During Graduate fashion week I was offered an Interview with a kuwait fashion brand called Anotah, who saw my collection on the catwalk. I really didn't think I would get the Job of Assistant Designer for girlswear but 2 weeks later they offered it to me, then I had to make the difficult decision to move to Kuwait or stay at home and look for other Jobs, my theory was if I don't go and at least give it a try I would regret it.
So in July 2006 I moved out to Kuwait and started my first design Job, it was difficult at first being a blond girl I got a lot of unwanted attention but I got used to it and started to enjoy myself.
It is such a different way of life out there and their fashion is very different. They love bright colours and lots of bling, which made designing very exciting and for Kids clothing they don't have so many restrictions as the UK does. The one thing I had to remember was that in the middle east the girls have to cover up so if we designed a skirt and short sleeve top we would then have to design leggings and a long sleeve top to be worn underneath.
One of the things I really liked in Kuwait (apart from the sun shining every day) was the fabric souq's (market's) they had the most amazing fabrics and trims for sale and it was very inspirational before I left to come home after a year I took an empty suitcase and filled it with lots of fabrics and trims to take home, So I could make some lovely things.
These are my cushions and wall hangings that I made for myself from some beautiful fabric I bought at the fabric souq.
My Friend Lisa got married last December and as one of her faithful bridesmaids she asked me to make a few things for her and of course I was happy to help. I made all these lovely fur Stoles with satin bows for us older bridesmaids and little fur muffs for the younger bridesmaids (yes she had 8 bridesmaids). I also made some pouch bags with the left over bridesmaid dress fabric and more satin ribbon, very handy for your lipgloss or tissues.
After returning from Kuwait, I went to visit my boyfriend who was travelling around the world. I met up with him in Australia and we travelled around the east coast for a couple of months before I had to come home and find a new job.
In summer 2007 River Island bought one of my prints to use on a beach collection to promote Graduate Fashion week 2007. The Collection included a bikini, flip flops & beach bag and they looked amazing. I managed to get a couple of each for free so I could keep a set forever. It felt so good to go into one of my favourite high street stores and say that's my design. The collection also got a lot of press and featured in the following magazines:
Elle,
Reveal,
Look,
My Final collection at University was one of my biggest achievements. I made a collection of 6 ladies outfits based on my inspiration of Egypt. All the Fabric I used started life as a plain white length and I dyed, screen printed, digital printed and embroidered everything to get the finished result, I even made necklaces, headbands & bracelets to complete the look.
In 2006 I Graduated from Northampton university with a 2:1 BA (Hons) in Textiles for Fashion. I loved this course and during my 3 years there I achieved a lot. here are a couple of my achievements while at Uni:
