Helen Rhiannon is an up and coming fashion designer who has designed for Katherine Jenkins as well as winning several awards. Based in Swansea and frequently featured in local press, Helen is somewhat of a local celebrity. Having recently expanded into jewellery design Helen is adding more strings to her bow by offering sewing lessons and branching into bridal dressmaking. You can find out more about Helen by visiting www.helenrhiannon.co.uk  

How did you first learn to sew?

I first learnt to sew at school; I studied design technology and textiles. I found they were subjects that I enjoyed and ones I was good at. I chose textiles as one of my subjects for GCSE. I never thought at school that I wanted to be a fashion designer; I just picked the subjects I enjoyed, which were creative arts and textiles. I carried on with textiles at A-level but didn't really know what I wanted to do, so I went to Carmarthen to complete an art foundation course which included textiles, along with a variety of art, photography and fashion.

By the end of the course I knew I wanted to do fashion for my degree so ended up going to the University of Westminster to study fashion. It was a fabulous experience and taught me a lot about the fashion industry.

Why did you not decide to stay in London to continue your fashion career?

Even at that stage I hadn't planned to be a fashion designer. I got to the end of university and ran out of funds so went back home. I had planned to come back to London, possibly to work for Miss Sixty as they showed an interest in my end of year Graduate collection which was shown at Graduate Fashion Week.

I had planned to start at the bottom and work my way up to designer but my lecturer advised I would be best getting some design projects behind me so I could approach them as a designer. So I went home to work on some designs. I ended up working with a local designer for just under a year but it was more about production than my creativity. One day I was in a shop buying some shoes when I got chatting to the owner and she ended up agreeing to sell my graduate fashion collection.

Is that when you decided to set up in business?

Yes, I thought that after having spent four years studying fashion and experiencing the fashion scene in London it was time to do something for myself and use my own talents to set up business. My experience working with a small local designer made me realise that I could design and make things for myself and in my own way.

Was it scary to set up your own?

It was a big step and when you first start out as a designer you have to build your reputation before you can command a decent price for your work. I started out on my mum's dining room table and ended up taking over the whole house! I now have a studio in their garden. It was quite daunting but I had the support of my parents which really helped and a business grant to set it all up.

When did you start up?

I sold my first collection into a shop in August 2004, so it has been over 5 years now.

Now you're designing for celebrities?

One of my first jobs was for a local singer and dancer; I made a stage costume for her. I have since worked my way up to designing for Katherine Jenkins, Miss Universe UK, Miss Wales Earth and more recently Natalya Romaniw, the Welsh entrant in BBC Cardiff Singer of the World.
That leads back to one of the reasons why I left London. Here I am a big fish in a small pond and there I would have been a small fish in a big pond. There is too much competition in London, you either make it big very quickly or you spend years and years trying and never get anywhere. Here I have slowly built up experience and reputation and now I am being asked to be involved in bigger and bigger projects. It takes time but things are starting to come together.

How do you attract customers?

I've found advertising doesn't really work for me as most of my customers come to me through word of mouth. Also, there are only so many customers I can handle. People come to me for a bespoke outfit made by myself so if I handed it over to an assistant they would lose that personal service and trust.
What are the main types of garments that you make?

I do a lot of prom dresses, occasion wear for weddings and I'm now branching into bridal wear. I am currently working on some couture wedding dresses for a show sponsored by the Daily Mail in March. When you design for a customer, the clothing has to be functional and you have to consider their desires, whereas with couture you can really let go so I'm looking forward to seeing the end result. 

Why had you not done bridal before now?

I previously avoided bridal as, firstly, working in white is a nightmare; the slightest mark and you have to start again! Secondly, I thought part of the ‘bridal' experience was to go into a shop and see a dress that you just fell in love with. However, a lot of people were coming to me telling me they had tried gowns in the shops, they had an idea of what style they wanted but couldn't find that ‘perfect dress'. I feel that I am able to offer them the chance of making their dream dress which is a total one off and to their specifications.

What aspects of your work do you not enjoy?

The pressure is the main thing. You have to be very good at managing your time. A lot of people don't realise how long it takes to make a perfect fitting bespoke dress. I'm not just a seamstress working from a pattern, I design the dress, create the pattern and then make it from scratch. I think sometimes the fashion shows on TV give people the misconception that an outfit can be made in a matter of hours. What people don't think about is that those outfits don't have to be durable to be worn over and over or to be perfect inside and out; they only have to survive the catwalk and look good from a distance.

The fashion industry can be quite a tough industry to work in and, when adding the business side of that, it can be quite ruthless! It can be a very fickle industry at times so I feel it is important that you have people around you that you trust and enjoy being with.  

What do you love about your job?

The freedom and flexibility is brilliant. I'm a night owl and prefer to work late which I can do working for myself. If the weather is really nice you can just spend the day at the beach and work in the evening instead.

I have the benefit that I am doing a job that I enjoy and I'd like to think I am good at! I also enjoy the social side of it, meeting new people, attending fashion events etc.

I've found it's a great learning experience as well. I've learnt how to create my own website; I've been on tax courses to learn how to manage my own accounts. You are always learning something new. I also visit schools under the Welsh Assembly Dynamo scheme to try and inspire youngsters to think about doing something they love in their career. That is something I love about my job!

What advice could you give to someone looking to start up as a fashion designer?

Definitely to have a back up option, another possible source of income, as you start off on a very low wage and it can take years to build up to a level where you can charge hundreds. I started off charging £50-£100 and now I can charge £350+. The reality is it is just hard, hard work. Some nights I'm up until 3 a.m. working. It's not a normal 9-5 job. It's also beneficial to have a good support network of family and friends.
You have to love what you're doing; for me it's not about the money. As a fashion designer you have to work hard for years on end to build up your reputation. The day that you stop enjoying it is the day you should pack it in.

What are your plans for 2010?

As mentioned before I am expanding into bridal this year. I've also recently introduced a new accessories line to complement the clothing I make and I will be developing that more. Another area that I am looking to expand into is teaching sewing. Whilst running the business I did my PGCE and even worked for a year in a school. Now I lecture in fashion in Carmarthen and I am looking to start offering one on one private tuition. The credit crunch has led to a lot of people wanting to make their own clothes rather than buy and there is a large demand for sewing teachers. I have the skills, equipment and experience to teach people to sew and would prefer to do so on a one to one basis so that it is really tailored to what they want to learn.