About Street Elegance

I began my fashion career training as a sewing machinist at the end of England's once-booming rag trade.  Just before the vast majority of production was outsourced abroad, I gained 4 years’ experience at S.R Gent's who produced blouses for M&S and Topping Howard who produced Burtons' suits. This gave me an insight into the garment production process and developed my sewing skills. 

Due to my frustration with the lack of work prospects, my lifelong love of fashion, my individual style and the fact that I live for the weekend, I decided to study fashion and start my own label.

After two successful years at Doncaster College, I went to London to study for my degree in Fashion Design at UEL (where, for the first two years, I also studied marketing).  It was here I was able to explore, and be inspired by, markets such as Portobello, Spittlefields, Brick Lane and Camden; the sub-culture and the people.  I also gained experience at London Fashion Week, Graduate Fashion Week and Fake London. 

Further experience was gained working for Loaded, a high street supplier of casual and tailored trousers, whilst working out how to start my own business.  The logistics were impossible and, as I did not want to work my way up through the ranks, I decided the easiest option would be to come back ‘Up North’.