Clare Hornby

Clare Hornby OBE (née Griffiths; born 1968) is an English businesswoman. She is the founder and CEO of ME+EM.

Early life and education

Clare Hornby was born in Oldham, Lancashire to Tony and Pam Griffiths. Her father was a joiner and her mother was a primary school teacher.[1] After attending Saddleworth Secondary School,[1] Hornby earned a degree in Retail Marketing from Manchester Polytechnic (currently Manchester Metropolitan University).[1]

Career

Hornby started her first business at the age of 14 selling second-hand shoes in Oldham market. After graduating, she moved to London and began her career at Harrods on the graduate scheme.[1] When she was 22, Hornby got her first job in advertising at Mojo Agency[2], which led her to move to Sydney, Australia for 18 months, before returning to London and joining the agency HHCL & Partners.[3]

In 2007,[4] Hornby co-founded Pyjama Room alongside Emma Howarth.[5] Pyjama Room was a womenswear brand offering luxury loungewear essentials.

In 2009 Hornby and Howarth made the decision to evolve the product into a ready-to-wear collection and relaunch the business as ME+EM.[5] After Howarth left the business in 2012, Hornby remained as the brand's CEO.[6]

Hornby maintains a significant stake in ME+EM, after the business received investment from Highland Europe in 2022.[7]

In April 2026, ME+EM was awarded a Royal Warrant by Queen Camilla.[8]

In June 2026, ME+EM Founder and CEO Clare Hornby was awarded an OBE for services to the fashion industry.[9] She was named in The King's Birthday Honours List, which was published on 12 June.[10]

Other work

In 2020, Hornby was made an ambassador for the King's Trust Women Supporting Women initiative.[11]

Personal Life

Clare is married to businessman Johnny Hornby, and has two daughters and three stepchildren. The couple splits their time between London and Oxfordshire[12].  

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Armstrong, Lisa (2024-08-31). "Me+Em designer Clare Hornby: 'Male friends kept texting to say how good Victoria Starmer looked'". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2025-11-19.
  2. ↑ "Hornby leads HHCL business development". www.campaignlive.co.uk. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
  3. ↑ "How a naïve idea turned into a multi-million pound company". FEBE. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
  4. ↑ Forbes, Sacha (2024-07-12). "The Princess of Wales, Cara Delevingne and now, all of Labour's chicest MPs: how Clare Hornby's brand ME+EM came to reign the social scene". Tatler. Retrieved 2025-11-19.
  5. 1 2 "How a naïve idea turned into a multi-million pound company". FEBE. Retrieved 2025-11-19.
  6. ↑ Brown, Harriet (2018-04-11). "Me + Em and the direct approach to luxury". Drapers. Retrieved 2025-11-19.
  7. ↑ Silver, Susanne (2022-03-22). "British Direct-to-Consumer Modern Luxury Fashion Brand ME+EM raises £55m to Accelerate International Expansion". Highland Europe. Retrieved 2025-11-19.
  8. ↑ Zhang, Tianwei (2026-06-13). "King Charles Honors Charlotte Tilbury, Sandra Choi and Clare Hornby in 2026 Birthday List". WWD. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
  9. ↑ Zhang, Tianwei (2026-06-13). "King Charles Honors Charlotte Tilbury, Sandra Choi and Clare Hornby in 2026 Birthday List". WWD. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
  10. ↑ "Birthday Honours List 2026". GOV.UK. 2026-06-12. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
  11. ↑ "Women Supporting Women founding Patrons and Ambassadors". www.kingstrust.org.uk. Retrieved 2025-11-19.
  12. ↑ Forbes, Sacha (2024-07-12). "The Princess of Wales, Cara Delevingne and now, all of Labour's chicest MPs: how Clare Hornby's brand ME+EM came to reign the social scene". Tatler. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
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