Don't Tell Me I Can't ...Be A Fashion Designer

The Highlands were the inspiration for Wendy Crawford’s new career.

- Kate Chapman and Sarah Holmes

Adding the finishing touches to my latest sketch, I held the paper up to the light streaming through my cottage window and felt a rush of pride. 

I’ve always been creative and had a good eye for fabrics and design. But unlike the well-heeled city slickers on the front row of London Fashion Week, I’d never considered myself a trendsetter. Still, that hasn’t stopped me from designing and making clothes other women love. At 57, armed with a great idea and an iron will, I’ve achieved what many people only dream of. I’ve become a fashion designer.

Growing up in rural Scotland, where the TV signal was far from reliable, craft quickly became a welcome pastime.

Whether I was knitting cardigans, or sewing tapestries for the cottage, there wasn’t much I couldn’t achieve with a needle and thread. I never considered it more than a hobby, though.