Clare Hornby
English businesswoman
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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].