designer Debora Rodriguez and dressmaker Annette Broad – on Cuckoo’s first ever own-brand label. Watch this space!
Cuckoo Clothing
4, St Mary’s Passage, Cambridge CB2 3PQ
Telephone 01223 364345
New Road, Barton, Cambridge CB23 7EY
Telephone 01223 262123
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