Some mazes are designed to get lost in, while others hold the potential for you to find something excellent inside. That’s certainly the case with independent boutique Maze in Clifton, which is celebrating 40 years of guiding customers towards treasured items for their wardrobe and home. We hear from its director Hannah Holloway… Image: Hannah Holloway in Maze (credit: Toby Mitchell)
Walk along The Mall’s smart pavement in Clifton and you’ll find a business that feels less like a shop and more like part of the city’s fabric. Maze, the family-owned, independent clothing boutique that has quietly defined elements of Bristol style for decades, is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.
What began as a gamble in Taunton in 1985 has grown into a staple of Clifton’s fashion identity, stitched together by family, community and a clear sense of style that has never bowed to fast-moving trends.
For director Hannah Holloway, who now runs the business her parents built, Maze has always been more than a workplace. It’s a legacy: one she’s intent on carrying forward with the same integrity and quiet confidence that has made the brand endure.
“Maze began in 1985 when my dad opened a small menswear shop in Taunton,” begins Hannah. He’d managed a clothing store for years and decided he’d rather do it for himself. It wasn’t a big ‘lightbulb moment’… more a slow build of experience and the realisation that if he was going to work that hard, it should be for his own thing.”
Hannah was five at the time and the family knew it was a gamble, risking everything they owned, meaning failure wasn’t really an option. Once things got going, Hannah’s mum left her job and came on board to open a womenswear shop. The next decade saw the family expand into a few cities, including Bristol, “which is where we are now.”
Stepping into the family business wasn’t Hannah’s immediate career direction, though. “I came into it later, after working as an art editor in London,” she says. “I’d studied history of art, so my head was in galleries more than in stockrooms, but the shop had always been part of our family life.”
From the very beginning, her parents simply sold clothes that they loved – “things you couldn’t find locally” – and there was no big business plan, no marketing department, “just good pieces and real relationships with customers. When I took over, I didn’t want to reinvent that. I just wanted to carry the spirit forward in a way that feels right today.”
While some brands boasting an impressive 40-year fashion legacy might talk about ‘eras’ and reinventions, Hannah sees Maze’s story as something subtler.
“It’s more like layers. Things have shifted over time, but gently,” she explains. We’ve always followed what we love and stayed true to our own style. Brands come and go, the landscape changes, but we’ve never chased trends for the sake of it. What matters most is keeping a clear sense of identity.” For Hannah, this means picking pieces that feel right to the team and reflecting how people actually want to dress. “That consistency has been our compass over the years.”
The relationships and stories behind each garment on the shop floor and online are just as important as the clothes themselves: “We’ve always cared where things come from, but these days we can go much deeper. Over time, we’ve become more intentional, working with makers and brands that share our values around craft, ethics, and sustainability.”
Whenever it can, the team chooses pieces made in Europe or the UK, and always asks questions about the supply chain. But it’s less about ticking a label or chasing a name now, and more about knowing the people behind the clothes. “We meet the designers, visit their workshops – it’s not just a faceless brand with a sales rep. That personal connection matters to us, and I think customers feel that too.”
Speaking to Hannah in Maze’s sleek, chic office space (where her carefully chosen supplier partners often visit in person to show individual pieces that might end up on the rails downstairs) we were keen to know if the business has faced any challenges that have ended up having an unexpected positive impact. Of course, the pandemic’s effect on the retail world can’t be ignored here. But Hannah took the pause as an opportunity to re-evaluate every single process, and reinvigorate the website so that it could better reflect Maze and supercharge its online offering during a time of shuttered shops.
E-commerce, social media and the speed at which the business moves have been among the biggest changes experienced by the Maze team over the years.
“Back in the early days, people came into the shop because there weren’t many alternatives,” Hannah recalls. “Now they can buy from anywhere in the world, so when they walk through our door, it’s because they want the experience. And of course, fast fashion has transformed the landscape in ways we couldn’t have imagined. Our response has been to slow down, not speed up – to focus on pieces and relationships that last.”
It’s this slowing down, almost as an act of resistance, that has helped Maze maintain its integrity in Bristol’s retail landscape in a world obsessed with immediacy.
“We’ve always been part of Bristol, but the relationship has definitely deepened,” Hannah notes. “Back in the day, we were more of an insider’s spot, somewhere for the in-the-know. Now, I think we’re just part of the city’s creative fabric.” Maze welcomes customers who shopped here in their 20s bringing their kids in store now, “which is pretty special. The city’s changed loads, but we’ve tried to stay constant, not just selling clothes, but being here, being part of the conversation.”
Another way Hannah wants to grow this conversation is to work with other local creative businesses in the city. “I’d like to collaborate more,” she says. “We’re so busy that you rarely have the time to put your head above the parapet and reach out to other like minded people, but I’d love to work with everyone from signwriters to ceramicists, to breweries – we’re all part of the furniture in Bristol, you can’t pick us up and put us down in London. That’s why I want to strengthen those networks, because it feels more meaningful when you’re building something together rather than in isolation.”
More than a shop, Maze is about how it makes people feel when they arrive – Hannah and her team ensure visitors feel relaxed and taken care of.
“Our team is key,” she says. “Everyone knows our stock, the customers, and they genuinely enjoy being here. We try to make every visit enjoyable, from the way we display pieces to the conversations we have. We champion design-led products and present them in a way that hopefully inspires people to find new ways to mix and blend the collections. Not many people wear one brand head-to-toe and our way of presenting different collections by colour encourages people to discover new combinations that suit the way they want to dress. That, and the personal touch, I think, is what sets us apart.”
The values at the core of the business may have shifted a little over the year in terms of the language used, but the essence has remained consistent throughout.
“We’ve always believed in quality, integrity and good service. What’s changed is we’ve become more conscious about the environmental impact of fashion and about supporting smaller, responsible makers. Honestly, we’d rather sell you one great piece you’ll love for years than a pile of throwaway things. It’s really about care, for the clothes, the people who make them, and the people who wear them.”
So, what does Hannah and the team think about hitting 40 years? “This is a pretty special milestone! We’ve done a few custom-made collaborations with brands we love: YMC, Universal Works, Sideline, and Kate Sheridan.” (More details of which will be released online and promoted on social media very soon).
There will also be a party in October to celebrate with customers and friends of the shop: “It feels like a great moment to reflect on everything that’s come before and to celebrate the people who’ve been part of it.”
Hannah’s plans for the next few years include continued online growth, “but the heart of it is still holding space for lovely retail and the lovely people who work with me. I want Maze to remain a place that’s fun to shop in, fun to work in, and full of care for the clothes, the makers, and the customers.
“And who knows… maybe one of my daughters will join me in the future? That continuity, that feeling of family and community, that’s what matters most.”
mazeclothing.co.uk | @mazeclothingltd
26-28 The Mall, Clifton, BS8 4DS
