I grew up in South London and have lived there all my life. South was not as bad as it is now when I was growing up. It’s where I grew up but I do feel it’s time to move on. I’m regularly up West End and feel the creative vibe a lot more up there with different people and different styles, and no one really eye balls your every move like back in the ends.
Art has always been in the blood from an early age. My mum has always been artistic, specialising in Fashion Design, Pattern Cutting and Fine Art. My dad was a draughtsman who specialised in Technical Design for various buildings and constructions. My earliest memory of when I caught the creative bug was when I studied my GNVQ Advanced Art and Design course. The course allowed me to be expressive and channel my ideas through various uses of creative media including Fine Art, Textile Design or Graphic Design. I found these forms of art easy to adapt to and was able to create with no set rules or restrictions.
I went on to complete my GVNQ Course then my BA (Hons) Fashion with Business course at Sussex University which covered various aspects of Fashion, Graphic Design, Marketing and Business within the Fashion Industry. I felt once the course was complete something was missing. I still didn’t know which area I wanted to specialise in, so I took some time out and randomly entered the clothing customisation game, which allowed me to combine my graphic skills and print techniques onto various textile surfaces.
I have been customising clothing and designing for about 3 years since graduating taking on freelance projects and anything I could put my creativity on. I then co-founded The Ugly Kids Club brand in which I was responsible for a hefty amount of concepts and designs over the course of 2 years. I learned a lot about myself; what I can do and where I needed to improve. Now my main focus is my label PINS, which will reflect my creative brain in all its glory.
I have always had 110% support from family and friends. I feel this is critical, as it helps during hard times and phases you go through in life, they definitely keep you grounded.
I’ve hit up some festivals such as Glastonbury, Bestival, Bloomfest and Nass Fest where I would sell custom bits and printed tees, as well as on on-the-spot customisation. Also been fortunate enough to have a residence at the Jumpoff (a hip hop night at London’s Astoria) where we would have an allocated space to sell t-shirts and other merchandise from.
Previous clients included Usher, Kelly Rowland, Mariah Carey, Cheryl Cole, and rapper Sway to name but a few. I have to say the Cheryl Cole hoodie which she wore in Part 4 of The Passions of Girls Aloud was special, probably because I’ve always had a thing for her. She most definitely has the X Factor! She told me she framed it in her house so that was nice!
I expect I will grow as a brand and continue to be actively creative in all that I do.
I would recommend reading my story in the ‘About' section of my website, to get an idea of how I started. Find out what you’re interested in, what you like doing and if you need any special qualifications. Get as much hands-on experience as possible in your chosen area even if it’s unpaid. There’s a lot of free help out there so make the most of it and get out there!