Fashion Isn't Frivolous It's About Confidence

From teaching and tailoring to campaigning for equality and advising the Government, Maggie Semple tells Victoria Young what drives her.

- Victoria Young

MAGGIE lives in London with her music producer husband. In 2001, she was awarded an OBE for her services to education in the UK.

I’ve had a fairly eclectic career, but everything I’ve done has a common thread: I don’t sign up to anything I’m not passionate about and don’t believe in. I’ve always done more than just my day job and I don’t necessarily do things for payment. I do things for the good, and everything I do is about improving society and people. Along the way, I’ve always tried to help people, particularly women. And women in particular have been very helpful back to me.

My father was born in British Guiana, which was part of the British Empire in South America. One good thing to come from colonialism was education, so he went to university and became an engineer, then came to London where my younger sister and I were born.

In the sixties there were very few black girls living in North London. We had our own house and went to school, but there was an assumption that we were underprivileged because we were black. My dad definitely met with discrimination. I probably did too, but I didn’t know what it was at age eight.

But as I grew up I became more aware. I was shocked to realise there were parts of the world, like South Africa, that didn’t like me just because of the colour of my skin. I’d ask my father how that could possibly be. He always said, “You’ll do well nonetheless, and you will be whatever you want to be.”